Weekend Cooking: Chef Ammar’s Bukhari Rice with Roasted Chicken

Happy Ramadan, everyone! Fasting month makes me feel like cooking more, so on this first weekend of Ramadan, I’ve been making dinner two days in a row.  Today I wanted to try something new but didn’t want anything too complicated, so finally I chose Chef Ammar’s bukhari rice with roasted chicken.

This turned out pretty well; I really loved the colors brought out by the different ingredients in the rice.  Do give it a try!

Recipe from Episode 7 of Chef Ammar’s show, Masak Dari Hati, Masak With Iman.

Bukhari Rice with Roast Chicken

Ingredients

• 1 (1.2 kilogram) whole chicken
• 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
• 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup corn oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons whole cardamom pods (buah pelaga)
• 3 bay leaves
• 3/4 teaspoon cloves (cengkih)
• 2 pieces star anise (bunga lawang)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/4 carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup large raisins
• 1/2 cup cooked chick peas
• 1/2 cup frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
• 2 green chillies, chopped
• 500 grams long-grain basmathi rice, soaked in water for 30 minutes and drained (about 4 rice measuring cups)
• 1/4 cup cilantro (daun ketumbar), roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup mint leaves, roughly chopped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.

Butterfly the chicken and turn the tips of the wings inward.  Season both inside and out with the Cajun seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and black pepper.  Place on a wire rack in a roasting tin, breast side up, and put the roasting tin in the oven.  Pour about half a cup of water onto the base of the tray.  Roast the chicken until done, about 45 minutes.  Keep an eye on the water in the tray; if it starts to dry up, add more water to the tray.

While the chicken is roasting, in a large pot (or rice cooker pot, if using) over high heat, heat the oil.  Add the cardamom, bay leaves, cloves, star anise, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, cinnamon sticks and garlic.  Cook, stirring, until fragrant and garlic cloves are golden.  Add the tomato paste and continue cooking, stirring, 2 minutes.  Add some water into the pot to stop the frying process.  Add the carrots, raisins, chick peas, mixed vegetables, chopped green chillies and rice, and stir to combine.  Add enough water into the pot to come up to about an inch above the rice mixture, and stir to combine.  Add 2 teaspoons salt, and adjust to taste.  Cover and cook, until the rice is done and the water is drained, about 35 minutes.  If using a rice cooker, transfer to the rice cooker to finish cooking.

When the chicken is done, take the roasting tin out of the oven.  The chicken is cooked if an instant thermometer reads at least 75 degrees C in the thickest part of the breast.  Using a pastry brush, brush the juices from the pan all over the chicken.  You may add a little bit of  hot water to the tray to scrape off the brown bits.

On a large serving platter, heap the rice to make a mound and garnish with the chopped cilantro and mint leaves.  Top with the roasted chicken and serve.