Queen of Island Rice

I love to try different variations with rice dishes with varieties of flavors which come to our big stores from around the globe. This rice dish has its own unique flavor with the combinations of all spice, paprika and Maldivian flavor chicken curry powder. By looking at the ingredients one may think this will be a very difficult dish, but what I believe is if all ingredients are capt ready any dish becomes a piece of cake.

 Ingredients

21/2 cup rice

900 grms chicken legs or 1 chicken cut in to pieces

2 large onions (sliced)

2 springs of curry leaves

8 pcs pandan leaf

4 garlic chopped

1 tsp garlic paste

1 tsp ginger paste

6 cardamom pods

2 inch 4 piece cinnamon sticks

Fresh chillies  ( giteyomirus)

1 chicken stock cube

2 tsp paprika

3 tsp all spice

2 tbs chicken curry powder ( kukulhu havaadu )

21/2 tbs tomato paste

1/2 tsp ajinamoto

Oil

Water

Method:

1-    Put chicken in a pan, pour water just the amount until chicken is covered, add about half tsp of salt and cook until chicken is cooked.  Take out the chicken on to a plate. Add chicken stock into the soup and cook for another 10 min. Set aside.

2-    In another pan put onion, curry leaves, pandan leafs, chopped garlic, cardamom, cinnamon, fresh chillies and pour about ¼ cup of oil. Fry until onions are soft, take half of the onion mixture into a plate.

3-   Wash rice and put rice into the pan with soften onions. On medium flame roast the rice with onion. Stir constantly don’t take your eyes off because the rice will burn easily, keep on stirring until the rice granules separates from each other (Roasting rice with soften onion is very important in this recipe, it brings a very unique and delicious flavor to this dish). Set aside.

4-    In a big enough pan or wok which the rice can be cooked put rest of the onion mixture, 4 tbs vegetable oil, cooked chicken, paprika, all spice, chicken curry powder, garlic paste, ginger paste  and tomato paste. Roast chicken in this spice mixture stirring constantly. 

      Keep flame on low, when the chicken gets a nice brownish color pour soup, give a good scrub using a wooden spoon in the bottom of the chicken fried pan because the spices stuck in bottom of pan will contain lot of flavor, put roasted rice and if soup does not reach 2 inches above the rice & chicken mixture, pour enough water to reach 2 inches above. Put ajinamoto & salt give a stir, cook rice until soft but not mushy. Serve rice by itself or with dry potato or Eggplant curry .... enjoy! 

      Note : I used old big grain rice, basmati rice will taste good too. The spices I bought from                      Fantasy.

                 If the water gets less add extra water to cook rice, instead of water more chicken soup will be fine.