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Chicken Mandy Print E-mail
By Noor | Saudi Life
Monday, 31 January 2011 12:03

Time: 2 hours | Complexity: Difficult | Yields: 4 servings | Tools: Saute pan, plate, serving platter, coal, 4-quart saucepan

pan

THE traditional way to cook this recipe is underground but realistically that is just not possible for most of us so in this recipe you learn how to do it at home and work with what you have for almost the same amazing flavor. In the Gulf countries mandy is made from either chicken or lamb. I have also made a video so that you can see how we smoke rice for this dish. You can watch it at the end of the post. Here in Saudi we love to serve Salata Hara with meat and rice dishes. You can find that recipe here.

You also want to make sure the skin is left on the chicken. This is one of the keys for cooking mandy because the skin produces natural fat for it to cook in with the spices. This is why we do not use oil. You can use the shell of an onion then add a cube of butter and a bukhoor coal in the middle of the rice and chicken to smoke it. Just quickly add the lid and allow it to sit for at least 15 minutes. This dish will taste like it came from a pit or grill when finished.

2nd-image

plate2Ingredients

Rice

  • 1-1/2 cups basmati rice
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 tomato, diced
  • 4 whole cardamom pods
  • 4 whole cloves
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 chicken bouillon cubes
  • 3 cups water

Smoking

  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • shell of half onion (bowl shaped)
  • bukhoor coal

Directions

1. Rub spice and salt all over chicken, place it in a non-stick saute pan , cook chicken uncovered with no oil until tender and brown for 45 minutes. Place cooked chicken on a plate reserving the pan.

2. Next, In a 4-quart sauce pan saute onion with butter until tender. Add whole cardamom, cloves, salt, rice and water; stir. Bring to a full boil add chopped tomatoes then cover and reduce heat to low. Cook (do not remove lid) for 15 minutes.

3. After the chicken and rice has cooked pour the rice into the saute pan used to cook the chicken. Place the onion shell with butter into the middle. Carefully place chicken around the pan. Add coal onto butter ans quickly shut the lid. Allow to smoke for 15 minutes. Serve.

Serve with: Samboosas, salad

Video on how to smoke rice:

 

Comments  

0 ummasiya 2011-10-28 12:34 #
Assalamu alaikum,
Alhamdhulillah, it was very tasty, but the chicken didnt turn out to be golden reddish brown as in the pic?
Any tips?
wassalam.
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0 Noor 2011-12-12 13:10 #
I always use a non-stick pan with no oil and get that color :)
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0 Andrea Umm Abdullah 2011-12-26 15:41 #
Do you know where I can find nutmeg? I haven't seen it here.
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0 Aisha Al Hajjar, AMANI 2011-12-26 17:57 #
Salam alaikum, Ukhty, Andrea,

You won’t find nutmeg here...it’s illegal.

"Nutmeg contains myristicin, a natural compound that has mind-altering effects if ingested in large doses. The buzz can last one to two days and can be hallucinogenic, much like LSD.”

Read this article for more http://abcnews.go.com/Health/large-doses-nutmeg-hallucinogenic-high/story?id=12347815#.TviICJjwPww
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0 Noor 2012-01-07 01:44 #
They actually do have it here. I have saw it at Tamini, Lulu and Danube in Riyadh. But like Aisha said its haram and as Muslims its better to not use it. This mix was made way before I knew of that (about 4 years ago).
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0 Andrea Umm Abdullah 2012-01-14 14:19 #
My husband's students told him that they sell nutmeg in the herb shops...and they use it all the time for cooking. I wonder if the kind they sell is somehow different...
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0 Noor 2012-01-30 02:54 #
It is the same and yea people use it here actually many people do not even know they can not. Its even an ingredient in the popular Arabic spice mix here.
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0 Andrea Umm Abdullah 2012-01-18 20:54 #
Ma sha Allah I made this last night and it was delicious! Just like the restaurants! :)
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0 Noor 2012-01-30 02:52 #
Thank you sweetie :)
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0 Sarah 2012-02-24 12:55 #
It takes large quatities of nutmeg to get ANY kind of effect. so a sprinkle here and there is fine. seriously, I wouldn't worry about it.
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0 Noor 2012-03-16 00:22 #
Yea I kinda agree :P
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0 Ummisa 2012-04-12 15:20 #
MashaAllah great post!!Can i make the same with Fish?
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0 Noor 2012-05-09 12:38 #
I am sure you could adding fish last since it only needs to cook a few minutes. Actually I would cook the rice and then cook the fish then smoke. Fish gets tough if cooked for more than a few minutes.
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