recipe: harissa rubbed chicken with mejadra, lentils & spiced rice, crisp fried onions

Thinking of a meal as a collection of separate dishes, brought together that each might bring something out in the others through contrast, a platform of equal opportunity in which the individual virtues of each component stand in line, a satisfying cross-section of textures/smells/colours/flavours in juxtaposition. So it is with this fridaynightdinnerbox meal.

In terms of planning, there are two main parts to the dish: the chicken & the mejadra. The prep list consists of a few smaller jobs: toasting spices & making harissa, marinating the chicken, making a dressing, frying onions & so on. Lastly, there's a salad to throw together, something to compliment & refresh.

Mejadra is an ancient dish, eaten across the Middle East & appearing in various forms in the cuisines of the Middle East. Common ingredients shared by such a kaleidoscope of peoples, taking shape in the various forms of mejadra, managing somehow to define cultures while still crossing boundaries…food for thought.

Ingredients: Mejadra:

3 medium sized onions, sliced in about 1/2cm wide rings

a cup of chickpea flour, salt flakes, olive oil for frying

2 or 3 good pinches each of all spice, red & white peppercorns, cinnamon, turmeric, cumin & coriander seed, all toasted together then into the mortar & pestle & ground down a bit

2 cups green lentils (I used Du Put lentils but only cos I love them)

2 cups rice (I used a white Basmati, but will use brown rice next time)
350ml (1 1/2 cups or so) boiling water - you may need a little more, so boil the kettle just in case

Method:

*In a saucepan, cover lentils with plenty of water & boil until 2/3 cooked, the lentils should have softened but still have a bit of a bite to them, roughly 20mins-ish 
*drain in a colander & set lentils aside

*toss the onion rings in the seasoned chickpea flour, add a little soda water if need be

*in a pan (same one as lentils is fine) heat some olive oil & begin to fry onions (in batches if necessary) 

*it takes a while, but eventually the onions go nice & brown & crispy 

*set aside on a paper towel to drain excess oiliness, then loosely wipe the pan clean for the next step.
-note: the pan doesn't have to be spotless, a little residue is ok & acts as a flavoursome transfer. 

*toast the spices in your pan, then grind them up in a mortar & pestle

*return spices to the pan again, add the oil & get a good sizzle going

*next, add the rice to pan with the oil & spices, stirring it in the whole time until the rice is coated & has changed colour to a nice consistent yellowishness 

*add the 2/3 cooked lentils & combine

*next, turn the heat up, add boiling water & when the water is bubbling turn the heat right down again, covering the pan with a lid & cooking on low-low for a further 15 minutes.

*Lastly, lift off the lid & cover the mejadra with a clean tea towel, putting the lid back on top & letting it sit off the heat until you are ready to use it
*To finish your mejadra, just before serving toss half the crispy fried onion through the rice/lentil mix, reserving the remaining onion as a garnish to sit on top, once served.

Harissa is a condiment common on the tables of Tunisia & in other North African cuisines. Meant to be smokey & hot, harissa is a great coating for grilled meats, lamb or goat, chicken or fish, dare I say it, even pork. Harissa works well with roasted vegetables too, tossed together then into the oven, caramelising as it cooks & permeating with its wonderful flavours. In this combination, the fiery spices are tempered by our mejadra - though rice, bulgur wheat or couscous, for example, work just as well.

Ingredients: Harissa
2 red capsicums, good size
1 good solid pinch each of coriander seeds, cumin seeds, caraway seeds
olive oil…oh y'know, a good dollop or two, 2 tablespoons or so I guess
1 small red onion, diced
4 or 5 galric cloves, diced
3 or 4 red chillies, diced (or a good pinch of dried chilli flakes if nothing is available)
a spoonful of tomato paste
1 lemon, we need the zest & the juice
Method:
*in a roasting pan, roast the capsicums til their skins begin to blacken
-done over a flame is even better, on a gas hob or over the bbq embers is best

*remove from the oven & put in a bowl, cover airtight with glad wrap & let sit 1/2 an hour, by which time the skins should quite easily come off. I used a paring knife to get all mine off in this pic, but it's not overly necessary to be so pedantic. Scoop out seed & core also.

*toast the spices then grind them in mortar & pestle, I add the garlic to this

*in blender, add peppers, tomato paste, oil, onion, spices & blitz it

-I like my harissa to be a little chunky not totally smooth, but that's my preference.

*Correct the seasoning/consistency with salt, lemon juice, olive oil to suit your taste

-be aware that the flavour of the garlic & the chilli will continue to develop, so tread gently

>I also like to keep the stalks from the fresh herbs I use, in this case coriander. Chopped up really finely, I like to throw them in to the paste after it's been blitzed. This gives my harissa a nice cool crunch factor & also uses an often neglected part of the herb, which has great flavour.

Anyway, having prepared the harissa, simply spoon it over the meat & cook as usual: a whole chicken, covered with harissa then roasted in the oven on about 180 or so for an hour should do it, or chicken breast/drumsticks, covered with harissa then cooked on the bbq. As an alternative, toss a couple of spoonfuls of harissa in a bowl with some roughly minced (Terakihi/Gurnard/Kahawai work well) fish fillets & a handful of chopped herbs, then form little balls & cook gently in the pan.

Bringing it all together, I like to serve a bowl of mejadra, topped with crispy fried onion, with a bowl of grilled harissa chicken sliced or shredded into pieces, & a platter of panfried harissa fish balls, side by side on the table so that people can help themselves. A bowl of roughly chopped herbs from the garden, coriander, parsley & mint, maybe cut some lemon zest through it to make a sort of rustic gremolata is just a little sensational.

The addition of a yoghurt dressing is a bit special too. Call it raita or tzatziki, toasted cumin seeds are ground in a mortar & pestle then sprinkled over a bowl of grated cucumber & yoghurt - about two cups of yoghurt to one whole cucumber, grated by hand, skin & all. Chopped mint &/or coriander is added last. Mix it all with a spoon (ok, or a spatula) & serve it alongside the rest.

As a final note: a confession. In a foolishly paranoid state, I compromised the heat factor when I prepared my harissa for the fridaynightdinnerboxers, wanting to moderate so that none of my diners would find it too spicy. I rarely do such a thing & regretted it later. Better to stand up & say "hello chilli!" & just go & get the heat right in there - don't be shy, to not do so is to deny this wonderful dish its full potency. Offset by the lentils & rice, cooled by the yoghurt, it is the chilli's fire which makes the dish, in my opinion, & really should be included. Just to be on the safe side, a nice cool brewski could quite easily be stashed nearby, should there be an emergency.

Left-overs the next day:

tossed all of it together in a casserole & warmed through in the oven...