Vegetable Maqluba

Roast the vegetables. Toss the eggplant, cauliflower, potatoes, and carrots with a little oil and salt. Roast at 425°F until tender and golden, about 25-30 min. Do this ahead, separate from the pot below.

Warm the broth. Heat all the broth in a separate pot so it's hot when it goes over the rice. Cold broth slows the start and cooks the rice unevenly.

Cook onions and garlic. In the pot, heat half the oil over medium. Cook the onions until soft and golden, about 8-10 min, then add the garlic for 1 min.

Toast the rice. Add the rice, allspice, paprika, cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, black pepper, cardamom, and salt. Stir 1-2 min until the grains are coated and fragrant. Scrape everything into a large bowl.

Coat the pot. Wipe the pot out if anything stuck. Coat the bottom and lower sides with the remaining oil. This is what lets the pot release cleanly when you flip it.

Arrange the vegetables. Put your prettiest layer down first, because it becomes the top: eggplant slices and cauliflower florets, then potatoes and carrots. Press lightly so the layers are snug, not crushed.

Add rice and broth. Spoon the spiced rice evenly over the vegetables and tuck in the bay leaves. Slowly pour the hot broth over. It should cover the rice by about 1 cm. Taste the broth and adjust salt now; aim slightly under.

Boil and simmer. Bring to a boil over medium-high. Put a heatproof plate directly on the rice to hold the layers, then cover and drop to low. Cook until the liquid is fully absorbed.

Rest. Take the pot off the heat and leave it covered. Resting firms the structure so it holds together when flipped.

Flip. Remove the lid and plate, and pull out the bay leaves if you can reach them. Set your largest platter upside-down on the pot, then invert in one confident motion. Let it sit 1-2 min, tap the pot, and lift straight up.