Arabic Rice

Arabic Rice

I loved this rice from the minute I ate it a few years ago in Bangalore and made up my mind to get the recipe by hook or by crook.  I can't tell you how many recipes I've tried from www.google.com and how often we ate the many versions of  Arabic Rice.  To cut a long story short, I was going through my list of recipes last month and decided to google the internet once more and I found what I had been searching for.  Here it is, modified by me.  I cooked and froze about 6 boxes for the family to use while I am travelling or too lazy to cook.

The Recipe:

1 kg skinless chicken, jointed, washed and drained; 250 gms Low G. I. brown  Basmathi rice, washed and drained; 1 large tomato, quartered; a fe carrots; 6 cloves garlic, crushed;  1 lemon juiced; rind of 1 lemon; 1 tsp pepper to taste; 1/4 cup olive oil; 1 stick cinnamon; 3 cloves; 3 cardamoms; 1large onion sliced; 500 ml water. 3 boiled eggs for garnish, halved.

Mix the spices, garlic, lemon juice, rind, pepper powder and olive oil in a bowl.  Marinade the chicken in half of this mixture for 30 minutes.  Next, boil the chicken and carrots in 500 ml water and simmer for 5 minutes.  Take the chicken and carrots out and keep warm.  Measure 500 ml stock to cook the rice and keep the remaining aside.
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a non stick pan and stir fry half the onions till glazed.  Add the rice and gently stir fry till coated with oil.
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in another non stick pan and  fry the remaining onions till golden brown.  Add the remaining lemon and olive oil mixture and stir fry for 2 minutes.  Add to the rice and mix well.  Transfer to rice cooker and add the 500 ml stock.  Cook till done.  Transfer to large pyrex dish and layer the chicken and rice.  Pour the remaining stock over and bake for 15 minutes at 200 C or 400 F till the chicken on top is brown.  Garnish with carrots and boiled eggs and serve with a mint and cucumber yoghurt.  This is one dish I could eat everyday.  Mmmm...

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