International Recipes
Chicken with Apricots and Potato Straws
Ingredients
- 1 (3 pound) skinless chicken, cut into small pieces
- 4 whole dried hot red chiles
- 1 (2 inch) piece cinnamon stick, broken
- 1 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 7 cardamom pods
- 10 cloves
- 2 teaspoons grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon crushed garlic
- 4 ounces pitted dried apricots
- 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/2 pound onions, cut in very fine half rings
- 2 tablespoons tomato puree mixed with 8 ounces hot water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons white malt vinegar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 7 ounces potato, peeled
- Oil for deep frying
Instructions
- Put red chiles, cinnamon, cumin, cardamom and cloves in a grinder and grind finely.
- Put chicken in a large bowl.
- Put 1 teaspoon grated ginger, 1/2 teaspoon garlic and half the dry spice mix on the chicken. Mix well, rubbing seasoning into the chicken. Set aside for one hour.
- Put the apricots into a pan with 3/4 pint water. Boil, reduce the heat and simmer until tender but not mushy. Turn off the heat and leave apricots in juice.
- When the chicken has marinated, heat 6 tablespoons oil in a pan over medium heat.
- Add onions and stir and fry until they are a rich reddish-brown.
- Set heat to medium and add remaining garlic, ginger and dry spice mix. Stir, then add chicken. Stir and brown for 5 minutes.
- Add the tomato puree mix and salt. Boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add vinegar and sugar; cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and spoon off as much fat as possible from the surface.
- Put the apricots and 3 tablespoons of their juice into the pan with the chicken and let set for at least 30 minutes.
- Make potato straws. Fill a large bowl with 3 pints water.
- Add salt and mix.
- Grate potato coarsely, put into the bowl of water and stir. Remove the potato, squeezing out as much liquid as possible. Drain and dry on paper towels.
- Heat the oil slowly. When hot, add the potato straws. Stir and fry until crisp and pale golden.
- Remove and drain on paper towels.
- Heat the chicken through gently and serve with potato straws.