Chicken Mandi! A Middle Eastern inspired Yemini dish made with chicken and rice, cooked with Arabic spices!
If you ask any non-vegetarian Malayalee as to what their favorite go-to dish in the recent years would be (besides Porotta-n-Beef!), then Kuzhi Mandi aka Mandi would definitely top the list. Mandi has lately become very popular in Kerala, a dish which was not heard of a decade ago but is now available everywhere, from roadside eateries to fancy restaurants. During my vacation to India last year, I got to try mandi from various restaurants and absolutely loved it!
So, what is Mandi?
Traditionally, Mandi is a Yemeni dish which consists of meat and rice in a unique mix of spices and cooked in an underground oven. Unlike other meat and rice dishes, Mandi stands out for its cooking style and spices. The meat used is either lamb or chicken, marinated in a special spice mix called hawaj. The rice is cooked in stock along with freshly ground spices and dried black lemon.
The pit / underground oven is a specially designed hole in the ground plastered with clay (like a tandoor) and layered on the bottom with charcoal. The rice pan is placed on the charcoal and the meat is suspended over the rice. The pit is closed and the dish is cooked for multiple hours without allowing any smoke or steam to seep out. As the dish cooks, the juices from the meat drips onto the rice, thus adding flavor to the rice. The slow cooking process also makes the meat tender and juicy. When taken out of the oven, both the meat and the rice would be perfectly cooked and ready to serve.
Honestly, I never got to try the original version of Mandi as almost all restaurants in Kerala follow a shortcut version of cooking the dish which includes minor tweaks to the spice mix to suit the tastebuds of Malayalees and cater to their fast-food expectations. To me, the one thing I felt lacking in the Kerala version of Mandi was the flavor in the rice. The rice seemed bland, but the chicken was delicious.
Since back from my hometown carrying memories of this dish, I have been trying to perfect the recipe to suit a home cook. A little research over the internet to know more on the traditional flavors, and a lot of trial-n-error to nail the correct cooking time in a conventional oven, here I am finally with my adaptation of a Chicken Mandi recipe. You should be good to blindly follow it and the dish should turn out perfectly cooked. I have cooked and shared the dish and recipe with my family and friends, who have equally enjoyed and raved about it.
A few things to consider:
- You can use long grain or extra-long grain basmati rice for this recipe.
- You can use carrots or bell peppers as additional ingredients, but is purely optional.
- Quarter cut pieces of chicken is ideal for this recipe, otherwise go with chicken thighs (bone-in).
- The last step of pan frying the chicken helps to give it the charred texture and cook perfectly, which otherwise is not easy to reproduce in a home oven unlike the traditional pit. Make sure to check the temperature once you are done with panfrying on both sides of the chicken. The internal temperature should reach 175-degree F (for bone-in pieces) or 165-degree F (for boneless pieces).
- If you wish to have a smokier flavor, you can try out the charcoal method here as well.
What to serve Mandi with?
Mandi is usually served with Salata Hara which is also called as Arabic salsa / Tomato chutney. It is a blended mix of tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice and green chilies. The freshness of the Salata Hara complements well with mandi. You can also serve freshly cut veggies or mayonnaise as a side.
Interested in more Middle Eastern recipes: Check these out:
- Afghani Chicken Curry
- Hummus
- Beetroot Hummus
- Avocado Hummus
- Roasted Chickpeas Hummus Wrap
- Mediterranean Chicken Pita Wraps with Cilantro Tahini Sauce
Enjoy, Happy Cooking…!
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Chicken Mandi! A Middle Eastern inspired Yemini dish made with chicken and rice, cooked with Arabic spices!
- 1 dry lemon
- 2 tbsp coriander seeds/powder
- 2 tbsp black pepper corns
- 2 tbsp cumin seeds
- 1 large cinnamon stick
- ½ tsp cloves
- 4 cardamoms
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 6 chicken leg quarters (bone-in, skinless)
- 3 tbsp mandi masala
- 2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 2 tbsp any oil
- Salt (as required)
- 3 tomatoes (roughly chopped)
- a handful of cilantro leaves
- 2 green chilies
- 2 garlic cloves
- ½ of a small lemon (squeezed)
- Salt (as required)
- 3 cups basmati rice (washed and drained, no soaking required)
- 5¼ cups of water
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 large onion (thinly sliced)
- 1 large carrot (sliced into sticks)
- 2 green chilies (slit)
- ½ cup golden raisins
- 2 dried black lemons
- 1 magic chicken cube
- 1 tbsp mandi masala
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp oil
- ¼ cup slivered almonds (optional, garnish)
- Salt (as required)
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Preparation of mandi masala: Dry roast all the ingredients listed for Mandi masala, until they turn aromatic. Once cooled, grind to fine powder.
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Preparation of chicken marinade: Prepare the marinade by mixing together the ingredients listed for chicken marination. Make gashes on the chicken, marinade it, and keep aside for 30 minutes or overnight (preferred).
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Preparation of Salata Hara: Grind all the listed ingredients together. Taste and adjust the seasoning according to your choice.
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Preparation of mandi: In a pan, heat some oil on a medium flame and add bay leaves, cinnamon stick and black pepper corns. Saute for 2 mins.
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Add the sliced onions and salt, sauté until the onions turns translucent. Add golden raisins and carrots. Sauté for 2 more mins and turn off the flame.
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Preheat oven to 350-degree F.
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Into an oven safe pan, add the rice and transfer the above prepared onion carrot mix. Add butter, dry lemon, magic chicken cube (crushed between your palm), 1 tbsp prepared mandi masala and water. Add salt and check for the seasoning.
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Top the pan with a grill rack. Layer the marinated chicken and wrap tightly with aluminum foil.
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Cook in the oven for 30 mins. Carefully unwrap the foil, flip the chicken, wrap the foil again tightly, and cook for another 20 mins.
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Meanwhile, roast slivered almonds in a pan with a little ghee/butter, until it turns nicely roasted and browned. Keep aside.
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Turn off the oven and remove the oven safe pan. The rice would be perfectly cooked by now, and what remains is pan frying the chicken.
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Unwrap and discard the foil. Remove the grill rack and close the pan with a lid. Transfer the chicken from the grill rack to a pan and pan fry the chicken on both sides until the chicken is cooked perfectly, browned and reached an internal temperature of 165-degree F (for boneless pieces) or 175-degree F (for bone-in pieces).
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Transfer the chicken back to the rice and top the dish with the roasted slivered almonds. Close the lid and allow it sit for 10-15 minutes before serving.