Ayurvedic Jewish Penicillin
- 2–3 bone-in chicken thighs (350g), skins removed and reserved (optional)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion (180g), thinly sliced
- 3 celery sticks (175g), thinly sliced
- 6 garlic cloves, peeled and bashed
- 30g fresh ginger, sliced
- 2 bay leaves
- 4–5 thin slices of fresh turmeric or 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp black mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp black peppercorns
- 3 cloves
- Small bunch of parsley, leaves and stalks chopped separately
- 100g brown basmati rice, thoroughly rinsed
- 1.2 litres chicken stock or vegetable stock
- 160g spring greens, finely shredded
If serving with crispy chicken skin, preheat the oven to 180C fan.
Spread the chicken skins flat on a baking tray, sprinkle with a little salt and roast in the oven for 20 minutes. Leave to stand (they will crisp up as they cool), then season lightly and break into shards.
Meanwhile, heat one tablespoon of the oil in a deep saucepan over a medium heat, add the chicken thighs and brown all over for five to six minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Add the remaining oil to the pan and fry the onion and celery for five minutes until softened.
Add the garlic, ginger, bay leaves, turmeric and whole spices and fry for a further one minute.
Add the chopped parsley stalks and rice. Return the chicken to the pan then pour over the stock. Bring to a simmer, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add salt to taste (it may not need it if the
stock was salty).
Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside to cool slightly. Pull the chicken meat from the bones, roughly chop, then put into individual bowls. Check for seasoning, add the shredded greens to the pan and simmer gently for a couple of minutes until wilted, then finish with the parsley leaves.
Ladle the soup into the bowls and top with shards of the crispy chicken skin, if you like.
Extracted from COOKS by Dr Rupy Aujla (Ebury Press, £22) Photography by David Loftus
