Pish Pash

Ingredients

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 ½ lb skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into small 1-inch cubes
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 4 cups water
• 1 large Vidalia onion, chopped
• 3 bay leaves
• 1-inch piece ginger, sliced and cut into thin strips
• 2 cups basmati rice
• 14 small, white potatoes, peeled and halved
• 3 organic orange carrots, sliced thin
• 1 organic purple carrot, sliced thin (optional: can use only regular orange carrots)
• Two 1-inch pieces cinnamon stick
• 6 cloves
• 12 peppercorns, whole
• 1-2 tsp salt (or to taste)

Toppings & Garnish:

• 4 shallots, thinly sliced for frying
• 3 tbsp ghee
• 3 scallions, green parts chopped
• 1 bunch chives, finely chopped
• 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
• 2 limes, quarted

Instructions

1. 1
   Fill a large pot with chicken broth and water and heat on high.
2. 2
   Add chicken pieces to the pot, along with the chopped onion and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, cover, lower heat, and simmer.
3. 3
   In the meantime, rinse rice in another pot under running water until it’s no longer cloudy. Pour out the liquid and set side.
4. 4
   After contents of pot have simmered for about 10 minutes, remove ¾ cup broth and set aside.
5. 5
   Add rice, potatoes, carrots, ginger, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and peppercorns to the pot on the stove.
6. 6
   Stir thoroughly and bring to a boil. Then, reduce heat and simmer, covered. Cook for another 20-30 minutes or so, stir from time to time.
7. 7
   Check potatoes – they should be soft but not disintegrate. Remove potatoes from the rice if they’re getting too soft.
8. 8
   Check to see if the rice is done. It’s done when rice has almost disintegrated.
9. 9
   Make sure that the rice doesn’t dry out. If it starts getting dry, add water to the pot and stir thoroughly. If rice is disintegrating but there’s still too much liquid, uncover the pot and cook till the liquid reduces (but rice shouldn’t turn into a mushy paste). There should be quite a bit of broth remaining (as the rice will absorb a ton of liquid as it cools), but the end result shouldn’t be like a thin soup.
10. 10
    While the rice is cooking, prepare the garnish. In a large wok, heat ghee on high and fry the shallots until golden brown and crisp.
11. 11
    When rice is done, taste for salt and add as necessary.
12. 12
    Serve in a shallow soup plate or bowl. When serving, add a bit of reserved broth (if it’s been sitting and got a bit dry) and sprinkle with scallions, chives, cilantro, and fried shallots.
13. 13
    Have 3 tiny bowls on the side of each serving containing extra toppings of cilantro, scallions, and shallots. Also add a wedge of lime.