September 1, 2023

Parcha-Dosheme Plov

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Parcha-Dosheme Plov

(Azerbaijani Pilaf)

September: National Rice Month

As we continue to “cook our way through the calendar/countries” as a personal project to learn about international cuisines, we finally reached the last A country in the alphabet: Azerbaijan. Like its neighboring countries in Eurasia, rice is the staff of life. We tried an Azerbaijani pilaf recipe, which is similar to Indian biryani, and it was a delicious meal in itself. There are more than 40 plov recipes in Azerbaijan and this fruity one with chicken pieces is what we cooked to honor this country during National Rice Month.  

Recipe

(Adapted from AZcookbook.com)

Ingredients

  • 3 cups long grain rice, preferably basmati
  • 3 tablespoons salt, divided use (1 + 2 tablespoons)
  • ¼ cup butter, divided use (2 + 1 + 1 tablespoons)
  • 1 cup peeled chestnuts
  • ½ cup dried apricots
  • ½ cup dried sour plums (we used pitted prunes)
  • ½ cup pitted dates
  • ½ cup golden raisins
  • 1 small onion, sliced
  • 10 cups water
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thigh, cut into bite sized pieces
  • 1/3 teaspoon saffron threads 
  • 3 tablespoons hot water
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Wash rice in a strainer till water runs almost clear. Set rice and strainer in a large bowl with water and 1 tablespoon salt. Let soak while preparing the fruit mix. In a skillet/pan, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Sauté the chestnuts for around 3 minutes.

Add the apricots, plums and dates. Stir fry for another 3 minutes. Add raisins and mix for another minute, being careful not to burn the fruits. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

In a large pot, boil 10 cups of water and the remaining 2 tablespoons of salt. Pick up the soaked rice from the bowl and add to the pot. Parboil for 7-10 minutes till the rice is ALMOST cooked (not too hard and not too soft as it will continue cooking with the fruit mix and chicken). In another large nonstick pot, melt 1 tablespoon butter over low heat and add the chicken but do not brown it. 

Scatter onions evenly over the chicken and let it sit for a minute. Turn up heat to medium low and gently stir to mix. Add half the rice over the onion-chicken mixture. Then scatter the fruits over the top. Layer the rest of the rice over the fruits.

Tuck a few pieces of the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter into the rice. Cover with 2 paper towel or 1 dish towel before closing with the lid to prevent more moisture in the rice. Turn heat to low and cook for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, dissolve saffron in 3 tablespoons of hot water and mix until it changes color. Open the lid and pour it into the rice. Cover again with the towels and cook for another 25-30 minutes. Turn off the heat and take off the lid and towels. Ladle the rice onto a large platter or serve gently mixed in individual bowls.

Notes

  • We halved the original recipe and it still made a lot for the both of us. We shared some plov with our friends who were interested in tasting different ethnic cuisines and they really liked this rice dish.
  • Search our blog for other rice recipes.

 

September 1, 2023

Muamba de Galinha

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Muamba de Galinha

(Angola Chicken Stew)

September: National Chicken Month

Chicken stew is a comforting meal for many, including us. But we wanted to try something a little more “exotic” so we would not be eating the same old stew. As we continue to “cook our way through the calendar/countries”, we found a delicious recipe for chicken stew from Angola called muamba de galinha. It is a hearty stew filled with chicken and a variety of vegetables. The vibrant color comes from red palm oil and paprika. For something deliciously different, cook Angola’s national dish, muamba de galinha, during National Chicken Month.

Recipe
(Adapted from African Bites)

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds chicken cut into pieces (we used chicken drumsticks)
  • ½ lemon, juiced
  • 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 1 + 1 teaspoon white pepper
  • ½ teaspoon thyme
  • ½ teaspoon chicken bouillon, crushed into a powder
  • ½ + 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 3 + 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 red pepper (chili or jalapeño), pierced
  • 2 tomatoes, diced
  • 2 onions, sliced
  • ¼ cup red palm oil
  • ¼ cup canola oil
  • 18-20 okra, sliced in half
  • 2+ cups of chicken broth or water
  • ½ – 1 pound of butternut squash, cut into cubes

Directions

In a large bowl, place the chicken pieces. Juice the lemon over them. Sprinkle with salt, a teaspoon of white pepper and thyme.

Sprinkle the powdered chicken bouillon, ½ teaspoon paprika and 3 minced garlic cloves. Toss and combine well. Pierce the red hot pepper and set aside.

Dice the tomatoes and slice the onions. Set aside. In a large pot, combine the red palm and canola oils and heat until sizzling. 

Brown the chicken pieces on all sides. Transfer to a plate and keep warm. To the same pot, add the remaining 3 minced garlic cloves and onions to saute.

Stir in the tomatoes and sprinkle the remaining 1 teaspoon of white pepper and 1 teaspoon of paprika. Mix the sauce well. Return the chicken pieces to the pot. Cover the chicken with enough broth or water. Add the butternut squash, red pepper and okra. Mix well and bring to a boil. Lower the temperature to medium, cover the pot and simmer for another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is no longer pink inside and the vegetables are cooked through. Adjust salt to taste. Turn off the heat and let stand for 5-10 minutes before dishing out. 

Notes

  • Serve this muamba de galinha with white rice or a side of Angola-style corn and rice bread.
  • Search our blog for more chicken recipes.

 

August 27, 2023

Antigua Pork Chops and Bacon-Wrapped Bananas

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Antigua Pork Chops and Bacon-Wrapped Bananas

August 27: National Pork Chop Day

In more than a decade of blogging, we have tried to cook recipes to match certain national holidays or months. Within that time of 10 years, there seems to be new food holidays coming up, like National Pork Chop Day. 

So as we continue to “cook our way through the calendar/countries,” we decided to try a pork chop recipe from Antigua and Barbuda. They seem to be regular pork chops seasoned with the usual salt and pepper with the addition of lemon juice and cumin. The savory meat is complemented by its sweet accompaniment, the bacon-wrapped bananas, which turns this basic recipe into a unique tropical treat. 

For this food holiday, National Pork Chops Day, try cooking a Caribbean-inspired dish: Antigua pork chops and bacon-wrapped bananas.

Recipe
(Adapted from Food.com)

For the pork chops

  • 4 pork chops
  • 2 tablespoons butter, softened
  • ¾ tablespoon cumin
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

For the bacon-wrapped bananas

  • Slices of bacon, cut into segments
  • 2 bananas, cut into 1-inch chunks (or width, not length, of bacon)
  • 1 lemon, juiced

Directions

In a small bowl, cream the butter with the cumin, salt and pepper.  Rub the mixture over both sides of all the pork chops. Set aside.

Cut the bananas and put the chunks in a bowl. Squeeze the lemon juice over them to prevent from browning. In a skillet, fry the bacon for a few minutes just to render out the fat. Do not cook all the way so the slices are still bendable. Drain on paper towels and cool slightly. Wrap the bacon around each banana chunks. 

Put the bacon-wrapped shrimp on four skewers (one for each pork chop). Meanwhile, fire up the grill and cook the pork chops for around 7-8 minutes per side, allowing for good char marks. After about 15 minutes, lower the grill heat to medium low and place the bacon-wrapped banana skewers on the grill. Turn the pork chops and skewers occasionally and make sure that the chops and bacon are cooked through. Be careful not to overcook the chops of they will dry out. Transfer the cooked chops and bacon-wrapped bananas to a plate to rest for a few minutes before serving.

Notes

  • Be sure to pick harder bananas for this recipe. Softer fruit can turn mushy when wrapping the bacon around the slices and may fall off the skewers when grilling.
  • Search our blog for other pork chop recipes.

 

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