SAEDNEWS: Chicken and dried plum stew is a traditional Iranian dish enjoyed across the country. One of its best qualities is how easily its flavor can be adjusted to suit different tastes. You can create a sweeter, tangier, or richer flavor by adding ingredients such as pomegranate paste, plum paste, lemon juice, or sugar.
According to Saednews, Chicken and dried plum stew is a delicious Northern Iranian dish made with chicken, dried plums, and a blend of aromatic seasonings. Traditional Gilani-style preparation includes a few subtle techniques that give the stew a beautiful color and rich flavor. The dish naturally has a mildly sweet-and-sour taste, but you can adjust the flavor by adding different seasonings according to your preference.
2 chicken thighs
1 cup dried plums (Aloo Bukhara)
1 onion
Salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
Turmeric, to taste
1 garlic clove
Saffron, as desired
Cooking oil, as needed
2 cups hot water
Tomato paste, as needed
Soak the dried plums in lukewarm water for 30 minutes to 1 hour, until they soften.
Wash the chicken and cut it into stew-sized pieces. For a more flavorful result, marinate the chicken with salt, black pepper, and turmeric for 3–4 hours before cooking.
Peel and finely dice or grate the onion. Heat a suitable amount of oil in a pot, add the onion, and sauté until golden brown.
Add the chicken pieces to the fried onions and sauté until all sides are evenly golden. Add a suitable amount of tomato paste and cook for a few minutes to remove its raw taste.
Add the soaked dried plums to the onion mixture and sauté briefly. Cover the pot and cook over low heat for 15–20 minutes, allowing the flavors to blend.
Add salt, turmeric, black pepper, and brewed saffron. Pour in 2 cups of hot water and increase the heat slightly until the liquid comes to a boil.
Once the water begins to boil, add the chicken pieces to the pot and cover it. Reduce the heat to low and allow the stew to simmer slowly until the chicken is completely cooked and the sauce has thickened.
Check the stew occasionally while it cooks. Adjust the amount of water and seasonings as needed.
Once the stew has reached your preferred consistency and the oil has separated and risen to the surface, it is ready to serve.
Serve the chicken and dried plum stew with steamed or Persian-style rice, along with fresh herbs and your favorite pickles.
This stew naturally has a mildly sweet-and-sour flavor. You can add a little sugar for sweetness or lemon juice for extra tartness, according to your taste.
The stew should not contain too much liquid. Ideally, it should cook down and become rich and glossy. If there is still too much liquid near the end of cooking, increase the heat slightly and allow it to reduce.
Saffron gives the stew an exceptional aroma, flavor, and color. For the best results, use high-quality saffron.
Depending on your preference, you can add carrots, potatoes, or walnuts to the stew.
To reduce the strong smell of chicken, you can briefly boil it before sautéing. Alternatively, add a bay leaf or carrot while cooking and remove it before serving.
For a more elegant presentation, garnish the finished stew with slivered almonds, pistachios, or barberries.
If preferred, remove the pits from the dried plums before adding them to the stew.
For a deeper and richer flavor, add 1 tablespoon of plum paste. After sautéing the chicken and tomato paste with the onions, add the plum paste and sauté it briefly.
Rosewater and verjuice can also be added to enhance the flavor and aroma.
You can make this stew with red meat instead of chicken. Simply replace the chicken with suitable pieces of beef or lamb. Keep in mind that meat-based plum stew requires a longer cooking time than the chicken version.
Some versions of this dish also include pomegranate paste. If you prefer a tart flavor, use sour pomegranate paste; otherwise, choose sweet or sweet-and-sour pomegranate paste.
For a naturally sweetened version, replace sugar with grape molasses.
Adding extra fried onions during the final stages of cooking can make the stew more flavorful and give the sauce a richer texture. Make sure the onions are very finely chopped and thoroughly fried so they blend nicely into the stew.
If you don't have Aloo Bukhara, you can substitute dried apricots, black plums, or even fresh plums.
