Traditional Syrian Christmas Dish (chicken and Rice)

Christmas is almost here and the New Year is just around the corner! What kind of dishes are you serving?
On Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, depending on the families’ preferred customs, loved ones come together to celebrate a true Levantine feast. The Christmas table displays an eclectic mix of dishes, showcasing Syria’s rich history of cultural influences
One will find the traditional chicken and rice, Syrian’s national dish made from minced meat ,chicken  and oriental spiced rice topped with fried nuts , often served in warm yogurt sauce (a symbol of snow) alongside kibbeh pie, tabouleh, mezze plates of hummus and beet and tahini salad and much more.
For deserts, the French Mandate stamp is ever so present with the buche de noel, which graces the table of every home in Syria and at the same time, there is also the traditional meghli (rice flour, anise and caraway pudding), which is often made in celebration of newborns, and so during this time the celebration of Jesus’s birth.

INGREDIENTS
1.5kg Chicken breasts and legs
2 teaspoons salt
Half a lemon
1 ½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon allspice
60 g clarified butter or butter
1250 ml hot water
60 ml sunflower oil
60 g pine nuts
60 g blanched almond halves
500 g minced lamb or beef
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon allspice
400 g Parboiled Rice rinsed and soaked in cold water for 10 minutes, drained
500 ml from the chicken stock
400 ml hot water
500-1000 ml plain yoghurt to serve

INSTRUCTIONS
Clean the chicken from any extra fat and wash over a colander with cold water. Rub with the 2 teaspoons salt and the half lemon, and then wash them out again with cold water. Add the salt and the spices to the chicken and mix well.
Heat the clarified butter in the pot over medium-high heat and brown the chicken on both sides for about 5 minutes each. Pour in the water, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for about 35 minutes. Debone the chicken and keep warm in the pot for later use.
Heat the oil in the large pot over medium heat and fry the pine nuts, stirring all the time, for about 3 minutes or until golden in colour. Remove with a slotted spoon onto a plate for later use. Subsequently fry the almond halves for 3 minutes and remove onto a plate for later use.
Add the meat and the spices to the pot and cook over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes until the meat is done, stirring constantly. Mix in the drained rice and pour in the 500 ml of the chicken stock and the 400 ml hot water. Adjust the seasoning to taste if necessary. Bring to a boil and cook, covered, over low heat for about 20 minutes until the water is absorbed. Turn off the heat and let it rest for 5 minutes.
Spread Hashweh over the platter, cover with the chicken and garnish with the nuts. Serve immediately with some yoghurt on the side.

Lara Khouli