A taste New York

New York is famous for having the best of international flavours. One of the most famous and delicious dishes is a chicken and rice item from ‘halal food carts’. It’s one of those dishes that many crave, and for those of us who do not live in NYC, we can enjoy this homemade version. Always a hit at dawaats!

Ingredients

Chicken
2 pounds chicken leg/thigh mixture (with bone)
Juice from half a lemon
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
5 garlic cloves chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
4 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Beef/Lamb
2 cups of ground lamb or beef
1 tablespoon plain yogurt
1 tablespoon onion powder
2 cloves of garlic, grated
2 teaspoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
3/4 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice/ garam masala
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

White Sauce
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon tahini*
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Rice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 cups long-grain or Basmati rice
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
Salt and black pepper

Directions

- Do all prep work.
- Mix chicken with all ingredients, except vegetable oil. Seal in airtight container or Ziplock bag. Marinate 4-7 hours, or overnight.
- Mix ground (minced) beef or lamb with all ingredients and seal in airtight container or Ziplock bag. Marinate 4-7 hours, or overnight.
- Get a large frying pan for the minced meat, and a large cast iron pot or any pot for the chicken. Use the same pot for the rice later.
-Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to both pan/pot and heat on medium high.
-Add ground meat mixture to the pan and flatten out to make a kind of large burger patty. Cook for about 5-6 minutes and flip over. Try not to break it up as much. Once both sides are browned, chop the meat up into chunks and transfer to a bowl/plate to cool. Total cooking time is about 10-15 minutes.
-Add chicken pieces to pan (try to take off as much liquid marinade as possible). Do not mess with the meat for 4-5 minutes and just let it brown on one side. Then, turn over chicken and let other side brown. Once both sides are done, lower heat to medium low and let the chicken cook thoroughly. This takes about 20 minutes. Once it is done, transfer to a separate bowl/plate to cool.
- Separate chicken from bones and shred.
- In the same pot the chicken was cooked in, there should be some residue. (DO NOT CLEAN! But, if there is a lot of oil left, you can put it in a separate bowl and use it later to drizzle on top.)
-Add 2 tbsp of butter to it and then the onions. Add 1 bay leaf, 2 cardamoms, 1 cinammon stick, and a few peppercorns for extra flavour. Saute the onions until golden brown, for about 10 minutes on medium high. Add cumin powder, turmeric, salt, and pepper. Add drained rice to it and fry the rice for about 5 minutes without any water. Then add chicken broth/water. (If you do not have broth, put the bones from the chicken to cook with the rice to release flavour).
-Once, the rice comes to boil, lower the heat to medium low, cover pot, and let it cook for about 15-20 minutes.
- While rice is cooking, make the white sauce. Combine all the ingredients in a blender and just pulse a few times. Transfer the sauce to a squirt bottle or bowl with spoon.
- Now comes the fun part! I always get silver foil trays to kind of imitate the street food feel: First, put a layer of rice down, add beef to one side, chicken to one side, some lettuce and tomatoes on another side. Drizzle with white sauce, and chilli sauce if you like. You can serve pita bread with it, too!

Tip

Tahini, an oily paste made from toasted sesame seeds, is easy to make at home.
Ingredients: 1 cup sesame seeds 2; tablespoons mild olive oil.

How to make: Toast raw seeds on a stovetop by placing them in a dry pan over medium heat, stirring them frequently with a wooden spoon. Toast the seeds until they are lightly coloured (not brown) and fragrant, for about 5 minutes. Transfer the toasted seeds to a large plate or tray and let them cool completely. Then put in a food processor, or mortar and pestle, or a blender. Grind for a few minutes, until it turns into a crumbly paste. Add 2 tablespoons of oil to the processor/ mortar and process for a few more minutes, until the mixture is a thick and fairly smooth paste. Makes half to one cup of tahini. For a thinner paste, add more oil, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, and process until the consistency you want is reached.
Store tahini in an airtight container or jar in a refrigerator, keeps for a month or longer. If the mixture separates, stir the tahini before use.

Source: Salvy’s Facebook page, Two-Thirds Full.

A taste New York

New York is famous for having the best of international flavours. One of the most famous and delicious dishes is a chicken and rice item from halal food carts. Its one of those dishes that many crave, and for those of us who do not live in NYC, we can enjoy this homemade version. Always a hit at dawaats! Ingredients Chicken 2 pounds chicken leg/thigh mixture (with bone) Juice from half a lemon 1 tablespoon dried oregano 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander 5 garlic cloves chopped (about 2 tablespoons) 4 tablespoons olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 tablespoon vegetable oil Beef/Lamb 2 cups of ground lamb or beef 1 tablespoon plain yogurt 1 tablespoon onion powder 2 cloves of garlic, grated 2 teaspoon grated ginger 1 teaspoon cornstarch 1 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground coriander 3/4 teaspoon curry powder 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon paprika 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice/ garam masala 1/4 teaspoon black pepper White Sauce 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1/2 cup Greek yogurt 1 tablespoon tahini* 1 tablespoon sugar 2 tablespoons white vinegar 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1 teaspoon dried parsley Salt and pepper to taste Rice 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/2 teaspoon turmeric 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin 1 1/2 cups long-grain or Basmati rice 2 1/2 cups chicken broth Salt and black pepper Directions - Do all prep work. - Mix chicken with all ingredients, except vegetable oil. Seal in airtight container or Ziplock bag. Marinate 4-7 hours, or overnight. - Mix ground (minced) beef or lamb with all ingredients and seal in airtight container or Ziplock bag. Marinate 4-7 hours, or overnight. - Get a large frying pan for the minced meat, and a large cast iron pot or any pot for the chicken. Use the same pot for the rice later. -Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to both pan/pot and heat on medium high. -Add ground meat mixture to the pan and flatten out to make a kind of large burger patty. Cook for about 5-6 minutes and flip over. Try not to break it up as much. Once both sides are browned, chop the meat up into chunks and transfer to a bowl/plate to cool. Total cooking time is about 10-15 minutes. -Add chicken pieces to pan (try to take off as much liquid marinade as possible). Do not mess with the meat for 4-5 minutes and just let it brown on one side. Then, turn over chicken and let other side brown. Once both sides are done, lower heat to medium low and let the chicken cook thoroughly. This takes about 20 minutes. Once it is done, transfer to a separate bowl/plate to cool. - Separate chicken from bones and shred. - In the same pot the chicken was cooked in, there should be some residue. (DO NOT CLEAN! But, if there is a lot of oil left, you can put it in a separate bowl and use it later to drizzle on top.) -Add 2 tbsp of butter to it and then the onions. Add 1 bay leaf, 2 cardamoms, 1 cinammon stick, and a few peppercorns for extra flavour. Saute the onions until golden brown, for about 10 minutes on medium high. Add cumin powder, turmeric, salt, and pepper. Add drained rice to it and fry the rice for about 5 minutes without any water. Then add chicken broth/water. (If you do not have broth, put the bones from the chicken to cook with the rice to release flavour). -Once, the rice comes to boil, lower the heat to medium low, cover pot, and let it cook for about 15-20 minutes. - While rice is cooking, make the white sauce. Combine all the ingredients in a blender and just pulse a few times. Transfer the sauce to a squirt bottle or bowl with spoon. - Now comes the fun part! I always get silver foil trays to kind of imitate the street food feel: First, put a layer of rice down, add beef to one side, chicken to one side, some lettuce and tomatoes on another side. Drizzle with white sauce, and chilli sauce if you like. You can serve pita bread with it, too! Tip Tahini, an oily paste made from toasted sesame seeds, is easy to make at home. Ingredients: 1 cup sesame seeds 2; tablespoons mild olive oil. How to make: Toast raw seeds on a stovetop by placing them in a dry pan over medium heat, stirring them frequently with a wooden spoon. Toast the seeds until they are lightly coloured (not brown) and fragrant, for about 5 minutes. Transfer the toasted seeds to a large plate or tray and let them cool completely. Then put in a food processor, or mortar and pestle, or a blender. Grind for a few minutes, until it turns into a crumbly paste. Add 2 tablespoons of oil to the processor/ mortar and process for a few more minutes, until the mixture is a thick and fairly smooth paste. Makes half to one cup of tahini. For a thinner paste, add more oil, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, and process until the consistency you want is reached. Store tahini in an airtight container or jar in a refrigerator, keeps for a month or longer. If the mixture separates, stir the tahini before use. Source: Salvys Facebook page, Two-Thirds Full.