Category: Mediterranean Cuisine
- 1 cup basmati rice, rinsed and soaked in hot water for 15 minutes
- 1 pound chicken thigh, cut in smaller pieces
- 2 teaspoon ginger/garlic paste
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons plain yogurt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 pinch saffron
- 2 small round eggplants, cut in thick slices and salted
- ¼ cup carrots cut in discs after peeling
- ½ cup cauliflower floret, washed and pat dried
- ¼ cup olive oil or ghee
- 1 small onion sliced
- 1 tablespoon pine nuts
Wash and soak rice in hot water for 15 minutes and set aside
Cut chiken thighs in smaller pieces, remove excess fat and skin and wash well and let it drain in a colander for 10 minutes.
In a bowl, add chicken, ginger/garlic paste, chili powder, salt, allspice powder, clove powder, yogurt,lemon juice and saffron. Mix thoroughly to coat the chicken with spices to let it marinate for an hour or more.
In a fryer or a skillet heat enough oil to deep fry vegetables. Fry eggplants for no more than minute and remove from hot oil on to a paper-lined plate to remove excess oil
In the same oil fry carrots and cauliflower separately and not for too long and transfer to a platter.
In a Dutch oven, heat oil and add onion to fry until caramelized.
Add marinated chicken to the onion and stirfry on high heat until well seared. Transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon to drain extra fat.
use a heavy saucepan and add chicken in one layer. Top it with carrots, cauliflower and eggplants in layers.
Well drain soaking rice and add as a top layer. smooth and press the rice down.
Add 1½ cup water, cover the pan with aluminum foil and then with a lid.
Place on medium high heat for 15 minutes. Lower heat and let it steam for 30 minutes.
Remove from heat and let it stand for 15 minutes still covered.
Invert the pan on a larg platter. Sprinkle toasted pine nuts on top to serve.
- 5 Heirloom tomatoes
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- hint dried oregano
- ½` yellow potato cut into chunks
- ½ large dice green bell pepper
- ½ cut into large dice red bell pepper
- 2 medium serrano green chilies (desired type)
For this recipe, make an x cut on the bottom of each tomato and drop them in a pot of boiling water for a few minutes. Remove them with a spider and plunge in a bowl of ice water for two minutes. Fish them out and peel with a knife or your fingers. Skin slips off like a charm.
Chop the peeled tomatoes into medium dice. Even better if whizzed in a blender for a smooth sauce.
Heat olive oil in a skillet and add tomatoes. Cook until the tomatoes are fully cooked into a sauce (about 10 minutes).
Add , salt, black pepper, and dried oregano Stir and lower heat to simmer. Cook for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.
Add potatoes and cook until partly cooked. Add green and red bell peppers and cook until al-dente (they should not be over cooked).
Add ¼ cup water and mix well. Season to taste
Top with serrano chilis or any green chilies on hand. Cover and simmer 10 minutes.
Serve with fresh out of the oven naan, or fresh white rice
Eating with naan is fun because you can scoop up the sauce with bread.
This is a go-to recipe in my family because it is delicious and easy to make.
I hope you make this recipe and love it as much as we do.
This delicious tomato sauce was served with Maqluba (Jordanian upside down chicken fried rice) in one of the Jordanian restaurant. But in another Jordanian restaurant, we had a slightly different version of it with added vegetables (green peppers, potatoes, red peppers, green bean, and kidney bean). Vegetables were cut in a large dice and added to a thinner sauce ( as oppose to thick sauce) without overpowering it with too much vegetables. Served with fresh, just out of the oven naan, it was amazing. You can use the same basic recipe to make variety of sauces of your choice for the texture and taste and have great fun making and eating it.
