In springtime when green garlic leaves are still delicate and tender, this Caspian favorite is cooked across the land which is stretched from the Caspian sea to the Persian gulf coastlines: Iran. Green garlic is the major flavoring agent in this stew, split pea thickens it; and chicken is the meat, for this stew is not vegetarian! The scrambled eggs though, I never quite understood its significance. Consumed by such biased view, I devised a modern version that had poached eggs in scrambled egg's stead. The result in my opinion was great; it however made some of my Caspian readership upset, for what was described as the catastrophic lack of authenticity by an angry one. Presented here is both the versions.
Ingredients:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup split peas
1/2 TSP turmeric
10.58 Oz (~300 gr) green garlic, coarsely chopped
2 TBSP canola oil
2 cups chicken stock
1 sour orange or lemon
Pinch of saffron
3 large eggs
In the traditional version (as shown on the very top picture) chicken is stewed with spit peas and turmeric, until the meat is fully cooked and almost all the moisture is evaporated. In the meantime, green garlic is fried in oil and eggs are scrambled inside the charred garlic. The mixture is then added to stew, along with saffron and sour orange juice.
For my personal version, I grilled the breasts and cooked the split peas and turmeric separately. The cooked split peas should be very tender with all the water evaporated.
I blended the green garlic, oil, and half the sour orange juice. I fried the mixture until all the moisture was evaporated and oil had reappeared on the bottom. I charred the herbs in the oil and then added the rest of sour orange juice and the stock. I cooked until the stew was thick and then added the saffron.
To assemble: I added the sliced grilled chicken and split pea mixture to the herbal mixture. I also poached the eggs and added on top.
Beautiful dish and very tasty indeed.
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