Chicken Al Faham Mandi

®This is a RAS signature Recipe©

Chicken Mandi Rice is prepared differently with Al Faham – Arabian Grilled Chicken. Chicken Al Faham Mandi is a delicious and easy meal to prepare. This is a RAS favorite!

Total time is not inclusive of – Marination time 4 hours up to overnight(preferred).

The Recipe Intro↓ has more information, related recipe links as well as Recipe Video. Don’t forget to check it out.

Please read the entire recipe before starting. 1 cup = 240 ml measure.

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You can strike through ingredients, as you prep them, by clicking on the ingredient.

Ingredients (for Al Faham Chicken):

Bone-in Chicken ( either a whole chicken, butterflied OR thigh and leg portions )		1 1/4 kg  / 2.75 pounds
Ginger-Garlic paste		5 Tbsp
Black pepper powder		1 tsp
Lime juice, freshly squeezed		1 Tbsp
Oil		1/2 cup

Second Marinade:

Small red onion (1/3 cup), quartered		1
Tomato , quartered		1
Small, hot green chillies		2
Fresh Coriander leaves (Cilantro)		1 large handful
Thick sour yogurt (or use greek style yogurt)		3/4-1 cup
Kabsa Spice Mix (My recipe- see notes)		1 tsp
Ground turmeric (powder)		1/4 tsp
Sunflower oil/ Olive oil		2 Tbsp
Salt (or to taste)		1  1/4 tsp

Special Spice Mix:

Coriander seeds		1 1/2 Tbsp
Cumin seeds		1 tsp
Cinnamon		1 stick (1 1/2 inch)
Green cardamom		4
Cloves		5
Black peppercorns		1/2 tsp
Dried red chillies (adjust according to heat)		5-6

For the Fragrant Mandi Rice:

Long grain Basmati Rice		3 cups
Sunflower oil		4 Tbsp
Spring Onion (white and green portion, chopped)		4 tsp
Garlic, finely chopped		4 tsp
Ginger, finely chopped		4 tsp
Chicken stock cube		1
Large green Capsicum (to be diced)		Half of
Bay leaves		1-2
Kabsa Spice Mix		1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder		1/8 tsp
Carrot, chopped into rounds		1 large
Dried Black Lime (Loomi)		1
Salt (or to taste)		2 tsp

For the stock:

(Chicken scraps) The reserved bone section from butter-flying the chicken  along with some skin		As available
Spring Onion stalks		2-3 stalks
Garlic, crushed		6 large cloves
Ginger, crushed		3 small pieces
Water		6 cups

Method:

FOR THE AL FAHAM CHICKEN:

1. Rinse and pat dry the butterflied full chicken or thigh-leg portions of chicken. Reserve the neck and central bones as well as wingtips when preparing the chicken, along with some of the skin. We will use this for preparing the chicken stock.
2. Using a kitchen mallet, pound the chicken firmly to flatten and tenderize. Be careful not to smash the delicate bone sections. (I keep each piece in a large ziplock/bag to avoid any splatter on my kitchen countertop) .
3. If using butterflied full chicken, Make a few diagonal gashes in the pieces, so that the marinade will penetrate better.
4. Add to a large bowl for marinating along with Ginger-Garlic paste(5Tbsp), Black pepper(1tsp), and Lime juice(1Tbsp). Rub this initial marinade into the pieces well. Set this aside for 30 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, prepare the second marinade. First add the ingredients for the special spice blend (coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cinnamon green cardamom, cloves Black peppercorn, dried red chillies) to a dry pan and dry-roast / grill them for just about a minute, till they are aromatic.
6. Grind the dry spices ( using a grinder jar ) to a powder, first. Then add the (onion, tomato, green chili, and coriander leaves (listed under second marinade). Grind once again.
7. Add this ground mixture along with all the remaining ingredients under ‘second marinade’ together in a bowl. Mix well till incorporated.
8. Once the chicken has marinated for 30 minutes, pour this second marinade over and rub well into the pieces.
9.  Set aside for a minimum of 3 hours and for best results – overnight in the fridge. ( Bring up to room temperature, before grilling time ).
10. Cooking options: 1: BBQ-Grill over the charcoal bbq till both sides are lightly charred and the chicken is cooked through. It took me about 15-18 minutes total. When the chicken is just about done, brush with 3 Tbsp melted butter. I used the disposable instant bbq kit, which I found very useful. Check the Video on this Chicken Alfaham Recipe for that! 2: Cook on the Stovetop using the method in the video. Here we need 1/2 cup of sunflower oil poured into a heavy-based pot or pan with a high lid.  Once the oil is moderately hot, place the chicken pieces in a single layer and cook covered on low heat. This causes the chicken to fry and steam at the same time. flip over a few times, till you get a nice brown color similar to the bbq. Be cautious towards, the end of cooking, as you don’t want the chicken to burn on the bottom. 3: Oven You can also bake/broil in the oven using the same method as my Tandoori Chicken recipe. 
11. Once you have started cooking the chicken, also start cooking the Fragrant Mandi Rice.

FOR THE FRAGRANT MANDI RICE:

1. Once the marinated chicken is removed from the fridge, to come back to room temperature – wash and soak the rice and prepare the stock.
2. Rinse the rice well till the water runs clear. Pour fresh water over it and soak for 20 minutes, no more. Afterward, keep drained in a colander.
3. Pour the water for the stock into a stockpot, along with the reserved chicken scraps, spring onion, crushed garlic, and ginger. Bring this to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat. Keep covered and aside till ready to cook the rice. (at least 20 minutes, resting).
4. Heat the oil in a rice cooker (best) or a pot with a tight lid.
5. Add the finely chopped ginger, garlic, and spring onion. Sauté till softened. Add the diced capsicum and the chicken stock cube. Mash this well into the sautéed ingredients.  Also add the Kabsa spice mix and turmeric powder, along with small green chilies and sliced carrot. Stir.
6. Once, everything is sautéed well and fragrant, without any browning, strain the prepared stock and add. Bring to a simmer.
7. Tip in the thoroughly drained rice. Also, add salt to taste (about 2 tsp) and dried lime.
8. Cover, and cook till the rice cooker indicator turns off.
9. If using a pot with a lid, lower the heat and cook,  covered until water is entirely absorbed. (About 10 minutes). It is best not to stir the rice in between. Just check that the water is gone, towards the end. Also be careful that the rice does not stick to the bottom of the pot, from overcooking.
10. Once done, immediately fluff up the rice with a fork/ladle.
11. Place the grilled/stove-cooked chicken over the rice. Drizzle some of the oil from cooking (If the stovetop method was followed). Place a steel tumbler containing a red hot piece of charcoal. Pour oil over this to create smoke. Immediately cover with a tight lid, placing a ‘weight’ on top if needed, to prevent smoke from escaping. Keep covered 10 minutes.
12. Serve the rice while hot, with Garlic sauce and Salata hara.
13. Enjoy and let me know if you try!

Chicken Al Faham Mandi

Notes:

• The Malayalam Video for this recipe is available on the INTRO PAGE↓ .
• The Kabsa Spice mix is used in this recipe. Use my recipe for great results.
• Butterfield chicken or drumstick- chicken thigh portions may be used.
• Marination time is important for the best flavor.
• You will likely have a good amount of marinade left after cooking the chicken. Reserve this to marinate potatoes,  or chicken wings for cooking later. It can also be used to marinate chicken breasts for grilling. Or make more Al Faham!
• Malayalam video is available on the intro page.

Key Ingredients: Chicken, Rice, Spices, Yoghurt, Garlic, Ginger, Chicken stock, Spring Onion, Green Chilli, Coriander leaves, Dried Lime, Salt, Oil.

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