Spider rice casserole

[Raine]

Spider rice casserole

Special Equipment:
1 5-qt. or larger cast iron Dutch oven

Ingredients
6 skinless chicken thighs
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbsp. peanut oil or other light vegetable oil
1 cup diced yellow onion
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
4 whole cloves
4 whole green cardamom pods
1 3-inch stick cinnamon
1/4 tsp. whole cumin seeds
1-1/3 cups long grain brown rice
1 10-oz. can diced tomatoes with chili peppers
1 cup canned low fat chicken stock
3/4 cup your favorite ale or beer, room temperature and flat
kosher salt to taste
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Garnish:
2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds

Method

Combine salt and pepper and rub mixture onto washed chicken.

Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat, then add chicken in a single layer and fry until chicken is browned on both sides and cooked about 2/3 of the way through. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.

Add onions to pan and cook over medium heat until lightly browned. Add garlic, ginger, whole cloves, cardamom seed, stick cinnamon, and cumin seed. Cook mixture while stirring constantly for about 2 minutes.

Add brown rice and stir mixture for 1 minute.

Add tomatoes, chicken stock, beer, salt and pepper to taste, increase heat to medium high, and bring mixture to a boil. Return chicken to pot and put cover in place. When mixture begins to boil again, reduce heat to low and cook casserole for exactly 1 hour.

Remove pot from heat and let casserole rest, with cover in place, for 15 minutes.

Before serving, sprinkle the chopped cilantro and toasted almonds evenly over the casserole.

The reason whole spices are used in this recipe is that under cooking conditions the flavors are slowly released into the casserole. You can try to find them and pick them out before serving the meal, but I just let people do it themselves from their own plates.)

[Barbara L]

I'm curious--why is it called Spider Rice Casserole? The only thing I can think of is that maybe it was originally made in a spider pot?

:) Barbara

[Raine]

Good question Barbara.