Basterma rice with chicken recipe from Ardabil in Iran
The originality of Basterma food is rice for Baku, but sometimes this food is considered to be original for Astara city. The strange name of this food may have occupied your mind, but since you do not see the raw materials of the food while eating it, that is why it is called Basterma (buried). The interesting thing about this food is how it is served, which is usually done in small, single pots. Ingredients for cooking this dish are rice, potatoes, caraway paste, walnuts, onions, chicken, saffron, pasta paste, plum paste.
INGREDIENTS :
- Rice = 4 to 5 cups
- Onion = 1 pcs medium
- Oil = as needed
- Chopped walnuts = 1/5 cup
- Chicken breast and thigh = 4 to 5 pieces
- Spices (turmeric, pilaf spices, cinnamon) = as desired
- Azgil paste = half a cup
- Rabbit Quince = half a cup
- Plum paste = half a cup
- Saffron mixed with hot water = half a cup
- Butter = as desired
- Potato = enough to cover the bottom and three inches from the bottom edge of the saucepan
- Salt = as desired
INSTRUCTION :
Wash and soak the rice.
Season the chicken pieces with some saffron, salt and turmeric and leave for an hour.
Finely chop the onion and fry in oil in a pan, until soft, add the walnuts.
After a few minutes, add the chicken pieces and after frying a little, add the spices.
At this stage of cooking Basterma rice, add azalea paste, pasta paste and plum paste to it and stir until the chicken pieces are completely soaked in the pastes.
Add half a cup of water and let the chicken cook.
Discard the water when the material is finished.
At this stage of Basterma rice, boil seven cups of water and salt and take the excess rice water and pour it into the pot when it is half cooked and drain it, rinse the pot (preferably Teflon), put it on the stove and add some oil. Pour butter and water on the bottom of the pot, wash and peel the potatoes and cut them into rings and roll them in saffron and place them on the bottom and around the pan.
Pour some rice on them and pour the meat ingredients on the rice.
Cover the meat with the rest of the rice to hide the chicken.
Pour the rest of the saffron on the rice and put the pieces of butter on the rice, put it in the pot and let it brew with a gentle flame.
After brewing the rice, return it to a large round dish like a tray and garnish it with bowls of salad, cultivated olives and pickled garlic and serve.