Tagine de Poulet: Chicken Tagine served with Beid Hamine and Rice

Algerian food is something my mind never even ventured to until a few years ago when I realised there were so many Algerian Muslim pop stars in the charts, which twigged my curiosity, though less for the music and totally for the food. Algerian food has been heavily influenced by Arab countries, Berbers, Turks and Europeans. This chicken is so light, yet hearty and warming. Served with rice and some onion and coffee-infused eggs, you will love this.

Serves: 6

INGREDIENTS

• oil, for frying
• 1 bulb of garlic, cloves peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 onions, thinly sliced (reserving the skins for the beid hamine)
• 1 tbsp salt
• 6 chicken thighs, bones still in, skin still on
• 3 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 6 carrots, peeled and cut into 2–3cm pieces
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp ground turmeric
• 4 tsp ground cumin
• 3 tsp paprika
• 3 preserved lemons, quartered
• 200g whole green olives
• 700ml chicken stock or water
• 4 tbsp cornflour

For the beid hamine:

• 6 eggs
• skins of 2 onions (see above)
• 1 tbsp coffee grounds
• 1 tbsp salt

For the rice:

• 600g basmati rice
• 1 large cinnamon stick
• 2 tsp salt

To serve:

• fresh parsley
• fresh coriander

METHOD

1. Start with enough oil in a large pan to lightly cover the base.When the oil is hot, add the garlic and fry till very golden brown. Now add your onions with the salt and cook till the onions are really soft.

2. Add your chicken thighs, potatoes and carrots, then add all your spices and mix through to make sure everything is combined. Add the preserved lemons, green olives and stock. Mix and bring everything to the boil, then leave to simmer for 30 minutes with the lid on.

3. Now let’s get on to the beid hamine. Put the eggs in a pan with the onion skins, coffee grounds and salt. Pour in as much cold water as you need to cover the eggs and bring to the boil, then leave to simmer for 10 minutes till you have hard-boiled eggs.

4. Take the eggs out, crack the shells all over, put back into the hot liquid and leave to sit. Take the rice and wash it till the water is completely clear. Drain and put into a pan with the cold water and stick of cinnamon. Bring the rice to the boil, stirring to stop it from sticking to the base, and boil till you can see every grain of rice and the water has evaporated. Pop the lid on and leave to steam on the lowest heat.

5. To finish the chicken off, take off the lid, mix the cornflour with the water and add to the pan. Mix and allow to thicken for 10 minutes.

6. Drain the eggs and peel them. Sprinkle the fresh parsley and coriander over the chicken and everything is ready to serve.