Pakistani Chicken and Rice
As Savita Nooreen from Gilgit, Pakistan, taught Lindsay Sterling in Freeport, Maine, March 2014
Serves 4-6
Cooking Time: 40 minutes
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 tsp chili powder
2 tsp turmeric
1/2 + 1/2 tsp salt (preferably Himalayan!)
14 oz. chopped tomatoes
1 Tbsp water
2 cups rice
2 Tbsp butter
1 tsp green cardamom powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1" ginger root, peeled and chopped, then mashed in a mortar and pestle
1/4 + 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, rough chopped
In large, deep saute pan on medium heat, fry onions and garlic in 2 Tbsp oil until soft. Mix in chicken, chili powder, turmeric, and 1/2 tsp salt. When chicken is cooked on the outside, add chopped tomatoes and 1 Tbsp water and cover. Cook for 15-20 minutes.
While that is cooking, cook rice. (Bring rice and 4 cups water to a boil. Add 1 tsp salt. Once boiling, turn heat to simmer and cover. Turn off heat after 20 minutes.)
After chicken has cooked for 15 minutes, remove lid. Let juices evaporate for a couple minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Mix in butter, cardamom, cumin, ginger and 1/4 cup chopped cilantro. Turn off heat and let sit for 5 minutes.
Add remaining 1/4 cup cilantro. Serve rice and chicken with raita, and roti if you like.
Here are roti and raita recipes I've learned from other cooking teachers from nearby northern India.
Flatbread
roti
4 cups chapati or roti flour (it is super finely ground durham semolina wheat)
some water
3 Tbsp olive oil
Put flour in a large mixing bowl. Add 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil. Add water a little bit at a time, mixing, squeezing, then kneading with hands until all dry flour disappears and you have a smooth dough and a clean bowl, about 5 minutes by hand. Add another 1 1/2 Tbsp oil, knead to incorporate, and let rest for an hour.
Break off a piece (about the diameter of a quarter). Squeeze the piece in between the palms of your hand. Do this four or five times, turning your hands so they get a slightly different angle on the dough in your palms. When you have what looks like a smooth flat river stone, then use a rolling pin and roll it out on a counter into a a circle, about 1/8th inch thick. (Indians use a special round board (ahdni) and rolling stick (vhelan) to roll out the roti. These can be found at Indian markets. You can also use a rolling pin on a smooth counter.
Place raw roti in a hot dry pan, about 1 minute each side. Then use tongs to hold it directly over the gas flame. If the stars align (your roti is thin enough, and a perfectly round circle) roti will likely puff up like a pufferfish. Flip so other side gets a little spots of toasted tan color. Repeat process to make many roti out of all the dough.
Yogurt Sauce (raita)
1 small handful cilantro, chopped
2 cups plain yogurt
1/2 cup water
1 tsp salt
1 green hot chili pepper, sliced into thin circles (optional)
Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl.
Copyright Lindsay Sterling 2014
