Fouga deyay

Ingredients

Chicken

• 1whole chicken, jointed
• or 1.5 kg chicken pieces
• 2 tablespoonsbezar spice mix
• 1 teaspoonground turmeric
• 2 teaspoonssalt
• juice of 1 lemon

Rice

• 600 gbasmati rice
• water, for soaking
• 1.2 litreschicken stock
• 2 teaspoonssalt

The pot

• 3onions, sliced
• 6garlic cloves, crushed
• 3cm ginger, grated
• 4 tablespoonsghee or oil
• 3dried limes, loomi
• 1cinnamon stick
• 6cardamom pods
• 4cloves
• 2bay leaves
• 100 graisins
• a large pinch of saffron

To serve

• fried onion, to scatter
• toasted almonds
• daqqus or tomato sauce
• salad

Directions

1. Rub the chicken pieces with lemon juice. Rinse them and pat them fully dry. Rub the bezar and turmeric into every piece. Add the salt to the pieces as well. Let it sit for at least thirty minutes. An hour in the cold is better still. Rinse the basmati until the water runs clear. Then soak it in cold water for thirty minutes.
2. Drain it thoroughly before cooking. Crush the saffron threads in a small bowl. Add two tablespoons of warm water. Let it steep for at least ten minutes. Preparing the loomi takes a moment. Pierce each dried lime two or three times. Use a skewer or the point of a knife. Heat the ghee in a large heavy pot.
3. Add the chicken pieces skin side down. Do not crowd the pot at any point. Brown them for about four minutes a side. Lift them out and set them aside. Add the sliced onions to the same pot.
4. Cook them for a good twelve minutes. They should soften and turn deep golden. Add the garlic and the ginger. Cook them for a good two minutes. Add the whole spices and the bay leaves. Add the pierced dried limes in.
5. Cook them for one full minute. Return the chicken to the pot. Add enough stock to nearly cover it. Bring it up to a gentle simmer. Cover it over and let it cook. Give it about thirty full minutes. Lift the pieces out and keep them warm. Top it up to about one and a half parts to rice.
6. Add the drained rice to the pot. Stir it once and level the surface. Add the raisins into the pot too. Season the whole pot with salt. Bring the whole pot up to a boil. Lay the chicken pieces over the rice. Set them on top rather than pushing them in. Cover the pot with a tight lid. Turn the heat right down to its lowest. Let it steam for about twenty-five minutes. Do not lift the lid at any point.
7. Set a heat diffuser under it if you have one. Take the pot off the heat entirely. Leave the lid on and let it stand. Give it a full ten minutes to rest. Spoon the rice onto a large platter. Set the chicken pieces on top of it. Scatter fried onion over everything. Add toasted almonds if you have them. Serve daqqus or tomato sauce alongside. It keeps three days refrigerated.

Technique

• The name means chicken on top, since fouga is above in Arabic and deyay is chicken, and the arrangement lets the chicken juices drip down into the rice as it steams.
• Loomi are limes boiled in salt water and dried hard until dark, giving a sour musty flavour that is unmistakably Gulf, and they must be pierced or they release very little.
• Machboos is the better known Gulf rice dish, where the meat cooks in with the rice rather than sitting above it, and the two are close relatives.

Substitutions

• Any Gulf or North African spice blend stands in for bezar.
• Lamb can replace the chicken and needs longer cooking.

Variations

• Some households add potato to the pot alongside the rice.
• A version with more raisins and nuts is made for guests.
• Machboos and biryani are the related Gulf rice dishes.

History

Home-style Emirati rice dish whose name refers to the chicken sitting above the rice.

Frequently asked questions

What is Fouga deyay?

Fouga deyay is a main from United Arab Emirates: chicken buried under spiced rice with dried lime and raisins. Home-style Emirati rice dish whose name refers to the chicken sitting above the rice.

How long does Fouga deyay take to make?

Fouga deyay takes 40 minutes of preparation and 1 hour 15 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Fouga deyay?

Yes, within limits. Any Gulf or North African spice blend stands in for bezar. Lamb can replace the chicken and needs longer cooking.

What is the most important thing to get right in Fouga deyay?

Drain it thoroughly before cooking. Crush the saffron threads in a small bowl. Add two tablespoons of warm water. Let it steep for at least ten minutes. Preparing the loomi takes a moment. Pierce each dried lime two or three times. Use a skewer or the point of a knife. Heat the ghee in a large heavy pot.