Cooling Braised Chicken and Mum's Best Ever Rice

Patients and friends are always asking for Ayurvedic recipes ideas, as they adopt healthier diet and nutrition. So this is the first of a regular feature aimed at inspiring you to try out some new dishes, that are not only healthy for all, but delicious. I cooked this Braised Chicken recipe for friends last night and they both said it was the nicest chicken they had tasted!! I've paired it with a simple recipe for rice, that my Mum gave me. Let me know if you like it! In a future post I'll share my thoughts on a number of cookbooks I'm reviewing, this is taken from 'Eat, Taste, Heal - by Thomas Yarema, Daniel Rhoda and Chef Johnny Brannigan.

Braised Chicken with Coriander Reduction Sauce. Lightly oil a baking dish with a tablespoon of ghee (or sunflower oil). Place 4 boneless chicken breasts in the dish and coat with the ghee, then season. Pour in a cup of organic chicken or vegetable stock. Cook in the oven for around 25mins (350'F). Use a blender to blend about 2 cups of coriander with 1 cup of filtered water until smooth. Heat a tablespoon of ghee over medium heat, and saute 1tsp freshly grated ginger. Add 1tsp ground fennel seeds and cook for another minute. Stir in 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, 1tsp salt mixed with some dried herbs (any or all of the following basil, rosemary, thyme, mint, marjoram, sage, bay leaves), 1/2 tsp maple syrup, 10 mint leaves chopped and mix with the coriander puree and a cup of filtered water. Simmer for around 20mins until reduced by half. Whisk in 1-2 tablespoons of chickpea flour, cooking whilst stirring continuously until sauce thickens (about 2-3mins). Season to taste and serve with Mum's Best Ever Rice, (Recipe below) with the sauce poured over the chicken.

Mum's Best Ever Rice. I could never cook rice properly, it always turned out too sticky or too hard! My Mum on the other hand, was renowned for her fabulous rice! So anytime, I was cooking I would call Mum up and she would talk me through it. Finally, the last time I remembered to write it down. Since my Mum died, her recipes have given me such joy, so I hope you enjoy this simple recipe for rice, its perfect with the chicken.