Machbous ala Dajaj

So this week, I made Machbous ala Dajaj, which is the national dish of Bahrain. To make this portable for a cookout, I skewered the chicken pieces and left behind the broth. Then we mixed the broth with some rice later.

To be honest, this was probably a mistake because the chicken got a bit dry. Anyways, if you want a healthy chicken meal with some middle eastern spices, this is the dish for you. That said, this does take a while to make.

Ingredients
2 large onions chopped finely
2 tbsp. ghee (I--and probably you--used butter)
1 tbsp. baharat powder (most stores will have some version of baharat, but see the components below)
1 tsp. turmeric powder
3 lbs. of skinless, boneless chicken
3 green chillies, slit down the middle
6 cloves garlic, sliced finely
1 1″ piece of ginger, sliced finely
2 chopped tomatoes
3 cloves
1/2 tsp. loomi (dried lime), or I strip lemon rind
2 pieces cinnamon
6 cardamom pods
3 tsp. salt
2.5 cups water
2 cups basmati rice (washed, soaked for 5 minutes, them drained)
2 tbsp. chopped green coriander leaves
2 tbsp. chopped parsley (optional)

Baharat powder
1/2 cup black peppercorns
1/4 cup coriander seeds
1/4 cup cinnamon sticks
1/4 cup cloves
1/3 cup cumin seeds
1/4 cup nutmeg powder
1/2 cup paprika powder

Method:

• Start cooking your rice
• In a deep, heavy pan, gently fry chopped onions in ghee (or butter) until they begin to brown.

• Add sliced garlic, ginger, and green chillies

• Stir in the baharat powder & turmeric powder, and cook for 2 minutes

• Add chicken pieces and stir into fried ingredients

• Add tomatoes, cloves, loomi, cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods & salt, stirring well to combine.

• Add water, cover and simmer over gentle heat for 45 minutes.

• Stir into mixture, the drained rice.

• Add herbs and bring to a low simmer

• Cover, bring to boil, then immediately lower heat and simmer gently for a further 20 minutes

• Remove from heat and leave aside for 10 – 15 minutes

The end result looks like this (Again, I removed the chicken from the broth, which I wouldn't recommend):

Next up is Bangladesh....and it looks like it's going to be fish wrapped in banana leaves...that is, if I can find banana leaves in Baltimore.

Editor's note: For those who know that I lived at Chez Guilford, the era has officially come to a close. This was the final dish cooked at the old place. So going forward, you'll get to see the new place, with new, different-colored granite counters for a back drop. Fun!

Gorby says bye!

Bahamian Cracked Conch with Peas and Rice

So, somewhat shockingly, I managed to find conch in Baltimore (well, in Catonsville, but same thing). What's more, it actually tasted pretty decent. That may be because the conch was battered and fried. The taste is actually pretty good, but the texture is...not great. It's kind of like eating a really well-flavored piece of tire. That said, it's really well-flavored, which kind of made it worthwhile. The peas and rice are really good to, but it really was kind of disconnected from the conch. The recipe I used is here.

Ingredients:

 

1 lb conch

for the tempura batter
2 -4 cups water
1 lb flour
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 fresh thyme
1 egg (beaten)

for bahamian peas and rice
1 cup pigeon peas
1 1/2 cups rice
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 cup tomato paste
1/2 small ripe tomato, chopped
2 slices bacon or 2 slices salt pork, diced
2 teaspoons fresh thyme

Mix the flour, beaten egg, seasonings and water into a pasty batter. Add the water slowly since the batter should not be too watery but should be of a paste like consistency.

Cut conch/crayfish into thumb-sized pieces then pour the tempura batter over the conch to cover each piece. Deep fry at 350-375 F until golden brown.

Fry bacon or salt pork in a large pan with a tight-fitting lid.

Next, add the onion, pepper, tomato, tomato paste and thyme, then add the peas, salt and pepper to taste.

Next, add 3 cups of water to the mix and bring to a boil.

Next, add rice and stir. Cover and cook on medium heat for about 30.

minutes or until rice is tender and water is absorbed.

Serve with the conch/crayfish.

 

And this is what it looks like. Really, really tasty. Oh, and then we made funnel cake, because, why not?

 

 

Next up is Bahrain's Machbous Ala Dajaj. Should be pretty tasty.

Azerbaijani Yarpag Dolmasi

So, This is Yarpag Dolmasi. I actually had no part in putting this one together (I was exceptionally lazy that day). That said, they turned out amazing well (even if the name does sound like a villain from a Star Trek movie).

We didn't have grape leaves--so we used collard greens instead and it worked incredibly well! The recipe this is based on is here. As you probably noticed, stuffed grape leaves isn't necessarily unique to Azerbaijan. But hey, it's not like they've got a lot of other things to claim as their own. So I suppose we'll let it slide. There is also a garlic yogurt sauce...but as I've mentioned before, gooey ain't really my style.



So, to the ingredients:

1 pound (450g) ground lamb or beef
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
½ cup short or medium grain rice, washed and drained
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro (coriander)
½ cup chopped fresh dill (you can use 2-3 tablespoons of the dry stuff)
½ cup chopped fresh mint
 1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon or to taste, pepper
a bundle of collards
3 tablespoons butter, melted
½ cup water

Directions:

1. To prepare the filling, in a mixing bowl combine meat, onion, rice, fresh herbs, salt and pepper and knead thoroughly.

2. Blanch the collards for 2 minutes in boiling water. Then, cut out the stems or any really big veins.

3. Hold the collard on the palm of your left hand, and place 1 or 2 teaspoons of the filling at the stalk end of the leaf. With your right hand, fold top, then the sides over the filling and roll up tightly. Seriously...this is an art form.

4. Arrange the wrapped nuggets of deliciousness close together seam side down in a medium non-stick pan, making several layers and add a little salt.

5. Pour butter over your wrapped collards and add water. Place a small lid or a small ovenproof plate on top to keep dolmas tight and to prevent them from opening. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium to low and simmer for 1 hour 30 minutes, or until the leaves are tender and the filling is cooked. There should be little liquid left, reduced to the oily consistency.


Next week, we'll be doing the Bahamas. Their national dish is cracked conch over peas and rice. You're probably thinking "Scott, that's crazy! Where in the heck are you going to get conch in Baltimore?" And my audience of roughly two to three people would be right. Anyways, it appears that there is an asian grocer outside the city that sells conch. My hope is that it's already dead when I get it (though that might be kind of an interesting pet). Anyways, more to come next week!

Austrian Wiener Schnitzel

So I went back and forth about whether this should be titled "Wiener Schnitzel" or "Wienerschnitzel", but since I've only got about 20 weekly readers (and that's being charitable), I'll just assume you'll forgive me either way.

Anywho, as you can see in the picture, this is some greasy deliciousness. As I said before--Austria doesn't technically have a national dish--but this is probably the closest thing to it (or so sayeth the internets)

This is (somewhat obviously) a pretty easy dish. It's really just pounded out pork chops breaded and fried. I got the recipe from here and ended up using veal and had some leftover pork chops so I threw those in as well. So...to the ingredients!

4 pork chops (they originally used veal)
1/4 c. flour (all purpose or brown rice)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. bread crumbs
2 eggs
Oil or lard for frying (lard is traditional--but if you value your heart, you might not want to do that)

1. Pour and pre-heat your oil into whatever you are using for cooking (I used a cast iron skillet--but you could use anything with high rims). You should have enough oil that the little suckers float (gross, I know). NOTE: use something that has a high smoke point. DO NOT use olive oil.

2.  Pound the meat until it's about a 1/4 inch thick (or be lazy and buy the thin-cut chops at safeway)

3. Dip your chop in egg, then flour, then bread crumbs.

4. After it seems like the oil is hot enough (just let it sit under the burner for a few minutes) drop in your pork chops. Let them cook until they look brown and crunchy on the outside.

Next week we move on to the wonderful cuisine of Azerbaijan. They're all about the Dolma....so that's what's coming up!

Australian Meat Pie

Holy wow this was good. I mean, it is pretty hard to go wrong with something that consists of beef, gravy, and puff pastry. Oh...and there are no vegetables. It kind of gives me a new found respect for the Australian people. I picked up the recipe here, and unlike other recipes, I used it pretty much in it's entirety because...hey...how can you go wrong with meat pie?

3 pounds beef chuck, diced 1/2-inch cubes (I used stew beef)
1/2 cup flour (you really need more than this--more like maybe a cup)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 onion, diced
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon celery seed
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
4 cups beef or chicken stock
4 sheets puff pastry
1 egg, beaten, to glaze crust

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Dredge beef in flour and sear in oil in a hot pan. Add the garlic and onion and saute for 4 more minutes. Add the spices, Worcestershire and soy sauce and cook until the liquid is almost dissolved. Add the stock and cook until the meat is coated in thick gravy. Transfer to a container and cool.

Roll 2 sheets of pastry to 1/2-inch thickness. Line 8-inch tart molds with the rolled pastry. Line the pastry with tin foil and prebake for about 8 minutes. Let cool.

Roll out the remaining pastry sheets and cut lids for the pies. Fill baked shells with the meat mixture and cover with the cut pastry lids. Attach lids with egg wash. Brush the tops with the remaining egg wash and sprinkle with black pepper.

Bake for 8 minutes or until golden brown

And you get a fabulous meat pie! Next week is Austria....like Australia they didn't have a national dish. That said, Wiener Schnitzel is BASICALLY their national dish. So, I suppose we'll go with it...and, really, why turn down the opportunity for more breaded meat?

Armenian Yogurt Marinated Chicken with Harissa

So, once again, we had a dish that involves a whole chicken. And, once again we have a dish that involves yogurt.

That said, this came out kind of bland...not terrible...not mind blowing...just kind of there...ya know, just like Armenia (AMIRIGHT??)

The most interesting thing about this dish is that Armenia considers their national dish to be a spice mixture, which still baffles me. Anyways, below is the recipe:

1/4 cup whole milk yogurt
One 1- to 2-inch knob fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon red chile flakes
Kosher salt
1 whole chicken, cut in half
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 lemon, halved
Harissa

To make the Harissa, follow these steps:

2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
2 tablespoons paprika
1 teaspoon red chile flakes
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 red bell pepper, roasted, peeled and seeded
Sea salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to coat the top of the harissa

note: you can use equivalent powder versions for all of this if you'd like (that's what I did). 

In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, ginger, cumin, chile flakes and salt. Whisk until smooth and pour into a baking dish. Lay the chicken halves, skin-side up, in the yogurt mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a couple of hours to marinate.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Remove the chicken from the yogurt, leaving any excess behind, and lay them out on a baking sheet, skin-side down. Cook until the skin is brown and crispy, and then flip. Altogether, it should cook for 35 to 40 minutes.

Then for the Harissa, in a small bowl, combine the coriander seeds, cumin seeds and caraway seeds. Add the spices to a sheet tray and toast in the oven for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven and set aside to cool. Add the paprika and chile flakes to the spice mix.

Using a mortar and pestle (or a food processor, like a normal human being), grind the garlic cloves until they become a paste, and then add the red bell pepper. Season with salt, and then add the spices and the 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil and blend well.

While this recipe (here) calls to grind in the bell pepper--I actually left it chunky:

All in all, this wasn't bad...just kinda boring and bland. Gorby got so bored, he walked out side and just slept in the dirt:

Anyways, next week, we'll have something a little more entertaining...next up is Australia. While they don't have an official national dish, the unofficial dish is meat pie. This stuff is so bad that they had an obesity conference last year explicitly dedicated to the meat pie scourge. So, I suppose Gorby and I are intrigued.

Argentinian Asado with Chimichurri Sauce

Man, Pork is just so delicious.

This was hands down, the best dish thus far...and the five or six people who were here absolutely devoured these. Gorby was, of course, pleased as well. Moreover, this was incredibly simple. This was also a pleasant surprise following the Fungie Debacle of 2013.

Here is the recipe I based this on--though it's confusing as hell--so I mostly just put this together willy nilly.






Ingredients:

Ribs (duh)
olive oil, salt, pepper to taste
1 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
125 ml olive oil
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp brown vinegar
½ tsp chilli powder
1 tsp adobo spice mix


I was pretty flexible about the volume here--and where it says brown vinegar, I used apple cider vinegar. This was also accompanied by sweet potato fries which were as good if not better than the ribs.

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. Rub down ribs with oil, salt, and pepper.

3. Put the ribs in for an hour, flipping them every 15 minutes.

4. While ribs cook, chop up and mix together all other ingredients (I used a cuisinart) to make your chimichurri sauce.

5. (optional) turn up oven to 400 and put in the broiler for a few minutes to give it a little crust.

6. while still hot, dump the chimichurri over the ribs.

And that is that....really easy and really simple. Next week--Armenia and Harissa. You're probably thinking--oh hey, Harissa is a spice mix! Why in the world would anybody choose a bunch of spices as a national dish? I would agree--that's a good question. So, I'll be making a whole chicken with a Harissa-yogurt sauce. FUN.

Antiguan (and Barbadian?) Fungie and Pepperpot

The person who came up with this dish is either insane or brilliant. I'm still not sure which. I should also note that there are probably many Fungie and Pepperpot recipes that are infinitely simpler (and frankly, probably taste better).

Now. With that said, if you think you're interested in trying a dish that has eggplant, papaya, ketchup (ew), margarine (double ew), pumpkin, fish, and salted beef, boy do I have a dish for you.

The original recipe is here. I made some significant changes--namely that I didn't use pig snout because...well...where the hell do I get a pig snout in Baltimore? I also left out the "meat scraps", "4 cloves cut" (I'm not even sure what type of clove this is reference to), the okra (couldn't find it), taro root leaves (also couldn't find it), the peas (ran out of room in my pot), and of course, the pig snout.

I also made some substitutions--instead of margarine, I used canola oil, instead of pumpkin, I used acorn squash, and instead of salt beef, I used corned beef (which is supposedly close to the same thing).

Ingredients:

4 cups water (2 boiling, 2 cold)
2 cups cornmeal

butter, to coat
1 teaspoon salt, to taste
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 medium onions, chopped
4 tablespoons ketchup
4 tablespoons oil
1 bunch thyme
1 bunch chives
1 lb spinach, chopped
1 lb eggplant, peeled & cut
1 lb okra, chopped
1/2 lb acorn squash, peeled & cut
1 lb corned beef, chopped
1 lb papaya, cut
3 small squash, cut
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon pepper

1 lb of white fish

The corn meal piece is really easy--you just mix two cups of cold water with the corn meal (and mix slowly!). Then add this porridgy stuff to your boiling water until it's pretty stiff. Then mash this out into bowls to serve as a base.

 

The directions for the actual soup portion here were absurdly confusing...and had some nonsense about salting your leaf vegetables for a while before cooking. That seemed silly. I basically through everything around the same time and cooked for about 20 minutes and then added the fish in and cooked for another 10 minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

To the side, is a picture of the result. It looks ostensibly edible...and it is! But I can't say I thought it tasted very good. Some members of the household thought this was surprisingly good. I thought it tasted like day old trash. But hey...edible!

Next up is Argentina and Asado (basically ribs with Chimichurri sauce). Should be much more tasty!

Anyways, Gorby eagerly waits at the counter for something that tastes better...

Angolan Muamba De Galinha

So I finally got around to my next dish...from Angola! No one would really think, "oh hey, Angola has some fantastic" food, but turns out they do. It's also on the coast of Africa...who knew?

I started with breaking down a whole chicken (because, hey, why not) and then frying it in a cup of oil, which was a great way to get started. The original recipe (here) called for using palm oil...but since I (very occasionally) care about the environment, I decided to just go with vegetable oil instead. After frying for a while, you'll slowly add in your other ingredients and holy crapper there are a lot of them. 

 Ingredients:

1 whole chicken, cut into serving-sized pieces
1 lemon
Cup of oil (I used vegetable)
3 onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 scotch bonnet pepper (or other chilli pepper, left whole and removed after cooking for a mild dish, or chopped, seeds remo)
3 tomatoes, quartered
1 butternut squash (or sweet pupmkin de-seeded, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces)
20 okra (small, tender, washed and 'topped and tailed')

Directions: 

1.  Squeeze the lemon juice over the chicken and allow to marinate for about an hour.

2.  Add the oil to a deep frying pan and heat on high heat.

3.  Place the chicken in the pan and brown on all sides then add the onion, garlic, whole chilli and tomato. Stirring occasionally, cook over medium heat for about half an hour then add the squash and cook for an additional 15 minutes before adding the canned palm soup base and the okra.

4. Simmer for a few minutes until the okra is tender, season and serve with rice.

Below is the finished product. I managed to get food poisoning somewhere along the way in making this, but hey...it was worth it.

Next up is Antigua and Barbuda...there national dish is Fungie. If you ever wondered what Okra, Papaya, and Eggplant taste like together...look no further!

Gorby is still pretty full from last time though, so maybe we'll give it a little time...

Andorran Escudella

So last week I made something that was at least marginally healthy. This week, that kind of went out the window. I think this has at least some of pretty much every meat and starch you could think of...and little to no actual vegetables. So, it was pretty great altogether and I managed to finish a bowl of it without my heart exploding...so I suppose that's good too.



The original recipe was even more absurdly unhealthy (here)...so I made a couple of little changes...mostly because I didn't have access to all the ingredients. I also substitute pasta that looks like like space helmets...because...well...they seemed neat.

2 cups dry white beans
1 bone (I used turkey--you could really use whatever though)
1 other bone with marrow (I used lamb marrow/bones)
3 chicken thighs
14 ounces raw pork sausage, rolled into balls
2 cups of chopped brussel sprouts
1 large white potato, cut into large chunks
1/4 cup uncooked brown rice
1 cup pasta shells 

1 cup canned garbanzo beans

Some instructions:

1. Put white beans, bones, chicken thighs, and pork sausage balls in a dutch oven or large pot. Cover with water.

2. Bring to a boil and simmer for two hours.

3. Remove bones/anything that you might choke on.

4. Add remaining ingredients and cook for another 30 minutes.

All in all this was absurdly tasty. Hooray Andorra. Next up is Angola...and Muamba De Galinha. FUN!

Albania--Tave Kosi

Ah, Tave Kosi. So, for anyone who knows me (and let's be frank, if you're reading this, you probably do), you know I hate gooey things.

Like yogurt.

Well, this recipe has 2 pounds of yogurt.

It also had about a pound of butter, which seems a tad much. So, I mixed things up a little bit. I tried to simultaneously limit my exposure to the unhealthiness and to the yogurt. I used a quarter cup of olive oil and about half the amount of eggs and yogurt that it called for. It actually turned out better than I deserved, mostly because the lamb was delicious. The yellow-ish stuff you see in the picture is supposed to come out like a quiche...but it ended up coming out a little more like polenta. Either way, it turned out pretty tasty! Below is my tweaked recipe (the original source is here):

• 1 1/2 pounds lamb leg or shoulder
• salt, to taste
• freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup of Olive Oil, split
• 2 Tablespoons rice
• 2 Tablespoons oregano leaves, fresh (I used the dry stuff--it was fine)
• 1/2 teaspoon; garlic, crushed
• 12 oz. non-fat Greek Yogurt
• 3 eggs; beaten (I also substituted egg whites for two of these eggs)
• 1 Tablespoon flour 

Some instructions:

• Cut meat into 4 serving pieces (I had three bigger pieces and it was fine). Season with salt and pepper to taste. rub olive oil on the lamb and bake at 350 degrees with the oregano and garlic, basting now and then with pan juices, about 40 minutes, or until well browned. Stir rice into pan juices. Remove baking pan from oven and set aside while preparing yogurt sauce.
• Combine yogurt with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in eggs until smooth. Set aside. (this looks like my nightmares)
• Make a quick roux with the flour (mix flour and remaining oil in a pan and stir until smooth and it appears brown-ish. it should take about a minute on medium heat). Add to yogurt mixture and stir until smooth. Pour yogurt sauce in baking pan, stirring it with meat pieces, and bake at 375 degrees 45 minutes. Serve hot

 And this was my end result:

Next up...Andorra. Did you know Andorra was a legit country? Either did I. They've been in the UN since 1993...so that's something. Their national dish is Escudella, which is basically just meat soup (and not gooey in the slightest!). Anyways, onward we go!

Algerian Couscous

And now we're on to Algeria. I unfortunately didn't think to take a great picture before I started eating (if you're really really really curious--and also want to see the source of this dish, see here).

This was a pretty tasty dish, (to be fair--I was also starving), really easy, and for those who have silly dietary limitations, it's vegetarian. I accidentally left out the Garbanzo Beans--but I'm sure they'd make it even more delicious.

Anyways--I enjoyed it and Gorby got to lick my bowl--and he seemed to enjoy it too.






Ingredients:

1 large onion, chopped

1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 cup vegetable stock
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons tomato paste

3 -4 whole cloves
3 medium zucchini
4 small yellow squash
3/4 large carrot
4 medium yellow potatoes, skins on
1 red bell pepper
1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans

1/2 cup of Couscous
boiling water to cover Couscous

 Directions:

1) Saute onion in vegetable stock over med. low heat until translucent.

2) Add all spices and cook for a few more minutes, stirring as needed.

3) Add tomato paste, stir and simmer 2 minutes.

4) Cut the vegetables in large chunks and add all (not the beans) and a dash of cinnamon; add water to cover.

5) Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for an hour or so. (This can cook slowly for 2-3 hours, if desired.).

6) Add the drained garbanzos about 5 minutes before you take the veggies off the heat.

7) Put couscous in a bowl.
8)Pour boiling water over couscous and wait about 5 minutes.

9) Fluff with fork. (Ratio of about 1 1/2:1 of water to couscous.).

10) For added flavor, add some of the liquid from the veggie stew to the couscous in place of some of the water.

 You were probably thinking...but wait! Why didn't you do Albania! Well, that's because I apparently can't read. So...yeah...Albania is next. There a number of national dishes in Albania--but the only one that appears to lack a lot of organ meats is Tave Kosi...so Tave Kosi it is! High five Gorby!

 

Kabuli Pulao

...And so it begins. I suppose a little bit of back story is necessary here. Some time last year I started cooking one dish a week from another country (the list I've been using is here ). After starting though, a bunch of people (read: three or four) said it would be pretty cool to start a blog to follow all of the recipes that I've used.

So. I'm doing that! Fun story! 

Anyways--I decided to start all over again so I can try to use a national dish of sorts from each country. 

This week I made Kabuli Pulao from Afghanistan. The original recipe I based this on was here. They recommended that I take the time to boil the chicken and onion separately with several quarts of chicken broth. That, of course, would take forever. So, I cooked the rice separately and cooked the other components in a pan. Also, just as a general rule, I use brown rice so I can pretend there is some semblance of healthiness to this.

So, I speeded things up--below is my revised ingredients:

1 cup of rice

2.5 cups of water or broth

2 lbs chicken, cut up
1 large onion, sliced

1 large carrot, cut into match sticks

3 tablespoons of olive oil
sea salt, to taste

1/2 tablespoon ground cardamom
1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup raisin
1/8 cup chopped pistachios

On to the directions!

1)  Put your rice and 2.5 cups of water on--either in a rice cooker or a medium-sized sauce pan.

2) Toss your olive oil, chicken, and onion into a frying pan and cook for 5 min. (note: you don't have to use olive oil here--in fact, it may be better to use something with a higher smoke point)

3) Sprinkle with salt and then add your cardamom, cumin, and black pepper (mine was ground, but it doesn't have to be)

4) At the end, add your raisins and pistachios and let them warm and then kill the heat.

And that's it!

This is what it looked like when it came out on the other end:

Next up is Algeria and their national dish, Couscous. Which...really? It seems kind of lame to say that an individual ingredient is their national dish. Anywho...more to come!