Passport & Plate - Iranian Chicken Stew with Dried Plums
Iran | Wednesday, February 26, 2014 | 5 photos
Ingredients
Iranian Chicken Stew with Dried Plums and Rice with Saffron
Traditionally, this dish is eaten with rice this is why the recipe consists of two parts. This portion can feed up to six people.
Ingredients:
3/4 of chicken (their chicken is really big)
2 large carrots
2 large potatoes
1 cup of dried plums (whole)
4 dried apricots (chopped into small pieces)
2 medium size onions
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon turmeric
1 teaspoon salt (season more according to your taste)
1 teaspoon paprika
Rice with Saffron:
5 cups of Basmati rice
5 tablespoons of Vegetable oil
1 large potato
1/2 teaspoon of ground Saffron
1 tablespoon of salt
How to prepare this recipe1-Soak the dried plums in water for half an hour, until softened, and ready for cooking. Meanwhile, chop carrots, onions, and potatoes into circles. You can also dice the onions, into smaller pieces. Prepare a big pot and pre-heat over medium heat. Then start by adding the onions, then one tablespoon of vegetable oil, and start frying the onions until browned. Add your chicken to the pot, and then add three cups of water. Start adding the salt, paprika, and turmeric to the water, then cover and let the chicken simmer with these spices for 20 minutes.
2-After 20 minutes, add the potatoes, carrots, and dried plums, and apricots. Then you leave it for 60 minutes on low heat, for all the flavors to cook together. After making sure that your chicken is well cooked & the carrot became tender, you take some of the broth from the pot mix it with the 1 tablespoon of tomato paste and add it again to the pot. Close the lid again for the final 10 minutes.
3-Now, prepare another pot for the rice. Basmati Rice should be soaked in water and one teaspoon of salt for two hours before cooking. The water should cover the rice only by two cm. The one big potato should be sliced into circles. Add the rice with its water into a Teflon/ ceramic pot, close the lid and put on a medium heat. Wait till the rice absorbs all the water then move it into a colander. Now in the same Teflon pot on a low flare, add one small cup of water, half a teaspoon of saffron, and wait till the saffron is completely dissolved in the water.
4- Add one table spoon of Veg. oil, then the potatoes. Make sure that the potatoes are covering and sitting firmly on the bottom of your pot. Start adding the rice to the pot again, bit by bit, so not to stick together. Make holes with a spoon in the rice so the steam comes out. Spread another four Table spoons of Veg. oil over the rice. Close the lid tightly — my mother-in law uses a fabric— in order to be steamed. Leave it to cook on low heat for another 40 minutes.
The story behind this recipeWhen I married my Iranian husband, moving to Iran was my least favorite option. May be because of the picture the media conveys, and how grim and uptight the country seemed to be. We got married in gorgeous Istanbul on the banks of the magical Marmara Sea, lived there for a while. Then moved to Egypt, also lived there for a while, then he couldn't find a job so if we wanted to be together, I had to take the decision of going with him to Iran for a job offer, and I did.
Although Egypt and Iran are Muslim countries, the culture is different. Moving to Iran wasn't easy, especially when I don’t have any friends, and I don’t speak the language. The food is different, the customs are different, and the atmosphere is different. For my family and friends it was a big risk, for me it was an adventure, but with someone I love and trust.
After spending some time with my husband’s family, although they are friendly and very helpful, we didn't have a lot in common to share. And with an ego as big as Eiffel Tower (mine), I didn't take serious steps to bridge the gap. I wanted things to happen naturally, and I didn't want to force anything, I can also say I was a bit lazy at the beginning to do any effort. However, I really wanted to develop a relationship with my mother in law, because I felt, that she really wanted us to have a connection, and she was feeling helpless because we don’t speak the same language.
Since am an avid gastronomer, with an appetite for experimenting, and a critical, sharp tongue — came from years of doing hotel, and restaurant reviews— food was my connection. Whenever they would invite me for lunch or dinner, I would scrutinize the food carefully. I would sniff spices, and ingredients try to guess what was being used. I would tell her by gestures, or bring my newly purchased pocket dictionary along, what I like or dislike. We would spend at least an hour after the meals, with her kitchen cabinets wide open, and she would show me what is what. Then the relationship developed, she would call me to come upstairs to see her cook.
This recipe is the first recipe I learned to do from scratch from my mother-in-law, with the help of my English -Farsi pocket dictionary, pantomime, and hand gestures. It’s been four months now since I moved to Isfahan, and I consider it home.
