Chicken Madrouba (mashed chicken & rice porridge)

Recipe No.: E-51

Emirati200 minServes 8

Madrouba is named after the large wooden beater used to beat the mixture until it is as thick as oatmeal. It is popular in Ramadan for iftar and suhoor in the UAE, and those who make it say it tastes even better the next day. Some homes use rice instead of jareesh.

Ingredients for Chicken Madrouba

• 1whole chicken (about 1 kg)
• 3 cupsjareesh (broken wheat, not pearl barley), rinsed
• 1 cupfinely chopped onion and 2 cloves garlic, grated
• 3 cupschopped or grated tomato and 2 to 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 1bell pepper, chopped, and 1 green chili (optional)
• 1 bunchfresh coriander, chopped
• 1 tbspbezar (or 1 tsp each curry powder, cumin, turmeric and ground coriander)
• 1 tspground loomi, 1 tsp ground cardamom, ½ tsp cinnamon and 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 cupplain yogurt
• ¼ cupoil, salt and pepper
• 3 litreswater for the jareesh, and water to boil the chicken
• Melted ghee (samn) or butter to serve

Method

1. Boil the chicken in water to cover until cooked, lift out and cool, remove the skin and bones, shred or cut the meat small, and keep the stock.
2. In a very large pot, heat the oil and soften the onion, then add the garlic, tomatoes and peppers and cook until the tomatoes are mushy.
3. Add the chicken and stir 5 minutes, then add the spices, tomato paste and coriander.
4. Add the jareesh and the water (3 litres; some chicken stock may replace part) and bring to a boil, stirring now and then because it sticks to the bottom.
5. When the jareesh softens and most of the water is gone, turn the heat to the lowest (ideally with a cast-iron plate under the pot) and cook about 2 hours until completely soft.
6. Add the yogurt and beat the mixture with a wooden beater or hand blender until thick like porridge, and adjust the salt.
7. Serve hot with melted ghee or butter.

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