Chicken Madfoon (slow-cooked in a pit)

Name: Chicken Madfoon (slow-cooked in a pit)
Total time: 150 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Gulf
Ingredients: For the meat:; 1 large chicken (1.5 kg), halved or quartered; 2 tbsp coarse salt and 1 tbsp black pepper; 2 tsp ground cumin, 2 tsp ground coriander and 1 tsp ground cardamom; For the rice:; 700 g basmati rice, soaked 30 minutes and drained; 1 onion, quartered, and 2 dried black limes (loomi), pierced; 3 tbsp ghee; 1.1 litres water and salt; For wrapping:; Heavy-duty foil (or banana leaves)

Recipe No.: G-7

Gulf150 minServes 6

Madfoon is aptly named: the food is buried in a stone-lined pit over embers and sealed for hours. It is a dish of southern Saudi Arabia and is close in method to haneeth. At home, a slow oven stands in for the embers.

Ingredients for Chicken Madfoon

For the meat
1large chicken (1.5 kg), halved or quartered
2 tbspcoarse salt and 1 tbsp black pepper
2 tspground cumin, 2 tsp ground coriander and 1 tsp ground cardamom
For the rice
700 gbasmati rice, soaked 30 minutes and drained
1onion, quartered, and 2 dried black limes (loomi), pierced
3 tbspghee
1.1 litreswater and salt
For wrapping
Heavy-duty foil (or banana leaves)

Method

Rub the chicken with the salt, pepper and spices and leave 2 hours or overnight in the fridge, taking it out 1 hour before cooking.
Combine the rice, onion, loomi, ghee, water and salt in a heavy pot and seal with foil under the lid to trap the steam.
Wrap the chicken in two layers of foil and set it on a rack right over the rice pot.
Place everything in an oven at 160°C for 1½ to 2 hours (the outdoor method needs a sealed pit with flameless embers in a well-ventilated open area).
Rest the parcels for 15 minutes, then open, fluff the rice and discard the loomi and onion.
Serve the rice on a wide platter with the chicken pulled apart on top.

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