Chelo nachodo (chicken & chick-pea stew with rice)

6 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
5 cups -water
4 Chicken legs AND
4 Chicken thighs, loose skin discarded
1 cup Dried chick-peas, soaked in water overnight & drained
2 mediums (1 cup) onions, chopped
1 Rib celery w/leaves, sliced
1 large Carrot, sliced diagonally
1 (1/2 lb) zucchini, sliced
1 teaspoon Salt, or to taste
¼ teaspoon Pepper
¼ teaspoon Ground cuminseed
¼ cup Fresh coriander, chopped
¼ cup Fresh dill, chopped
¼ cup Lemon juice
4 cups Water
1 teaspoon Salt
2 cups Raw rice, well rinsed
¼ cup Corn oil

Directions

STEW

RICE

CHELO NACHODO (Chicken & Chick-Pea Stew w/Rice) Here is a family-style dish to be served any time of year. It is a substantial soup stew, well seasoned in Afghan style & combined w/a crispy-bottomed rice provides contrasting texture to stew. The stew & rice are served separately.

1. To prepare stew: Bring water to a boil, add chicken pieces, & remove foam as it cooks. Add chick-peas, onions, celery, carrots, zucchini, salt, pepper, & cuminseed. Cover pan & cook over moderate heat for 45 mins. Add coriander, dill, & lemon juice & simmer over low heat for 15 mins more. This is sufficient to tenderized chicken & ingrate all seasonings.

2. To prepare rice: Bring 4 c water & salt to a boil in pan. Add rice & cook over moderate heat for 5 mins. Drain rice in colander & rinse w/cold water. Return rice to pan and pour oil over all. Cover pan & cook over low heat for ½ hr. No other water is added & rice cooks only moisture clings to it after rinsing. The rice will develop a crisp bottom layer.

Serve rice & stew separately. Each diner takes their own portion of rice & covers it w/as much stew as they wish. Serve warm.

VARIATION: 2 lb of boneless beef chuck cut into 6 equal pieces may be used in place of chicken, but cooking will take longer. Cook beef stew over moderate heat for 1 hour. Add coriander, dill, & lemon juice, reduce heat to low, & simmer, covered, ½ hour more, or until beef is tender.

Recipe: "Sephardic Cooking" by Copeland Mark -- 600 Recipes Created in Exotic Sephardic Kitchens from Morocco to India -- Copyright 1992 Published by Donald I. Fine, Inc., New York, N.Y. D. Pileggi

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