Chicken Kedra with Almonds & Chickpeas
This recipe is from Paula Wolfert’s stunning book, The Food of Morocco (Bloomsbury). You’ll find all you need to know about the preparation and food of Morocco in this definitive tome.
Paula explains that a kedra is particular type of stew, cooked in a deep casserole rather than in a tagine. It’s made with the strong Moroccan butter called smen and a good deal of onion, reduced to buttery softness, spiced with pepper and saffron, and usually cut at the end with a dash of lemon juice. The reason you don’t use a tagine is that a kedra is a brothy style of stew and thus requires a deeper pot.
Kedras are delicious and rich, and if they have a failing, it is their somewhat unattractive, pale yellow appearance.
To make them look more appetising, some Moroccan cooks brown the chickens in a hot oven or in a frying pan in the skimmed-off fat while finishing the sauce, but this is not done in classic kedra cooking.
In Fes kedras are always made pure, that is, without ginger, paprika, cumin added but in Rabat, Marrakech and Tangier this strict constructionist view is usually ignored.
This is one of the most famous chicken kedras, called djej kedra touimiya. It is made with whole blanched almonds and chickpeas. You might think that crisp almonds would go well with chicken but, in fact, the almonds should be soft. If they are old it can sometimes take more that 2 hours to transform them to this state.
Inroduction
About this Recipe
By: Sheridan Rogers
This recipe is from Paula Wolfert’s stunning book, The Food of Morocco. You’ll find all you need to know about the preparation and food of Morocco in this definitive tome.
Paula explains that a kedra is particular type of stew, cooked in a deep casserole rather than in a tagine. It’s made with the strong Moroccan butter called smen and a good deal of onion, reduced to buttery softness, spiced with pepper and saffron, and usually cut at the end with a dash of lemon juice. The reason you don’t use a tagine is that a kedra is a brothy style of stew and thus requires a deeper pot.
Kedras are delicious and rich, and if they have a failing, it is their somewhat unattractive, pale yellow appearance.
To make them look more appetising, some Moroccan cooks brown the chickens in a hot oven or in a frying pan in the skimmed-off fat while finishing the sauce, but this is not done in classic kedra cooking.
In Fes kedras are always made pure, that is, without ginger, paprika, cumin added but in Rabat, Marrakech and Tangier this strict constructionist view is usually ignored.
This is one of the most famous chicken kedras, called djej kedra touimiya. It is made with whole blanched almonds and chickpeas. You might think that crisp almonds would go well with chicken but, in fact, the almonds should be soft. If they are old it can sometimes take more that 2 hours to transform them to this state.
Ingredients
- dried chickpeas 100g (see method)
- blanched whole almonds 145g
- chicken 1 x 1 x 1.3–1.6kg, preferably organic and free-range, quartered (backbone and wings removed)
- saffron water 2 tablespoons (see method)
- salt
- freshly ground white pepper 1 teaspoon
- ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon
- Ceylon cinnamon stick 1 large
- ground turmeric 1/4 teaspoon
- oudi, or smen 2 tablespoons (see method)
- yellow onions 2 large, 1 grated and the other quartered lengthways and thinly sliced
- chicken stock or water 1 litre, plus more if needed
- flat leaf parsley leaves 15g, chopped
- lemon 1, juice only, or to taste
Serves 4 – 5
The day before, soak the chickpeas in water to cover generously. The next day, drain the chickpeas and peel (see below).
Cover the almonds with cold water in a saucepan and simmer, covered, for at least 2 hours or until soft. Cooking time depends upon the freshness of the almonds.
Rinse and dry the chicken; remove the excess fat. Combine half the saffron water, a good pinch of salt, the spices, smen, grated onion and chicken in a medium flameproof casserole. Cook over a low heat for 2 – 3 minutes. Add the stock or water and bring to the boil. Add the peeled chickpeas and a little more water, if needed, to keep everything immersed, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
Add the sliced onion and parsley. Continue cooking for 30 minutes or until the chicken is very tender or until the flesh is almost falling off the bone.
Transfer the chicken to a warm serving dish. Boil rapidly, uncovered, to reduce the sauce in the casserole to a thick gravy.
Drain the almonds and add to the sauce together with the remaining saffron water. Cook for 1 – 2 minutes. Correct the seasoning, adding lemon juice to cut through the richness of the sauce, then spoon the sauce over the chicken and serve.
Variation: omit the chickpeas and double the amount of almonds.
For the saffron water: dry-fry 1/2 teaspoon crumbled strands in a warm (not hot) pan, crush again, then soak in 240ml hot water and store in a small jar in the refrigerator – this will keep for up to a week.
For the smen or oudi: you can use clarified butter but for a more fulsome flavour, lightly toast 40g barley grits with 1 teaspoon dried thyme or Mediterranean oregano in a medium heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly until the grits turn a lovely light brown. Add 1.1kg unsalted butter, cut in small pieces, and allow it to melt slowly, without stirring and browning. Remove the foam as it appears on the surface. When the butter is golden and clear, remove it from the heat and allow to cool. Carefully pour the butter through damp muslin into clean glass or ceramic jars. Discard the milky barley residue. Oudi keeps for many months in closed jars in the refrigerator.
To cook and peel the chickpeas: soak dried chickpeas overnight in cold water, then drain, spread them in a single layer on a tea towel and cover with another towel. Using a rolling pin, firmly, but not heavily, roll it back and forth over the chickpeas about ten times. Almost all the peels will roll off. Bring a pan of water to the boil, throw in the chcikpeas and boil for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and and leave for a few minutes. the remaining peels will rise to the surface. Remove with a skimmer, then continue cooking the chickpeas as described above. They will taste better and are more easily digested than unpeeled chickpeas.