Kamama (Djaj bil Assal) or Chicken Cooked With Caramelized Baby Onions & Honey is a very old, very traditional Moroccan dish. It’s the perfect combination of sweet and savory and it’s simple to make.
1 3lb chicken, cut into 8 pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
4T vegetable oil
1t ground ginger
1t ground cinnamon
1/2t ground black pepper
1 pinch, Moroccan saffron threads steeped in 1/2c hot water
1 small ceylon cinnamon stick
14 oz frozen pearl onions, defrosted
2T honey
1/3c toasted blanched almonds (for garnish)
Salt, to taste
In a pan large enough to hold the chicken pieces in a single layer, heat vegetable oil over medium heat and add chopped onions. Saute for a few minutes before adding chicken, ginger, cinnamon, black pepper and salt. Mix and cook the chicken for 2-3 minutes on each side to lock in the spices.
Add saffron water along with cinnamon stick and 1c hot water. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer and cook covered for 15 minutes or until chicken breasts are done. Remove the breasts from the pan and set aside. Add pearl onions, cover the pan and continue to cook the chicken for 25-30 minutes until other pieces are cooked. Remove chicken and set aside.
Add honey to the onions and cook over medium high heat until the sauce is jammy and the onions are soft enough to “crush with your tongue.”
Remove half the onions from the pan, return chicken to the pan and reheat through. Top the chicken with remaining onions and sprinkle with toasted blanched almonds. Serve with crusty bread and enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Claudia Roden’s “Djaj bil Assal” in Arabesque
Claudia Roden’s Original Recipe: http://www.randomhouse.com/knopf/ecards/roden/Roden.pdf
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1 Comment
Where is the recipe?