Smoked White Chicken

I have been looking for a good brand of garam masala powder for so long and only last week this new Zafrani Shaan garam masala attracted my attention and when I checked the ingredients, I knew this is it!

I am not a fan of Shaan spices at all and I hate them all except for one or two as they are all the same. But this one has just the garam masala spices and not cumin or coriander or anything else like other brands, plus it has saffron too.

I used it today in the marinade for smoked white chicken. The garam masala enhanced the taste and the smoky flavour in the chicken was awsome. Everybody just loved it. In fact they were all duped into believing that I barbequed the chicken when I didn't.Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

Chicken - one whole

Garlic paste - 1 tblspn

Dhania (coriander) powder - 1 tspn

White Chilly powder - 1 tspn

Shaan's Zafrani garam masala - 2 tspns

Yoghurt - 1/2 cup

Salt - 1/2 tspn

Lemon juice or red wine vinegar- 1 tblspn

Olive oil - 1 tblspn

Whipping cream - partially skimmed - 1-2 tblspns

Method:

1.Clean, wash and drain the chicken. Rub lemon juice or red wine vinegar (I used red wine vinegar this time) and leave for 15 mins.

2. For the marinade mix together garlic paste, dhania powder, white chilly powder, salt and shaan's zafrani garam masala with the yoghurt. Add salt and olive oil.

3. Rub the chicken pieces with the marinade and set aside for a couple of hrs.

4. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit.

5. Put the chicken in a roaster pan and cook in the oven for 40 mins.

6. After 40 mins brush the chicken generously with the whipping cream and leave for 10 more mins.

7. Now light up a coal placed in a tin foil shaped like a tiny bowl, drop a blob of ghee or butter on the burning coal and immediately keep it in the center of the roasting pan on top of the chicken.

8. Turn off the oven. Cover the roaster pan with the lid and place it in the hot oven for another 10 mins.

9. The smoked creamy white chicken is now ready. Serve hot with rumali rotis (these rotis are as thin as a ladies handkerchief and so the name) green yoghurt chutney & some cucumber or radish etc.

10. For the green chutney, blend together two stalks of mint, a handful of coriander, 1 inch piece of ginger, 1 green chilly, salt to taste and 1 tblspn of yoghurt. When everything is well blended add more (1/2 cup) yoghurt to it. The chutney is ready.

11. The rumali rotis as seen in the picture above are home made. You can try them at home if you have a gas stove. Check out their recipe on www.vahrehvah.com. He shows you how to make them on a flat skillet but I love to be traditional so I make mine on an inverted cast iron wok on the gas stove.

12. Enjoy the smoked white chicken with rice, rotis, parantas, dal and raitas of your choice. 

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Chicken Maqlooba

This is Chicken Maqluba - a popular Palestinian Arab dish which I made for dinner. Most people also think of it as the national dish of Palestine. It is made with lamb or chicken with vegetables and rice. It is basically a one pot dish of meat, vegetables and rice all layered and cooked together. Then the pot is flipped over on the serving platter to display the maqluba which is a sight to behold! I followed a recipe from You tube which I just tweaked a bit by using italian rice instead of falak basumati. Italian rice has that firm texture and nutty flavour which I thought would go well with the maqluba. Here's the recipe: 

Ingredients:

Chicken - 1 Whole (1.5kgs)

Potatoes - 3-4 medium size

Egg plant - one large

Onion - 1 big

Butter - 1 tbs

Olive oil - 2 tbs

Vegetable oil for frying 

Italian Rice - 3 cups

ghee (clarified butter) 2 tbs

Spices for the chicken:

Cinnamon powder - 1/2 tsp

Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp

Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Cumin powder - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

All spice -1 tsp

Seven spice -1 tsp

Spices for the rice: Salt and pepper- 1/2 tsp each; All spice - 1/2 tsp; turmeric - 1 tsp.

Method: 

1. De-skin the chicken, cut into 12 pieces at the joints, clean, wash, drain and keep aside. 

2. Heat a tbs of butter in a big pot and add the diced onion to it. 

3. When the onions sweat a little add the chicken to the pan followed by the spices and mix well. Keep turning over and brown the chicken in the pan. 

3. Add 3 - 4 cups of water and let it cook for sometime till the chicken is done.

4.Slice the egg plants and potatoes separately. Rub a little salt and keep them aside for sometime. The egg plants sweat a little on rubbing salt. Press them gently to drain the water and wipe with paper towels. This way they don't absorb oil when frying.  

5. Deep fry them separately. Drain on paper towels.

6. Boil water in another pot. Add the rice. When the rice is 80% cooked, drain well, then add the spices to the rice, mix well and set aside.

7. Take a small round roaster and grease it with some clarified butter (1tsp) on the inside. Then sprinkle a little of the spiced rice at the bottom.

8. Now spread a layer of the chicken pieces (reserve the broth) on top of the sprinkled rice.

9. Then spread a layer of baked/fried egg plant on top of the chicken. Then a layer of potatoes on top of the egg plant or you can layer both together - one eggplant and one potato slice, all stacked together.

10. Finally add the spiced rice on top. Pour the reserved broth on top of the rice. Cover the roaster with the lid and place it in the pre-heated oven (at 350 degrees fahrenheit) for 15 mins till you see the steam gushing out as soon as you open the lid. Take care not to keep your face close to the roaster when you are uncovering the roaster. It is better to open it little by little. 

11. Keep a round serving platter ready. Remove roaster lid and close it with the serving platter.

12. Put your oven gloves on (thick insulated ones) and holding the roaster bottom with one hand and the top of the closed serving platter with the other, overturn the roaster carefully on to the serving platter and slowly rest the serving platter on the counter top. Remember it is very hot so you have to do it very carefully and tactfully balancing it really well. Otherwise ask someone to help you.

13. Let this rest for 2 mins. Take a serving spoon and tap the roaster's overturned  bottom and all the sides slowly to release the maqlooba from sticking to it.

14. Lift the roaster up slowly to display the maqluba sitting majestically on the serving platter like a queen. The chicken is crisp and golden which was steaming at the bottom of the pot now crowns the dish on the top.The fried egg plant and potato slices like hidden gems add more to the glory. It is a dish beautiful to behold and delicious to eat. There is aroma in the air and many hungry stomachs to feed. Serve hot with yoghurt and salad on the side.  Enjoy.

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