Noodles and Rice

Sultan’s Rice

by Stef on November 8th, 2006

This was a recipe in . I made it because the name intrigued me, and I was expecting an impressive dish. From the book:

This recipe, using a pilaf-type technique, was adapted by the Thais and named after the Sultan, in honor of the priceless spices used in the dish.

The recipe:

1 3-pound chicken
4 cups bottled or filtered water (I used filtered)
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads or 1/2 teaspoon turmeric (see note below)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cups long-grain rice, Thai jasmine or Indian or California basmati, rinsed well (I used Royal Indian basmati) — perhaps if I ever try this again I’ll use Thai jasmine instead
1 cup fresh unsweetened coconut cream or heavy cream (I used canned, but don’t think it was that that was the mistake)
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground mace
3 whole cloves, dry-roasted and ground
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

In a large pot, bring the chicken, water and saffron to the boil. Turn heat to medium-low, cover and cook for an hour or so, until chicken juices when pierced at the thickest part of the thigh runs clear. Remove from heat and lift the chicken out of the broth (a Chinese strainer is really handy for doing this). Shred the chicken meat into long bite-sized pieces, discarding the bones and skin. Set shredded meat aside. Strain broth and bring 2 cups of it to the boil in a saucepan. Keep warm at a simmer.

Heat butter in 12-inch skillet over medium heat. When it begins to melt, add rice and cook, stirring frequently, about 15 minutes, until golden. Add hot broth and coconut cream, mixing well. Stir in salt and spices. Continue to cook, uncovered, over low-medium heat until liquid is absorbed (steam holes will appear on the surface), about 15 minutes. Turn heat to low, cover and continue to cook another 10 minutes or until rice grains are soft. Stir with a wooden spoon and scrape bottom of pot. Cover and cook another 10 minutes. Remove pan from heat, stir in chicken and serve.

Note:

For the saffron I used Penzey’s Kashmir Mogra, anticipating that its flavor would really shine through. I had bought the spice a couple of months ago, waiting for the perfect dish in which to use it, and I was really hoping Sultan’s Rice would be “the one”. Unfortunately, I don’t think the results were worth it. I’m using the rest in a very traditional Spanish paella instead. I do want to add that although the dish didn’t meet my expectations, it was quite satisfactory and should go well with other Thai dishes — something of a more fiery nature would be a good match. And there are a bunch more recipes from the book that look delectable and which I haven’t tried, so just because this recipe didn’t work for me doesn’t mean the others won’t! I’ll be sure to post again if I try anything else.

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POSTED IN: Chicken Dishes : Asian, Cookbooks, Rice Dishes, Thai