“Slightly tedious
And might I add,
Something to quench
My obsessive tapas fad,
I set out to
Be precise and great,
Turning curry into
Sushi art on my plate,
I liked it, yes
And probably you will too,
It will appeal to some
And that some may be you,
For what fools the eye
May not stir that taste,
But I got the Japanese angry
Oh well, wasn’t a complete waste!”
Ingredients
For the rice
1 cup white rice
1 pound chicken breast, diced into small pieces (or use prawns)
1 chicken stock cube, dissolved in 1 cup of warm water
½ onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoon fresh coriander, finely chopped
½ teaspoon coriander powder
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
½ teaspoon chili powder
Salt & pepper to taste
For the skin
½ cup besan (gram flour)
½ cup yogurt
1 cup water
Salt & pepper
Others
Cucumber shavings
Grated carrots
Prepare the rice
Heat the oil in a pan. Saute the onions till brown and add the chicken pieces, along with 1 cup of water. Stir in the coriander and the dry spices and cover and cook till the chicken is tender. Add the chicken stock and the rice, mix well, and cover and let the rice cook in the chicken broth. Remove from heat once all the liquid has been absorbed by the rice, and the grains are well cooked (almost a little overdone as we want them sticky). Keep aside and cool.
Prepare the skin
This is the basic preparation of the Gujarati Khandvi skin. Make a batter from the ingredients for the skin, and ensure there are no lumps. Now cook on medium heat for 10-12 minutes, till the raw taste of the flour has disappeared. Grease a cookie tray and spread a thin layer of the batter on the tray. Cool for 5 minutes. Once cooled, cut strips of the batter- you will notice that it rolls easily. Divide into strips approx 1.5 inch wide and 4 inches long.
Put it together
Use a potato peeler to shave strips off a cucumber. Put the cucumber shaving on a flat surface, and later the inside with a skin strip, making sure that there is some excess cucumber on either side. Now add some grated carrots and a dollop of the chicken rice. Roll slowly and secure the ends by sticking the cucumber together. Serve fresh with mint chutney!
