Dubai iffa chicken with tomato tamarind salad recipe

Prepare: over 2 hours
Cook: 10 to 30 mins
Serve: Serves 4
Dietary: Nut-free Pregnancy-friendly

This creamy chicken recipe is a viral sensation on social media – and it tastes as good as it looks.

By Dr Saliha Mahmood-Ahmed

From Saturday Kitchen

Shopping list

Ingredients

For the marinade

1 tbsp garlic paste or 4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 heaped tsp ginger paste or small thumb-sized piece fresh root ginger, peeled and very finely chopped
1 tsp dried lime powder
1 tsp black cumin seeds (shahi kala jeera), toasted
1 tsp ground coriander
2 heaped tsp mild Kashmiri chilli powder
1 tsp fenugreek leaves
125g/4½oz full-fat Greek-style yoghurt
1 tsp MSG
1 tbsp papaya paste

For the chicken

1kg/2lb 4oz chicken thighs, boneless, skin removed and flattened slightly
30g/1oz ghee
2 tbsp pomegranate seeds, to garnish (optional)

For the iffa sauce

3 small free-range eggs, hard-boiled, shell removed, egg whites only (with yolks discarded)
1 tsp garlic paste
175ml/6fl oz double cream
75g/2¾oz cheddar, grated
salt

For the saffron rice

300g/10½oz sella basmati rice
1 tsp ground turmeric
50g/1¾oz ghee
generous pinch saffron, crushed and bloomed with two ice cubes on top in a bowl
salt

For the tomato tamarind salad

2 tbsp tamarind paste
1 tbsp date molasses
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp black cumin seeds (shahi kala jeera), toasted
300g/10½oz tomatoes (any shape, size or colour), sliced into thin wedges
1 banana shallot, thinly sliced
1 Persian cucumber, seeds removed and thinly sliced
handful roughly chopped fresh coriander
salt

Recipe tips

Method

To make the marinade, place all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
To make the chicken, place the chicken in a large bowl and add the marinade. Coat each thigh fully in the marinade. Chill in the fridge for at least a few hours. Bring to room temperature before cooking.
Heat the ghee in a large ovenproof non-stick frying pan or casserole over a medium heat. Add the chicken and fry for around 5 minutes on each side. Try not to move the thighs too much in order to achieve a deep golden brown colour.
Meanwhile, to make the iffa sauce, blend all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor to a smooth purée with no lumps.
Preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7.
Add 100ml/3½fl oz boiling water to the chicken in the pan – this will create a thick sauce around the chicken. Spoon the iffa sauce over the chicken thighs and transfer to the oven. Bake for 15 minutes, or until cooked through. The chicken is cooked through when the juices run clear with no trace of pink when the thickest part of the thigh is pierced with a skewer. Scatter over the pomegranate seeds, if using.
To make the rice, boil the rice with the turmeric in a saucepan of boiling salted water according to packet instructions. Drain.
Melt the ghee in a large saucepan over a low heat and carefully pour in the bloomed saffron water.
Add the rice to the pan and fold through so that the ghee and saffron spread evenly through the rice. Cover with the lid and leave to steam for a few minutes over a very low heat.
To make the salad, mix the tamarind, date molasses, oil and cumin seeds together in a small bowl and season with salt. Place the tomatoes, shallot and cucumber in a large bowl, pour in the tamarind dressing and stir well. Dress with coriander leaves if desired.
Serve the Dubai iffa chicken with the rice and salad on the side.