Indonesian-Inspired Chicken Biryani
Without getting into the vexed complexities of colonial history, there is a reason why Indonesian — or, more correctly, Dutch-Indonesian — food plays such an important part in the cultural life of Amsterdam. Dutch traders went to what is now Indonesia at the end of the 16th century — and stayed on, and from 1816 to 1941 it became a colony of the Netherlands government — the Dutch East Indies. It was when I first went to Amsterdam in my twenties, that I encountered (and ate a lot of) Rijstaffel, perhaps the most famous of all Dutch-Indonesian food, from the point of view of the hungry tourist at any rate, and which features rice with a staggering array of little dishes — up to 40, sometimes — which does not make it exactly cut out for a stress-free Christmas feast. But then I remembered a gorgeous Indonesian Biryani by Sri Owen (from her magisterial Rice Book) and thus inspired, I settled on a simplified version that is nonetheless a real party piece. I know a biryani sounds like a daunting undertaking, but it really doesn’t have to be. For one thing, you cook the chicken a day (or up to a couple of days) in advance, which breaks up the process into manageable tasks. Furthermore, not only will the flavours deepen and mellow overnight, but the chicken will be gorgeously tender. On top of which, it leaves you to do no more on the day itself than cook the rice — and for just two minutes! — then layer it up in a pan with the gently reheated chicken and steam it. And the marinade you start the chicken off with is an easy affair that relies predominantly on the punchy Indonesian chilli sauce Sambal Oelek and treacly Kecap Manis (see Additional Information, below). Sorry if I sound stern, but the chicken thighs absolutely must be on the bone, even if you plan to debone them before layering up them up with the rice: if you use thigh fillets the texture will be disappointingly dry and stringy. You have been warned! On a sunnier note, I absolutely urge you to make the Pineapple-Plus Salad with Rujak Dressing as an accompaniment. Its tangy freshness is the perfect complement to the sumptuous biryani. And should you want a vegan version, I have one for you in the form of my beautiful Butternut Biryani! Please read the Additional Information section at the end of the recipe before proceeding.
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