Yemeni chicken mandi rice

It is terrifying how time flies. I can hardly believe that its mid-April now. The most positive note is that the holy month of Ramadhan is nearing and there is a lot to do before that.

I am just back after an eventful weekend with the kitchen. In every meal I saw to it that I tried to make something new. Friday was pure Middle eastern food while Saturday saw a comfortable & simple Indian meal. And then there was also some baking done for easy healthy evening snacks. Keep checking out this space for these recipes.

Whenever we dine in Arabic restaurants, our usual choice is the popular Mandi Rice.  Do you know that Mandi is the National and traditional dish of Yemen?  It is widely eaten in all other Arab countries. When cooked in the traditional style, Mandi ingredients are usually gathered together and then placed in a hole underground which is designed like a tandoor (made of clay).  The rice and the meat get cooked on their own due to the underground heat and the flavours from the spices  get absorbed by them.  Quite Interesting.

But don’t worry. This is generally not possible for all of us with our style of Kitchens . Homemade Mandi is still possible with the recipe as below. I made it last Friday for our weekend lunch and it was scrumptious .  This is something that all meat lovers should try. The flavours you get are purely Arabic and you will love it with every bite. I promise !!!

The main ingredient among the spices is the Mandi spice mix. It is this powder that imparts that authentic mandi flavor to this dish.  I made it at home using the recipe as described below.

INGREDIENTS: 

 

Ingredients A –  Mandy Spice Mix
 

2 tablespoons cardamom pods
2 tablespoons cloves
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 whole nutmeg
1 tablespoon ginger
4 bay leaves
 

Ingredients B – For Chicken
 

1 chicken cut into 4  pieces
4 teaspoons Mandy spice mix
1 teaspoon salt – to taste
2 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon turmeric/saffron
2 cubes or 2 tablespoon chicken stock
 

Ingredients C – Rice
 

1 1/2 cups basmati rice
1 tablespoon butter/margarine
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 small tomato, finely chopped and removes all the seed
4 whole cardamom pods
4 whole cloves
6 black peppercorns
3 cups chicken stock (or just enough that about an inch is above the rice)


HOW TO MAKE:

 

1)      Finely blend all the ingredients under “ A “ - Mandi spice mix. Keep the blended powder aside.

2)      Now its time to marinate the chicken.  Rub all ingredients of  “B” onto the chicken (use only 4 tbsp  Mandi spice mix and the rest can be stored in a clean bottle for future use)

3)      Put this marinated chicken in a dish and cover it or in a zip lock bag and refrigerate it for at least 2-3 hours.

4)      After marinating of the chicken is done, place the chicken in an open pan and cook it uncovered until it is soft and tender and browned evenly. No need to add any water or oil as the chicken will release it itself and cook in its own water. This way the flavors get blended  and the chicken is very tasty. This process takes almost 20-30 minutes. It is important that you cook the chicken on low heat for effective results.

5)      Alternatively, you can transfer the chicken after this step in a preheated oven and bake it for 20-30 minutes at 250 degrees Celsius.

6)      The stock drips from the chicken need to be collected as they will be used while making the rice. These drips should be collected even if you are cooking the chicken only on the pan and not using the electric oven. Cook until the chicken is tender. It should not break.

7)      Now let us make the rice: Heat oil/butter in a cooking dish and add the onions and sauté until lightly browned. Then add all the crushed whole spices. 

8)      Then add the chicken stock, the stock drips from the chicken, tomatoes, salt and the rice. Sauté it for 2-3 minutes. Do not break the rice. Add enough water and bring it to boil.

9)      Cover and cook on low flame until the rice is long and cooked (but not overcooked).

10)   Transfer the chicken pieces on top of the cooked rice and keep it closed to keep the aromas intact.

11)   Serve hot with Salsa and a cucumber salad.

Note:

a)      You can also make this in an oven. After pan frying the chicken, keep it aside. Then make the rice until step 8. And after bringing it to boil on the stove, place this cooking dish in a preheated oven at 220 degrees Celsius. Place a grill rack on top of the rice dish and place the pan fried chicken on the grill rack in such a way that the chicken drips fall into the rice pot during baking. This baking process takes 45 minutes to one hour also.

 

 

b)      Mandi rice flavor comes from the chicken stock collected from the chicken drips during baking or pan frying. So make sure you use it.

c)       You can also make Mandi with Muttom (Lamb). During marination, just add 2 tbsp of raw papaya paste. This will tenderize the mutton and the mutton doesn’t need to be pressure cooked. The rest of the procedure is the same.

d)      Chicken or Mutton pieces should be cut big. I bought a small chicken cut only in 4 pieces. This way I got chunky pieces. That’s the actual way the Arabs eat. And it is so tasty.

e)      Some people make it with a whole chicken cleaned inside and not cut. Even this taste awesome. Just that you should watch it while cooking. It has to brown evenly.

f)       Smoky flavor is important for an authentic mandi. I have not mentioned in the recipe. But you can easily get it by placing a small bowl of 1 tbsp butter and  a burning charcoal in it. Just place that bowl in the cooking dish after baking is done (remove from the oven ) . Then keep the dish closed for ten minutes before serving and then this flavor is imparted in the dish slowly.

g)      You can add some turmeric or food color for a yellowish tinge in the rice. It looks  more appetizing.