Majida Rashid
My mother always cooked with passion. Before preparing any dish she would gather all the ingredients required. After starting the cooking, she never left the site of the stove until the dish was completely prepared. While I do not strictly adhere to her practice, I make sure I’m mentally and even physically present when I’m cooking. At times, I ask family members to leave the kitchen so I can concentrate on cooking without any interruption or distractions.
My practice of cooking with passion paid off when I entered my first cooking competition in the 1980s. It was organized by the Hilton Hotel of Bahrain and the local newspaper Gulf Daily News (GDN). To my delight I was declared “Bahrain’s Best Amateur Chef.”
The event was widely covered in the GDN. In addition to reporting on the pre- and post-competition as well as the actual competition, the GDN also published my winning recipes.
One can imagine how many copies of the newspapers I must have gathered! Unfortunately, many years later I was forced to leave the newspapers behind during a move. Only last year did someone return to me some of the newspapers and it took me down memory lane. But I have only two of the recipes. In last month’s column, I shared my prize-winning Crusted Saffron Pilau from that competition. The recipe can be found here https://legalnews.com/ detroit/1528021/. I will attempt to recreate at least the dessert, Almond Torte, and share it sometime later.
For now, enjoy the side dish that was part of the winning menu. It’s a modified version of a traditional chicken dish called Chicken Karahi. It is renowned throughout Pakistan and is synonymous with the city of Peshawar, hence I named it Chicken Peshori. While Chicken Karahi is now cooked in other Pakistani cities, nothing matches the original flavor, which is not laden with spices and is different from curries. Other than tomatoes, it also doesn’t have peas or any other vegetable. Besides, Chicken Karahi is cooked in a wok. But I used a heavy saucepan for this recipe. The method of cooking the chicken is similar to Chicken Karahi.
Chicken Peshori with Peas
Ingredients
3-1/4 lbs skinned chicken legs, each cut into four pieces
2 lbs tomatoes, roughly chopped
2-4 whole green chilies
1/2 – 3/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons cooking oil
For the peas
1/4 cup cooking oil
1 large onion, pureed in a blender
1/2 - 1 teaspoon red pepper
Salt to taste
1 lb frozen peas
1 cup water
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, roasted and ground
2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves
For decoration
3-4 tomatoes cut into small wedges
1/4 cup coriander leaves
Instructions
Place a heavy saucepan over high heat until it’s hot.
Put chicken pieces and cook, stirring continually, until the chicken juice is completely dried.
Add chopped tomatoes, green chilies and salt to taste.
Cook, uncovered, for half an hour.
Add cooking oil and cook, stirring frequently, over high heat for 8-10 minutes.
For the peas
Heat 1/4 cup cooking oil in another saucepan and sauté onions until transparent.
Add tomatoes, red pepper and salt.
Cook over low heat for 5 minutes.
Add the frozen peas and 1 cup water and cook for 15 minutes.
Sprinkle the chopped coriander leaves and ground cumin over the peas and cook for 5 minutes or until the sauce is thickened.
Taste and adjust the seasonings.
Before serving
Place the peas in the center of a white round platter.
Surround the peas with the chicken pieces.
Place the tomato wedges interspersed with coriander leaves around the chicken.
Serve hot either with hot crusted saffron pilau or with plain white rice and salad. Naan also goes well with this dish.
Serves 2-3.
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Foodie Majida Rashid lives in Texas. Food and cooking are her passion. Her presentation about her love of food can be viewed on USA Today’s network: https://www .youtube.com/watch?v=l0xi566VSPo – We Spread Love Through Food @Frontiers_Of_Flavor Her philosophical writing can be read at apakistaniwomansjourney.wordpress.com.
