Algerian Chtitha Djedj

Out of a sudden, I craved for Algerian food. I used to work in Algiers, the capital city of Algeria for three years. Living there for years means I got the chance to taste many new dishes which I never eaten before in Malaysia. In fact, I could hardly find any Malaysian food or Asian food in Algiers. The only Asian cuisine available there are Chinese and Indian cuisine, and they are very expensive! Many times, my friends and I would only go to the Chinese or Indian restaurants during special occasions. So, most of the time I had to eat like the locals. There are a few Algerian dishes that I particularly like and I even learn to cook them. One of them is chtitha djedj. This dish is actually Algerian stewed chicken with red sauce. Why red sauce? Simply because it has a bright orange-reddish color. This dish is slowly cooked to achieve the tenderness of the chicken and the flavorful combination of spices that bring out the perfect deliciousness. The texture of meat is so soft and tender, where the meat can actually fall off the bone easily. The dish is normally served with bread or baguette, but this time I serve it with rice and guess what, it goes well with rice!

This dish is very easy to cook. All I need is to get the right ingredients, and most important, the secret spice for this dish 'ras el-hanout'. This spice is a special spice from North Africa, and it has a combination of many different spices blended into one. Some regions may even have over hundreds combination of spices in it! I searched over many places for packaged ras el-hanout in KL, but I cannot find it. So, I substitute it with Indian garam masala and some other spices available in my kitchen. Anyway, despite not having the secret spice in this recipe, the taste turned out to be what I want, I would say very Algerian taste! 

Food is like music, the key is the ingredients... ~ my quote for the day :)

Home cooked Algerian chtitha djedj

Ingredients:

2 pieces whole chicken thighs

1 cup chickpeas (soaked overnight)

3 cloves garlic chopped

1 onion chopped

1 tablespoon tomato puree

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground tumeric

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground paprika

1 teaspoon garam masala (Original chtitha djedj uses ras el-hanout but I cannot find the spice here, so I substitute with garam masala and added some other spices above)

Salt

Black Pepper

Olive oil

About 500ml water (or chicken stock)

Preparation:

1. Clean the chicken thighs thoroughly. Season them with salt and pepper.

2. Rinse the chickpeas and dry them using a colander.

3. Heat olive oil in a pot. Add the chopped onions and garlic, cook them for few minutes or until the onions are translucent.

4. Put in the chicken thighs, and mix in all other ingredients (tomato puree, pinch of salt, cumin, tumeric, paprika, cinnamon and garam masala).

5. Cook for 5 minutes in medium heat, after that put in the water, enough to cover the chicken thighs.

6. Add in the chickpeas. Simmer in low heat for about 40 minutes or until the sauce has reduced to thicken.

7. Garnish with chopped parsley (optional), and serve hot.

So that is our dinner for two - me and my hubby. Good food for a great weekend! Bon appétit!