Name: Chicken Kanji
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 4 chicken thighs (about 1½ lb [680 g]), bone-in and skin left on; 1 Tbsp grapeseed oil or other neutral oil; Fine sea salt; ½ cup [100 g] rice; ½ tsp red chilli flakes such as Aleppo, Maras, or Urfa; 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced; ¼ cup [60 ml] fresh lime juice; ½ cup [20 g] chopped cilantro leaves; 2 Tbsp [60 ml] extra-virgin olive oil; 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil; 3 shallots (total weight 6½ oz [180 g]), thinly sliced; 2 bay leaves; 4 cloves; ½ tsp ground black pepper

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

The Flavor Equation

By Nik Sharma

Published 2020

About

The Sanskrit kanji refers to the thick, starchy water that’s left behind when rice is cooked for a while; it is also the origin for congee, which is also eaten in other parts of Asia where rice is a staple. While this is the dish my mother always served me when I was unwell (she cooked it with bits of chicken), I’ve given it a bit of a makeover and brought in a few spices.