Friday, February 13, 2009

Chicken with Lemon Mustard Sauce (Yasa)

The other night we took an African cooking class with Daniel Casbarro. He is a very interesting man, a trained chef in natural/yoga foods, a yoga instructor, very zen. In fact I was reading an article on him on the Sacatomato blog Sacatomato, so for further information about Daniel check out Lynn's interview with him. One of the best recipes of that night was the chicken dish from Senegal. It is slightly spicy, extremely tasty and fairly easy to make. Here is what you need:
4 whole chicken legs skin on
8 cloves garlic peeled
2 scotch bonnet chilies or habanero (1 for the paste and 1 for the sauce)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
3tbsp vegetable oil.
Rinse chicken under cold water then drain and blot dry. Salt and pepper the chicken.
Make 1 or 2 deep slashes to the bone, in each piece, then place in a non-reactive baking dish (glass) large enough to hold the pieces in a single layer. Set aside while you prepare the spice paste.
Combine the garlic, chile, salt, pepper and 3tbsp oil in a blende and process until a smooth. Using your fingers (use rubber gloves) stuff half the spice paste into the slashes in each piece of chicken then spread the remainder of the skin. Cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for 2-12 hrs..the longer the better. I put the the chicken in a zip lock bag to marinate.
Preheat the griddle with 1 side very hot and the other medium hot. Meanwhile prepare the sauce:
1 large onion finely chopped about 2 cups.. or the onion can be sliced into thin rings
1 scotch bonnet or habanero
1c grainy French mustard
1/2C vegetable oil
1/4C fresh lemon juice
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp tumeric powder
honey to taste if sauce is bitter.
Use a heavy sauce pan large enough to hold the chicken and in it combine the onion, mustard, oil,lemon juice,bay leaf, chile, tumeric. Stir well to combine and bring to a boil over medium heat then reduce the heat to low. Simmer, uncovered stirring frequently, until the onions are soft and the sauce is thick and creamy and the oil has started to separate out, about 15-25 min. Remove from heat and taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper to taste. If desired discard the bay leaf and chile. Set sauce aside covered.
When ready to cook the chicken, oil the griddle. Arrange the chicken pieces skin side down on the griddle. Cook until the skin starts to brown. Move the pieces to the cooler section of the griddle and continue to grill until the skin is more thoroughly browned. Turn the pieces and move them back to the hotter section of the griddle. Brown the second side well, then move the pieces back to the cooler side to finish cooking. The total cooking time will be 15-25 min. When ready, the chicken will be crisp and golden brown outside the juices will run clear when the meat is pierced.
Transfer the chicken to the saucepan with the sauce and bring to a simmer over low heat, spooning the sauce over the chicken to coat. Cover and cook until the chicken is well flavored by the sauce about 15- 20 min stirring occasionally. Transfer the chicken pieces to a serving plate or platter spoon the sauce over and serve.


Enjoy!

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