Kapsa

submitted by Sister Amena

Ingredients

2 chickens
5 cinnamon sticks
3 cubes of Maji (no comments please :))
6 onions
3 pieces of mastic
6 cardamom pods
¼ cup corn oil
½ teaspoon lemon salt
1 teaspoon each of the following: cumin, black pepper, sweet pepper, cinnamon, khologan, cardamom.
3 tablespoons of tomato paste
3 cups of basmati rice
1 teaspoon of saffron soaked in 4 tablespoons of rosewater or regular water
raisins, pine nuts, almonds-roasted for garnish

Directions

1. Cut each chicken into 6 pieces or as desired and boil in 5 cups of water with cinnamon sticks, cardamom, mastic, and 3 cubes of Maji. Cut onions into rings and fry in oil until golden brown. Add lemon salt, spices, paste and stir for 5 minutes.

2. Immerse chicken pieces into onion mix, put in a tray and roast in medium oven until lightly browned. Wash and boil the rice with the same water that the chicken was cooked in, on strong heat, then simmer until almost done. Make several holes in the rice and put the remaining onion/spice mixture into the holes.

3. Pour the soaked saffron onto the rice and stir a bit with a fork. Put the rice on the serving plate and add the chicken on top. Garnish with raisins and nuts mixture.