
Photo/Milk Street via AP
From The Asian Reporter, V31, #7 (July 5, 2021), page 10.
Spice cabinet shortcut speeds up this Kurdish braise
By Christopher Kimball
Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street
The elaborate pilafs, roasts, and other celebratory dishes of the Middle
East often take time that home cooks don’t have. But they still can provide
ample fodder for inspiration.
At Milk Street, we’ve found ways to streamline these traditions into
weeknight-friendly meals.
One such dish is koresh-e tareh-ye kordi, a popular Kurdish braise of
chives, white beans, and lamb or chicken. Usually, it comes loaded with a
dozen or more spices, including cardamom, cumin, cinnamon, dried rose
petals, coriander, turmeric, dried limes, cloves, and more.
For this version from our book Milk Street Tuesday Nights, which
limits recipes to 45 minutes or less, we rely on a spice-cabinet shortcut,
the Indian spice mix garam masala, which already includes several of the
spices on that list. And since the finished dish tends to play up the
cardamom and turmeric, we added a bit more of each.
Other simplifications included swapping canned white beans for dried and
substituting easy-to-find ingredients for more traditional ones (such as
fresh lime zest for dried Persian limes). Besides saving time, canned beans
also include starchy liquid that we treat like a separate ingredient; it
adds both body and flavor to the dish.
Every bit of this hearty braise is infused with allium pungency thanks to
four whole bunches of scallions. That may seem like a lot, but they give the
braise flavor and a vibrant color. Just remember to keep the green parts
separate from the white parts; they’re added at different times. Serve with
rice, roasted potatoes, or warmed flatbread.
Editor’s note: To view additional recipes, visit <177milkstreet.com/ap>.
* * *
Cardamom-Lime Chicken and White Beans
Start to finish: 30 minutes
Servings: 4
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed
and cut into 2" chunks
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
3 tablespoons salted butter
4 bunches scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts
reserved separately
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
Two 15 1/2-ounce cans cannellini beans, drained, liquid
reserved
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoons grated lime zest, plus 1/4 cup lime juice
Season the chicken with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. In a
large pot over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the chicken and
scallion whites, then cook, stirring once or twice, until both the chicken
and scallions begin to turn golden brown, three to five minutes. Add the
tomato paste, garam masala, cardamom, turmeric, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and
1/2 teaspoon pepper.
Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 30 to 60 seconds. Add the bean
liquid, broth, and lime zest and juice, then bring to a boil. Reduce to
medium heat and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally and adjusting the
heat as needed to maintain a simmer, until the chicken is opaque when cut
into, five to seven minutes.
Stir in the scallion greens and the beans, then cook until the beans are
heated through, another two minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
* * *
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