Monday, May 24, 2010

Chicken Stew with Rice and Plantain



I decided to make my first dish, one that is popular with many people in Ghana, Chicken stew with rice and fried plantain.

Measurements and quantities when it comes to cooking and recipes, tend to be a big problem for Ghanaians and I'm sorry to say I am no different. I will however try approximate with regards to whatever it is I'm writing about.

For this meal, which I think could serve 4 or 5 people, I used

2 pounds of Chicken (broiler or 'soft', as we say in the market)
2 medium size Onions
10 medium size Tomatoes
10 - 12 peppers (use as much or as little as works for you)
3 cups rice (standard measuring cup)
3 fingers of Plantain
2 cups Cooking oil
2 dessert spoon tomato puree/paste
2 maggie cubes
1/4 teaspoon Black pepper
1/2 teaspoon Rosemary
1 teaspoon Curry powder
2 cloves Garlic
Salt to taste



So, the first thing I did was remove the skin and as much of the fat as I could get off. I cut it into sizeable portions, which are of course entirely up to you. I then washed it thoroughly, since chicken tends to have a not-so-pleasant scent. You could rinse it in a little lemon water if it really bothers you.


Add the black pepper, crushed maggie cubes and salt. Be careful of how much salt you add since the cubes are salted. The garlic also goes in at this stage. You could either chop it finely, crush it with a garlic press or our local asanka, or even blend it, although I think its a waste to use a blender for 2 cloves. Although it makes sense when you are adding a few other things (for seasoning) that need blending like Ginger, onions, pepper etc.



Toss it to get all the spices around to all the pieces. Let it stand for 3 to 5 minutes then put it in a coverd pot and steam. No water is needed because the juices will run from the chicken.

Depending on what kind of chicken being used (layer is much leaner and therefore tougher), it may take between 7 to 10 minutes for broiler which will start to fall apart if overcooked and up to 30 minutes for layer. Do add water if you feel the need, especially with cooking layer. We don't want it to burn.



In the meantime, you could cut the onions. I like to sit the onion on it's end and slice down the middle. I then place the flat part of each half on the board and slice in the same dirrection as the natural lines. I have an aunt who likes to slice accross the lines. Whatever works for you is fine, just as long as the sizes are uniform, so they can cook at the sam pace. If you fancy some exta garlic, you could slice some up.



This is also a good time to blend the tomatoes and pepper. If you however, prefer more texture in your stew, you could just chop them up as you like.


When the chicken is cooked, drain off the stock (liquid goodness from the steaming) and put aside. Pour half the cooking oil into a frying pan and heat. Split a clove of garlic lengthwise and put it in the oil. Use this to judge the heat of the oil. W the garlic starts to brown and almost burn, the oil is hot enough. Carefully place the chicken in the hot oil. Use a fork, it makes it easier. Turn down the heat a little and fry the chicken in 2 batches if necessary.

Turn the pieces over to check if they are beginning to brown. If they are, flip them over to fry the other side. When they start to get golden, they are ready to be removed. Dont fry the chicken too dry or else it will become hard and stringy.


Using the same pot you steamed the chicken in, heat about half the oil left over fom frying the chicken. Add the slices onions stirring occassionally.

Fry the onions till they lose their colour and start to look transparent.


When they do, add the curry powder and continue to fry. Stir to prevent it sticking. The longer it fries, the more it sticks to the bottom.

Continue to fry the onions and curry until they begin to brown around the edges


Add the tomato puree stirring continuously for about 2 minutes.


By now, it should be almost sticking to the bottom of the pot.


Add the blended tomatoes and stir until it is evenly mixed. Cover and leave to simmer. This allows the tomatoes to cook as well as the onions to soften. Stir ocassionally making sure it is not sticking. As the sauce thickens, it will begin to fry again. ry it for a while until it is begining to stick to the bottom.


Add the chicken stock and stir.


At this point, add the fried chicken to the sauce. If it is too thick, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water. Turn down the heat, cover half way and leave it to simmer.


Wash and peel the plantain, then slice the plantain. This can be done in a number of ways. Straight accross to form circles. Down the middle then accross to form half circles (better on large plantains). Or down the middle of the half circles to form cubes.

I prefer to slice diagonally to form 1 inch thick ovals. Plantains are sweet so some people add nothing in the way of flavouring. I like to add a dash of salt, just to give it a bit of taste.

Heat the remaining cup of oil in a frying pan. when it is hot enough, carefully place the plantains in a prepare a colander to drain the plantains when they are done. Alternatively, you could place paper towels on a plate to soak up the excess oil. As the plantains start to brown around the edges, flip them over to fry the other side. Watch them carefully as this side will cook faster than the first. remove as soon as the second side is done. A serated spoon may be best for this, unless you can be very quick.

Wash the rice and place in a colander. Drain it for a few minutes then place in a pot. Cover with 5 cups of water. The general rule is 2 cups of water to 1 cup of rice. I learnt the hard way that, that isn't always the case (Different types of rice require different amounts of water). So I always start with 1 cup less and add the last cup in bits if needed. Add 2 teaspoons of oil to the water add salt to your taste, cover and bring to a boil.

As the rice swells and the water reduces, stir and cover with a polythene bag. I prefer to use the clear 'olonka' bag, but feel free to improvise. Turn the heat down to the lowest and leave it to cook slowly.

In about 15 to 20 minutes, you should have nice fluffy rice to go with your Chicken stew. If you want to add some vegetables, put them in a few minutes before the rice is cooked. That way they will steam a little but will not get soggy.
You could serve this with Avocado, coleslaw, etc. I would go for potato salad, but then again ... I want it with everything.
This is the simplest recipe I know for this meal, but there are many inventive ways of cooking chicken stew. Let me know how you prepare yours so I can try it.

44 comments:

  1. Great! Where was this when i needed it badly whiles i was in Rwanda???

    ReplyDelete
  2. lol Thanks Den Den. We should have sent you some by express :) Let me know what foods you would like to see featured. Will let you know when the next cookout is going down so you can taste it this time.

    ReplyDelete
  3. yum yum.... good food... dont you like need tasters for when the food is done then i can do that work and feature my reviews also.... ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  4. The next time am travelling, u coming with me as a professional cook..LOL

    ReplyDelete
  5. goshhh all those foods remind me of my Country!! village,wooden kitchen, grnd ma etc...damn!

    Leighton.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Dennis, does the fact that you are now married mean that i am out of a job, net trip? lol
    @ Leighton, thanks for the compliment. What country do you come from? maybe you could share some dishes from there? : )

    ReplyDelete
  7. Erns you have to wrestle my designated/self imposed food taster, Assya. lol But seriously, I wouldn't mind a few more mouths at the tasting, lol

    ReplyDelete
  8. Looks delicious...great instructions!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thank you so much. Sometimes I think I'm rambling on, then I think that some people might not even know the first thing about cooking. So the extra 'talk' is for them :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. I just found your blog through google, I was looking for Ghanaian recipes! I like this one a lot and will try it tonight.

    I see your blog haven't been updated for a while, so I'm not sure if you will read this.. but I was wondering if you could post a recipe for jollof rice as well please :) :) thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hey Aldebaran, I'm glad you found my recipe helpful. Its funny you mention Jollof, I just made some over the weekend and will post it as soon a s possible. Thanks for the feedback.

    ReplyDelete
  12. yummy...your instructions are on point

    ReplyDelete
  13. Eiii.....You are so WOW...infact u really helpful to me and alot out there...please continue doing what you do best..GOD BLESS YOU>

    ReplyDelete
  14. I tried preparing stew following your instruction and gosh! i burnt the thing totally! What could possibly be the cause? Was my oil to small? It was almost like everything was frying from the moment i placed in the onions. I need more detailed instructions on how to prepare stew please! Let's start with the amount of ingredient sufficient to make stew for 1 person.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Aren't you supposed to add some water to the stew

    ReplyDelete
  16. Oo now im hungry! This looks so yummie! thank's for this and keep it up:-)

    ReplyDelete
  17. This is one of my favorite dishes, the other is Liberian potatoes greens...

    ReplyDelete
  18. mmmh............. looks yummy there is this competition I saw and I think you would be just the right person for! It is about creating the national dish of your country. What would you say that is for Ghana?? Would be awesome if you could be the representative for your country :) Here's more info about it: http://www.slideshare.net/IngredientMatcher/competition-from-ingredient-matcher-cook-your-national-dish-25773568

    And here's their facebook page:
    https://www.facebook.com/IngredientMatcher

    ReplyDelete
  19. Good thing i found this haha. Just started uni and realised i should've probably spent more time with mummy in the kitchen lol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hahaha I know what you mean. Let me know how your kitchen adventures turn out.

      Delete
  20. Hi I found this website fab and easy to follow with each step having a picture was such a great help. My partner is ghanian and seems very impressed at my atempts to cook some his favourite dishes his mum usually makes him. I still have not succeeded with jollof rice as I usually use a rice cooker and worry about it sticking at the bottom when I try it on the cooker. Ill keep trying. Thanks again for your recipes.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aww I'm glad this is so helpful to you. Regarding the jollof sticking to the bottom, make sure the heat is very very low when you leave it to cook. There will invariably be some rice stuck to the bottom. What you don't want is for it to burn. Hope this helps :)

      Delete
  21. I'm a student who's been away from home for so long and i cook every meals since there aren't really satisfying restaurant meals in the country am in and this hasn't been easy since i don't like my cooking, but having come across this recipe gives me hope.Thanks for sharing it .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks. I'm glad i helped out you poor stomach :)

      Delete
  22. I'm looking forward to cooking Ghanaian dishes for my family. I was born in Accra and have good memories of the food and would like to reconnect very soon. Your recipes have inspired me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Annie. Let me know what dishes you would like to see.

      Delete
  23. Thanks so much for all your recipes. I am learning to cook very well from you. Your pictures, easy to follow steps and great tips are unmatched anywhere on the web. God richly bless you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for your lovely comments. Feel free to send pictures of your food so we can share them here. All the best :)

      Delete
  24. U re an amazing Chef thank you..

    ReplyDelete
  25. Is there another alternative for polyuretane bag??

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think you can use a cloth with a lid. I dunno. // Personally, I don't like the idea of plastic so much, because those thing 'leach' chemicals ( and some plastics are not so good .. but anyway, using a metal lid alone can work, as long as the rice has the right amount of salt and taste, etc.

      anyway, this is all I know .

      Delete
    2. Hi Debora,
      You can use foil. I use foil for my jollof. But when cooking plain rice, it's best to use a rice cooker. If you don't have that just use foil as it is a safer option.

      Delete
  26. Is there another alternative for polyuretane bag??

    ReplyDelete
  27. Replies
    1. what are maggie cubes? omg you have not been to Ghana have you? lol (; if you don't know what a maggie cube is, I am ahead of you . & I am a white man. lol (: catch me o

      I am coming to your house to eat your food. oh yes :P

      Delete
  28. you are the best.

    thank you.

    you are (helping) making me cook o

    medaase

    ReplyDelete
  29. My kids are grown, but when they were younger they liked to help me bake, especially cookies. I love baking cookies, but decorating them isn’t my “thing”, so sprinkles, icing, etc was their “job”. We also liked to make pizzas and would put out bowls of toppings so they could make their own with whatever they wanted on them. Dark Web Links How to Access the Dark Web Website Traffic Estimator Best Backlink Checker Tools Play Free Games Online

    ReplyDelete
  30. The formula of your recipe is very amazing. It is as good as it takes to eat, it is also good to look at. You have been preparing more recipes like this.
    Gurugram escorts service
    gurugram call girl

    Desi Girls Gurugram
    Escort Services in Noida

    ReplyDelete
  31. Betturkey giriş adresine buradan ulaşabilirsiniz.
    betturkey giriş
    M5KQ2L

    ReplyDelete

Like

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...