Chicken Mandi is a smoky roast chicken served with the delicious rice. The dish originated from Yemen and is found all over the Arab region. Traditionally, chicken mandi is prepared in an underground oven and coal is used as the fuel for its preparation. The coal makes the chicken and rice have smoky aroma flavor. This dish can also be prepared at home in an electric oven. I will share the homemade preparation procedure of this Arabian cuisine.
Ingredients
- 1 large chicken, ~2 Kg
- 1/2 a lemon for stuffing the chicken
- 1 Tbsp, olive oil
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp salt
- some freshly ground black pepper
- juice of 1/2 a lemon
- 2 cups, basmati rice
- 500 ml (2 cups) water
- 250 ml (1 cup) chicken stock (or water + 1 stockpot/stock cube)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium cinnamon stick
- 4 cloves
- 3 cardamom pods
- 1 Tbsp black peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 large onion chopped
- 4 green chillies
- a large pinch of saffron + 2 Tbsp hot water
- juice of 1/2 a lemon
- 1 small piece of charcoal
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 very small heatproof bowl
- Raisins for Garnish
Preparation Procedure:
1.Chicken Marinate:
- To the olive oil add salt, black pepper, turmeric, cumin, coriander, lemon juice. Mix it all well and thoroughly rub the marinate all over the chicken and leave it aside for at least half an hour
2. Rice Preparation:
- Rinse the basmati rice with water and set it aside.
- In a flat pan, Sauté the dry spices in the oil and add chopped onion and chilies at low-medium flame. Now transfer the rice in the pan and steadily mix it with the ingredients. Now add the stock and water and bring to a boil and immediately turn off the flame.
3. Assembling in the oven:
- Place the cooked rice on the lowest shelf of the oven and the marinate chicken goes on top.
- Cook this on high (~220 C) for ten minutes and then lower the heat to 180 C and cook for at least 90 minutes until the color of the chicken turns to golden brown and tender, soft.
Final Step:
- Put a small size coal on medium flame for minimum 10 minutes.
- Fluff the rice with liquid saffron and cover it with lid and place it back in the oven beneath the cooked chicken.
- When the coal is sufficiently hot, transfer it in a small bowl filled with oil. Now put the hot coal(Smoke) in the oven and quickly shut the oven door and leave it for smoke for minimum fifteen minutes.
- The delicious Chicken Mandi is now ready to serve.