FESTIVE CHICKEN
DJEIJ EL EID
BY KAMAL MOUZAWAK
Serves 6 | Prep./Cooking Time 60 mins.
INGREDIENTS |
1 chicken – 2 kilos
For the stuffing
• 80 g short-grain rice
• 50 g almonds, peeled and halved
• 50 g pistachios, peeled and halved
• 25 g pine nuts
• 200 g minced meat, coarse
• Vegetable oil
• Salt
• 1/3 tsp (each) of allspice, black pepper and cinnamon
• A pinch of saffron
• 1 tbsp orange blossom water
For the soup
• 150 g finely minced meat for the imma meatballs
• 60 g short-grain rice
• 10 kebbeh, hollow
• 2 pieces of mastic, to crush in a mortar and pestle
• 2 sprigs of parsley
• Cinnamon
SERVE WITH
Hochar Père et Fils Red 2018
Fruity, fresh and elegant, this is most
definitely a food wine. Characterized
by a reasonably long finish.
PREPARATION |
Stuffing
1. Wash the rice, drain and soak in boiling water for 30 minutes (short-grain rice is better for stuffing, as it sticks together well).
2. Heat 3 spoons of vegetable oil in a pan and fry the almonds until lightly golden, then add the pistachios and pine nuts and
continue frying for 2 minutes.
3. Add the coarse minced meat (you can use beef or lamb and choose the level of fat content). Mix well until the meat crumbles. Fry for 5 minutes.
4. Add the drained rice, salt, saffron and orange blossom water.
5. Add 0.5 cup of water and cook the mixture on a low heat. The rice will be half-cooked by this time.
Chicken
1. Clean the chicken well. Stuff with the rice mixture after letting it cool.
2. Stitch the chicken with a needle and thread to prevent the stuffing from spilling out.
3. Put it in a pot and fill with enough water to cover the chicken.
4. Place on heat and bring to the boil, removing scum from the water when it forms. When the water is clear, add salt and leave on the heat for at least an hour, until the chicken and stuffing are cooked.
Soup
1. Form the finely minced meat into balls the size of an olive. Brush with vegetable oil and grill for 10 minutes in the oven under a hot grill.
2. Take the water used to cook the chicken and add it to the rice (washed and drained). Allow to boil for 15 minutes, until the rice is nearly cooked, and add 10 kebbeh (hollow), the imma meatballs and the ground mastic. Salt to taste and boil on a low heat for 10 minutes.
3. Serve the soup with the chopped parsley and cinnamon to taste, followed by the stuffed chicken.
KAMAL’S TIP: Larger-sized chickens are succulent and tasty when stuffed, so choose one that’s at least 2 kilos for this dish.
