Egyptian Freedom Chicken

If you are like me, watching people on television fighting for democracy provides more than just inspiration.  For example, watching women on the streets of Tehran a year ago prompted me to wear more eyeliner, and gave me an intense desire for Ghormeh Sabzi.  And now Egypt.  All week long I have been watching coverage of the crowd in Tahrir Square on televison, and following protesters on Twitter, dreaming of fava beans and tagines.  And just now, when Mubarak finally agreed to leave, I ran to my kitchen to make some Egyptian food, because today we can all be Egyptian.

Egyptian Freedom Chicken

I didn't actually have any chicken, and wanted to quickly whip this up, so as not to miss the celebration, so I used Quorn cutlets.  I put these in a pan with some olive oil, 1/4 tsp allspice, 1/4 tsp coriander, 1/4 tsp paprika and 1/2 tsp cumin.

The recipe called for onion, which I also did not have, so I used some shallot, and poured on 1/4 cup chicken stock.

Sizzle.

Next I added rice, which was leftover from last night's dinner.  Had I used uncooked rice, I would have used more stock.

The recipe called for currants, which I also do not have, so I used prunes.  Next, I added slivered almonds.

The recipe said to cover the whole thing with a tea towel, but I do not have a tea towel - certainly not one that is (at this moment) clean enough to involve in cooking.  So I just covered the pan in the usual manner.

Awesome.

This dish is really and truly delicious, was prepared in under ten minutes, and is the perfect accompaniment to revolution.  Enjoy before the chaos ensues.

Here you can find the recipe that I used.