Chicken and Rice with Pine Nuts and Almonds [Dajaj Maa Riz]:
Submitted by: Sara | Date Added: 18 Jul 2010 Listed in: Lebanese Chicken . . . . . yield: ? active time: ? total time: ?
. . . . . added by: Madame Fahimeh cuisine: ?
Ingredients
• 1 chicken
• 4 Bay Leaves
• 2 cups long grain rice
• Crisco vegetable shortening
• 3 cups water
• 1 cup chicken broth (from cooking the chicken)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup Pine Nuts
• 1/4 cup blanched slivered Almonds
Preparation
• Rinse chicken after removing entrails. place in a pot (dutch oven) and add water to cover the chicken.
• Add 4 bay leaves. Bring to boil skimming off the froth (foul) with a skimmer.
• Reduce heat to medium and cook for 30-45 minutes.
• Turn heat off.
• Take chicken out and let cool a bit.
• Remove skin and de-bone it.
• Pull meat apart and place back in the broth to keep it hot and moist.
• Save one cup of broth for the rice.
• In a pot, melt 2 tablespoons Crisco.
• Turn to high heat and add 2 cups rice.
• Stir rice until it absorbs the shortening and starts turning white.
(Stirring rice in Crisco until turning white before adding water help
make the rice fluffy, not sticky).
• Add 3 cups water, 1 cup chicken broth, and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir a few times.
• Cover and cook under high heat, reducing heat to medium when the water begins to boil.
• Do not stir after the water begins to boil.
• Keep covered and cook until the rice absorbs all the water, usually about 15 minutes. Turn heat off.
• While the rice is cooking, melt 1 tablespoon Crisco in a sauce pan on
medium heat and add the pine nuts and almonds, stirring constantly until
just before golden brown.
• Do not overcook. Remove from heat immediately and place in a small bowl.
• Place rice in a large serving plate.
• Cover with pieces of chicken.
• Sprinkle the pine nuts and almonds on top of chicken.
Additional Notes
Its a good idea to have multiple pans going at one time to make the cook ... otherwise the 2 hours could turn into a half a day. :)