Basmati Rice & ChickenDuring my med school days, I lived in Chicago with several roomates. One such roomate was a Pakistanian family with a 5 year old boy whom the mom would cook for on a regular basis. The awesome part is when she would make some stuff to share with the rest of us in the house. My favorite would be her roti. Yum!
One day, I watched her cook some rice and I was quite intrigued by the method she used. I watched her saute a bunch of onions, tomatos, and various spices before adding the rice and water. I've never seen rice being cooked that way before, especially not by Haitians. And whatever she made was indeed quite delicious. |
Now by all means, the recipe I present here is not a Pakistani dish and I honestly cannot recall the name of the dish she made, nor the various spices she used. I literally just took a portion of the method I watched her use and switched things around a bit to make it my own. I also took some ideas from Chicken Biryani, an Indian dish I enjoy, by use of seasoning the chicken with yogurt and tumeric. Honestly, I'd like to consider this my Haitian spin on an Indian cuisine. There are a lot of things missing from this to authentically call it Indian, but then again, it's not supposed to be. The chicken tenderloins are tender in every bite with deliciously seasoned and aromatic Basmati. This is a recipe you've got to try!
Ingredients:
Directions:
1. Clean 1lb. of chicken tenderloins according to the "Cleaning Chicken" page. Be sure to remove the thin film on the chicken as well as the white vessel at the top. Cut each strip into 3 pieces.
2. Season the chicken with 3 - 4 tbsps of plain greek yogurt, ½ - 1 tbsp. of tumeric powder, and 1 tsp. of Goya Adobo. Mix well and allow it to marinate for a minumum of 1 hour or overnight.
3. Prepare your vegatbles: Dice 3 - 4 Roma tomatoes or 2-3 regular tomatoes. Slice 1 medium onion.
4. To your pot, add 2 - 3 tbsps. of oil, diced onions, ½ tsp. of cloves, and ½ tsp of all spice on high heat. Sautee for about 1-2 minutes.
5. Add in the marinated chicken tenderloins. Be sure that each piece is in contact with the pot to ensure even browning. You want to avoid over-crowding so that the chicken doesn't begin to "boil" but rather fry/sautee. Sautee for about 3 - 5 minutes, just until slightly browned and flip over. Once flipped, sautee for an additional 2 minutes or so.
6. Add in the diced tomatoes and epis. Mix well and cook down the tomatoes until they form their own juices approximately 2 - 3 minutes, stirring occassionally.
7. Add 4 - 5 cups of water (4 cups if the tomatoes rendered a lot of juices or 5 cups if somewhat dry). Depending on your preference for salt, add ½ - 1 Maggi cube, crushed. Let it return to a boil. You can also omit Maggie and just use the Goya Adobo and Seasoned Salt to taste.
8. Add in 3 cups of Basmati rice (be sure to wash and strain prior to adding it in). Mix well and add in ½ of the cilantro. When it returns to a boil, sample the rice water and add in additional salt to taste at this time if desired.
9. When the water partially reduces, bring down the head to medium and add in 2 - 3 tbspss of butter and mix in until well distributed. When the water is nearly down to the level of the rice, add in the remaining cilantro and stir.
10. Once the liquid has dried down to the level of the rice, further reduce the heat to low, cover the pot with its lid and allow to cook for about 25 minutes.
Posted August 6, 2018
What do you think of this recipe? Are you a fan of Basmati rice?
Let me know and comment below!
Let me know and comment below!