Chicken soup and rice

       I have been cooking for at least 30 years on my own and before that with the help of my mother and I always thought I knew how to cook rice.  You add the rice to water... for each cup of rice, double the water, some salt and oil, bring the water to a boil and then simmer it for around 20 minutes... RIGHT??????
    BUZZ,  WRONG... at least in our house that is wrong.  I now bring my water to a boil and don't turn the heat down right away and cook my rice for much longer... sometimes it is so stuck to the pot I am not sure it will come out... but it does. My husband likes his rice crunchy... so cooking it longer will make it crunchy.  Once the rice is cooked, I now turn the heat down and keep on cooking my rice.  Then about 5 minutes before I serve it, I turn the heat off and by magic the rice comes right out of the pot.  I do take the stuff that was stuck to the side and serve it to my husband.  I am no so much partial to crunchy rice.. it is OK but a full plate of it no.
       We do have rice often in our house and that is also one of my staples in the fridge.  I also learnt that reheating it in the microwave is also a big WRONG... but I still do it.  The right way to do it is put it back in the pot with a small amount of water and reboil it.  One of the ways we do eat rice is with chicken soup... A plate full of rice, a bowl full of soup... What could go wrong.

                              Chicken Soup and Rice   

Chicken soup and rice.

Ingredients:

Stewing Chicken

Water - about 4 -5 cups

Salt

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste

1 tbsp tomato paste or 1 small can tomato sauce

1 large tomato

1 clove garlic

1 onion

1 tbsp ginger

1 tbsp anise

1 tsp kele (an african spice) - this can be skipped if you don't have it

1 chicken maggi cube

1 tbsp maggi liquid seasoning

hot pepper to taste

Cut up stewing chicken into small pieces, place in pot with water to cover, ginger garlic paste, 1 tbsp salt and small amount of sliced onions.  Bring to a boil and then simmer for 1 -2 hours until chicken is tender.  Once chicken is tender add more water to equal 4- 5 cups of water.  Add 1 tbsp on tomato paste or 1 small can of tomato sauce. ( I prefer tomato paste but if you are out, tomato sauce will work).  If you want a darker broth add more tomato paste.  Bring to boil and simmer for about 10 minutes.  Grind tomato and garlic and place in pot.  Add seasonings - ginger, anise, kele, maggi cube and liquid seasoning and hot pepper.  Add more salt to taste.  Simmer for about 1/2 hour.  Prior to serving add more thinly sliced onions to taste. 

chicken defrosting in water...

Spices - this is double the amount used

ingredients in the pot

giving the pot a stir

Simmering the soup......

Once again, these measurements are just a suggestion.  The best way to make a good soup is let it simmer, taste it and smell it... add more spices if needed.  The longer soup simmers, the better it tastes, the flavors blend together... Enjoy with crunchy rice.

Til next time.. Marlys


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