Saffron Madrouba with Bone-in Chicken and Crispy Onions

Method

1. Rinse the rice until the water runs almost clear and soak it in fresh water for 30 minutes. Crumble the saffron into the hot water and leave it to steep. Halve the onions: slice one half of the total very thinly for frying and finely chop the rest. Mince the garlic, grate the ginger, pierce the dried limes and crack the cardamom.

   Add in this stepShort-grain rice 120 gSaffron threads 1 pinchHot water (for the saffron) 2 tbsp

2. Crispy onions: pour the oil into a dry 18 cm small pan, set it on medium heat and heat to about 170 °C (a slice of onion should sizzle steadily at once). Pat the sliced onion dry and fry for 6 min, stirring, until deep golden; it darkens fast at the end. Lift out with a slotted spoon onto kitchen paper. Never leave hot oil unattended, keep children away and keep a lid nearby; if the oil smokes, take it off the heat.

   Add in this stepNeutral oil (for frying onions) 200 mlOnions ¾

   medium heat

3. Pat the chicken dry. Heat most of the ghee in a 22 cm heavy pot on medium-high heat and lay the thighs in skin side down without crowding (sear in two rounds if they don't fit). Cook for 7 min in total, turning once, until the skin is deep golden. The chicken does not need to be cooked through yet.

   Add in this stepGhee 18 gBone-in, skin-on chicken thighs 500 g

   medium-high heat

4. Push the chicken aside, add the chopped onion, garlic, ginger, baharat, turmeric, cardamom and cinnamon and cook on medium heat for 4 min, stirring, until the onion softens and everything smells fragrant.

   Add in this stepOnions ¾Garlic cloves 3Fresh ginger 10 gBaharat 1¼ tspGround turmeric ½ tspGreen cardamom pods 4Cinnamon stick (5 cm) 1

   medium heat

5. Add the water, dried limes and salt, scraping the browned bits off the bottom. Bring to a boil on high heat, skim, then lower to low heat, half-cover and simmer for 38 min, until the meat slides off the bones. Lift out the chicken; discard the skin and bones and shred the meat. Remove the limes and cinnamon.

   Add in this stepWater 1,300 mlDried limes (loomi) 1Salt 1¼ tsp

   high heat→low heat

6. Stir the drained rice into the broth and cook on medium-low heat for 28 min, stirring often and scraping the bottom, until the grains burst into a thick porridge. Pour in the saffron with its water halfway through.

   medium-low heat

7. Return the chicken and beat vigorously on low heat for 6 min, until silky and stretchy. Loosen with hot water if needed and adjust the salt.

   low heat

8. Gently warm the remaining ghee until it smells nutty. Serve the madrouba in bowls, drizzle with the ghee and pile the crispy onions on top just before eating so they stay crunchy.

   Add in this stepGhee 12 g