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Fega’ata (bottom of the pot chicken and rice)

• Noor Murad

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Serves 6 - 8

A little effort

Prep: 30 mins

Cook: 2 hrs and 20 mins

plus resting

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In this Bahraini dish, the meat (or fish or vegetables) is left to steam and cook gently without any liquid, and the rice is piled on top

Gluten free

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Try Noor Murad's fega’ata (bottom of the pot chicken and rice), then try healthy one-pan chicken and rice, baked Spanish rice with chicken and chorizo, or machboos (Omani chicken one-pot rice).

Fega’ata refers to the very bottom of something, with ga’a meaning ‘bottom’ and fe meaning ‘in’. Fishermen will often talk about ga’aet el bahar, meaning bottom of the sea, and in this uniquely Bahraini recipe it means ‘bottom of the pot’, where all the good stuff happens. The meat (or fish or vegetables) is left to steam and cook gently without any liquid, and the rice is piled on top. As with many of our dishes, it is inverted so that bottom is top and top is bottom. Don’t skimp on the onions as their moisture is what helps move things along. The chicken skin doesn’t get crispy here, it acts as a shield, keeping the meat tender.

Recipes extracted from Lugma by Noor Murad (£28, Quadrille). Photographs: © Matt Russell, Matt Wardle. Recipes are sent by the publisher and not retested by us.

Fega’ata (bottom of the pot chicken and rice) recipe

Ingredients

Nutrition

• ½ tsp loosely packed saffron threads

• 2 tsp rosewater

• 2 tsp cumin seeds

  finely crushed

• 2 tsp coriander seeds

  finely crushed

• 1 tsp mild curry powder

• 1 tsp ground turmeric

• 1 tsp paprika

• ½ tsp ground cinnamon

• 2 black limes

  1 finely ground, the other broken in half and pips removed

• 1kg chicken thighs (about 8)

  patted dry

• 100g yellow split peas

  soaked in boiled water for at least 1 hr

• 3 onions

  halved, and each half cut into 4 wedges

• 400g floury potatoes (such as Maris Piper)

  peeled and cut into 5cm chunks

• 1 large plum tomato

  cut into 8 pieces

• 3 green chillies

• 35g ginger

  peeled and finely grated

• 5 garlic cloves

  finely grated

• 4 tbsp ghee

• 4 cloves

• 3 bay leaves

• 6 cardamom pods

• 375g basmati rice

  washed until the water runs clear, then soaked for at least 20 mins or up to 2 hrs, then drained

• 2 tbsp coriander

  roughly chopped, to serve

Nutrition: per serving (8)

• kcal492
• fat19.9g
• saturates7.6g
• carbs49.7g
• sugars4.4g
• fibre10.3g
• protein23.5g
• salt1.7g

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Method

• step 1

  Put the saffron, rosewater and 1½ tbsp of hot water in a small bowl. Mix together all the ground spices and ground black lime in a small bowl. Marinate the chicken thighs by mixing them in a medium bowl with half the spice mixture, 1½ tsp of salt and a generous grind of black pepper.

• step 2

  Bring a medium pan of water to the boil. Drain the split peas, then cook them for 15 mins until two-thirds cooked. Drain and put in a large bowl with the onions, potatoes, tomato, chillies, ginger, garlic, the halved black lime, remaining spice mixture, 2 tbsp of the ghee, 1 tsp salt and a generous grind of black pepper, and mix together with your hands.

• step 3

  Half-fill a 28cm deep-sided, non-stick pan with water. Bring to the boil with 2½ tsp of salt, then add the cloves, bay, cardamom and rice. Boil for 4 mins, then drain through a large sieve. Rinse and dry out the pan.

• step 4

  To assemble, spread 1 tbsp of ghee around the base of the clean pan. Spread with half the potato mixture, then top with the chicken thighs, skin-side down. Top evenly with the remaining potato mixture, then spoon over half the saffron water. Now top with the rice and aromatics, without compressing, and spread it carefully so as not to break apart the grains. Pour over the remaining saffron water and the final 1 tbsp of ghee. Top with a clean tea towel, followed by the lid, bringing the ends of the towel up and over the lid and securing them with a rubber band or by tying them together.

• step 5

  Cook over a medium-high heat for 15 mins, rotating the pan halfway. Then, turn down the heat to low and leave to cook, undisturbed, for 1 hr 45 mins. Remove the lid and towel, and let settle for 10 mins. Put your largest platter over the pan and, in one swift movement, invert the whole thing onto the platter. Lift off the pan and shake the platter to distribute everything nicely. Don’t worry if a few bits stick to the base of the pan – spoon these onto the rice. Sprinkle with the coriander and serve.

More ways with chicken thighs.

Authors

Noor Murad

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