Day 129! Oman - Chicken Tandoori - Up Next, Pakistan

What could be better than a meal that combines cinnamon, ginger, cumin, cardamom, turmeric, paprika, garlic and cilantro? This Omani meal  is so easy to make:  Combine the spices, add yogurt and marinate chicken for a couple of hours. Next, cook the chicken and run under the broiler for a final browning touch. Serve on a bed of basmati rice and you've got a wonderful dish that smells and tastes of a distant and beautiful land.  I imagine Omani families sitting down to enjoy a meal together, and that's a beautiful thing no matter what language you speak or who you worship.

Located in southwest Asia on the south east coast of the Arabian penninsula, the Arab state of Oman is officially known as the Sultanate of Oman. The country is bordered by the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman.

Prior to 1507, when the Portuguese laid claim to the country, Oman was under heavy rule from the United Kingdom, although it was never actually part of the the British Empire or one of it's protectorates.  Despite Portuguese rule, Omani forces maintained control of most of the interior country. Since 1744, the country has been ruled by the Al Bu Sa'idi dynasty, and continues to have strong military and political ties to U.S. and U.K, but maintains independence from foreign policy.

Cuisine in Oman is a mixture of staple Asian-influenced foods, but tends not to be as hot and spicy as most Asian foods. Chicken, fish, mutton and rice are all eaten regularly. Seasonings include rich mixtures of cardamom, ginger, cumin, cinnamon, cumin, cloves and coriander, which as blended and used in soups, stews or in marinades.

Chicken Tandori (Adapted from Desitwist.com)

1 whole Chicken (I used thighs)
1/2 cup plain yogurt
4 large cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground turmeric
1 tsp. Omani mixed spice (recipe below)
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. cardamom
1 finely chopped (small) hot pepper or 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
4 Tbsp chopped fresh coriander or cilantro

Skin the chicken and cut into 8 pieces (if using a whole chicken).
In a bowl, mix the chicken with all of the other spices and ingredients, except for fresh chopped coriander.
Add a few tablespoons of oil to a heavy and heat until oil is good and hot, but not smoking. Place the chicken in the pan bony side down. Sprinkle the fresh coriander over the chicken. Cover with lid.
Lower the heat to the minimum level and allow to simmer for 50-60 minutes or until the chicken is tender. you may serve chicken as is, or brown it under a broiler for a few minutes.
Serve with Basmati rice and garnish with fresh cilantro.

Omani Spice Mix (Buharat) - (adapted from ehow.com)

4 tsp. paprika
4 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground cardamom
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. ground ginger

Add all the individual spices together in a bowl.
Place the mixed spices in a covered jar and use for future recipes
Can be added directly to stews or used as a marinade.

Why do YOU cook, Maria Speck?

I met Maria Speck, the Grain Gourmet on Twitter where her recipe tweets piqued my curiosity. She grew up in both Germany and Greece and shares her recipes and mostly Mediterranean techniques for cooking with whole grains in ways you might not expect. In her beautiful new cookbook, Ancient Grains for Modern Meals, you'll find cakes from quinoa and smoked trout, an easy crust from cooked polenta, a hearty frittata with wild rice and wheat berry "fool" with figs. Her recipes will surely broaden your horizons as much as they tempt your tastebuds.

It all started with a small bag of wheat berries someone handed me at a cemetery in Greece during a ceremony to mark the recent death of my grandfather. I was six years old and hungry. While I scooped up the mixture of cinnamon and cumin-scented grains, chewing on their succulent starchy centers, interspersed with chunks of roasted walnuts and sugarcoated almonds-I became completely oblivious to the crushing sadness all around me, and blissfully dug in. This culinary memory made me into the person I am today, in so many ways.

Years later a simple wheat berry salad, served to me by a friend in Germany, brought the grains of my childhood back to my table. At the time, I worked as a news agency journalist, subsisting on coffee and frozen pizza. Rediscovering the delicious chew of wheat berries made me realize what I was missing. From then on, I lit my stove and my oven with a passion otherwise reserved for boyfriends.

A few years later whole grains once more changed the path of my life. When I moved to the US in 1993 as a journalism fellow at Stanford university, I couldn't find what the German half of me calls “real bread.” Most stores sold soft, cotton-candy like bread or pre-sliced toast. Even when labeled whole grain, little did these products resemble the deliciously chewy, aromatic, and dense loaves of dark wheat and rye breads I was raised on. Eventually, I took fate into my own hands: I ordered a beautiful wooden German countertop grain mill and started baking whole grain bread from freshly ground flour. Which ultimately lead to my current career. As more and more Americans started to get interested in whole grains, I realized how much I really knew about them. I am writer and a passionate whole grain lover-so why not combine the two, I thought? Instead of reporting on technology, society and health, all I have done since is writing about whole grains. And cooking and baking with them. Naturally.