[Sca-cooks] Hen or Game Bird Pilaf

[Terry Decker]

While I was in St. Golias for the fighter practice that substituted for the Feast of St. Golias, I worked this Persian recipe from 1521 for the potluck dinner.  It the start of a project to produce a menu and recipes for a period Persian feast.  I thought it might be a start on reviving the activity on this list.

Now I have to decide what the leg of lamb in the fridge is going to become.

Bear


.Hen or Game Bird Pilaf

Sefat-e dāne palaw-e morq va kabk va dorrāj va kabutar-bačče va teyhuj

All are alike. Take fattened hen, francolin, or partridge, whichever is available, clean and chop. If squab or see-see partridge were available, wash them thoroughly. Pour the necessary amount of water in a pot [and heat]. Once the water is heated, wash thoroughly whichever [bird] that is available and throw in the pot with the necessary amount of salt, and remove the foam. Then throw in a čārak of diced onions and three mesqāls of cinnamon so they boil together awhile. After that take [the bird] out, wash with some salted water and fry in oil. Strain its broth through clean muslin, and add it again to the pot, so that for each two mans of rice there would be five mans of water. Pound two and one half mans of rice with salt to whiten. [However,] if the rice was white, it need not be pounded. Boil the water, wash three čāraks of peeled chickpeas and two mans of rice thoroughly, and add to the pot, adjust the salt, and boil. Once the rice is half done, drain the excess water, throw half a man of diced onion and the fried bird -- whichever [kind] there was -- and two mesqāls of caraway of Kermān and two mesqāls of whole or ground peppercorns -- whichever is desired -- and mix together. Throw in a man of clarified oil and mix together and steam with the lid on for a good while. Grind half a mesqāl in cold water and sprinkle [over the rice] and serve.

Hassibi, Saman, and Sayadabdi, Amir, trans., A Persian Cookbook: The Manual; from manuscript, Bavachi, The Manual, 1521; Prospect Books, London, 2018, pp. 86-87.

Notes:

man = 2785 g = 6.2 pounds avoir.

čārak (a quarter) = .25 man = 742 g = 1.66 pounds avoir.

mesqāl = 4.64 g, roughly 1 teaspoon


Caraway of Kermān = cumin (I used actual caraway seed which is milder than cumin seed, not being able to determine what Caraway of Kermān was at the time. In my opinion, ground will work better than whole and will come closer to the amounts listed in the original recipe.)

The recipe creates a broth from the skin and fat of whole birds. It can be substituted by canned broth or bullion. I used some scratch chicken broth from the freezer as the meat I used was skinless, boneless chicken breast I got on sale.

The birds are are disjointed and cut into pieces much like a frying chicken. As I was using chicken breast and needed to stretch the meat, I cut the breasts into bite-sized pieces after simmering them in broth.

Pounding the rice with salt is meant to scrape the bran from the rice and whiten it. Save yourself the trouble and buy white rice. Basmati is a rice that has been available in Persia probably since the 5th Century.

The onions used in the recipe are likely sweet onions considering some of the archeological evidence from Egypt and the Eastern Mediterranean.

The quantities in the recipe were arrived at by using an estimate of ten pounds avoir. of meat and a little judicious fudging. In practice the ratio of rice and chickpeas to meat probably varied based on availability. The critical ratio is that of liquid to rice (2.5:1 by volume).

Extra virgin olive oil enhances the taste.

I did not have any mastic, so I did not use it. The purpose of the mastic is to add a light, resinous flavor to the dish.

The dish can be refrigerated and reheated with a little added water. Reheating will produce softer rice. I was in a situation where I had to hold the dish on the stove top. Scorching is an issue in this situation as is the need to add additional water. The cinnamon flavor is subtle and was largely lost from the holding. The dish may hold better covered and in an oven, but I was unable to test the supposition.


The Recipe:

produces 8-10 servings

2 1/2 pounds (1,120 g) of chicken
1 pound (448 g) dried white rice
1/2 pound (224 g) dried chickpeas, washed and soaked overnight
1 pound (448 g) diced onion (roughly two large or three medium onions)
1 teaspoon (5 g) ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 g) ground cumin or 1 teaspoon (5 g) cumin seed
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 g) ground pepper or 1 teaspoon (5 g) peppercorns
2 quarts (1,920 g) of water or broth.
1 cup (240 g) olive oil plus 2-3 tablespoon (30-45 g) for frying
Salt to taste
1/4 teaspoon (1.25 g) mastic
1/4 cup (60 g) water

Take the chicken, if whole disjoint and cut into pieces, place in a pot capable of holding three quarts of liquid. Cover with the water or broth. Broth (or water with bullion) is recommended for skinless pieces of chicken without fat. Add half of the diced onion and the cinnamon. Salt to taste (bullion or salted broth may need none, water will likely need about 1/2 teaspoon). Bring to a soft boil and simmer for approximately 20 minutes. Skim any foam.

Remove the chicken. Strain the liquid from the pot through a muslin and reserve the liquid. If a muslin isn't available, use a large kitchen strainer. Discard the strained onion.

Heat a large skillet and add 2-3 tablespoons of oil. If whole pieces of chicken are desired add them to the skillet. If bite sized pieces are desired, cut up the pieces of chicken to the desired size. Fry the meat until thoroughly cooked. Remove from the skillet.

Drain the chickpeas.

Return 1 1/2 quarts (1,440 g) of the liquid to the pot. If there is too little liquid, add water to make up the difference. Bring to a boil. Add salt to taste. Add the rice and chickpeas. Stir to ensure nothing is sticking to the pot. Turn the heat to low and cover. Cook until the rice is soft but is al dente, about 15 minutes. Drain off any excess liquid, leaving a small amount to keep the rice from scorching.

Add the remaining onions, chicken, cumin and pepper to the pot and stir together. Add 1 cup of olive oil and stir together. Cover and cook on low, stirring occasionally. About 20 or 30 minutes. Remove to a plate and serve.

If available and desired, grind a quarter teaspoon mastic into 1/4 cup of cold water and sprinkle over the dish before serving.