Rice and Barberry with Chicken

A colleague of mine always receives her guests with Rice and Chicken. When I ask her: Don't you know of any other foods?, she replies: I'm pressed for time and making it is quite easy! Besides, everybody enjoys the taste. It not only is eye-catching but also very nutritious indeed!.
In the mourning month of Muharram some Iranian families make the dish to give out as Nazri, which is a kind of offering and people do this to make their wishes come true.
This week is the recipe of the cuisine along with some interesting cooking points to make it even more yummy.
The total energy is1520 kilo calories and each person will receive 380 kilocalories. Of course, considering the food is served with salad, or a bowl of yogurt, another 50 to 100 kilocalories will be added totally.

What to serve with the dish?

If desired, you can serve with lettuce salad prepared with mung beans, and wheat sprouts along with broccoli. Aromatic herbs or greens will also provide you with fiber, beta-carotene and minerals such as magnesium. As a drink, go for a glass of Doogh ( with little salt and not fizzy). Fresh fruits juice like orange juice is also a good idea to go along with the dish.
Ingredients
Serving 4
300 g chicken, skinned, containing 550 kilocalories
4 glasses rice, 640 kilocalories
3 small onions, 20 kilocalories
1 glass barberry 10 kilocalories
2 dessertspoons sugar, 20 kilocalores
2 tablespoons frying oil, 180 kilocalories
1 tablespoon, 90 kilocalories
Saffron, salt and turmeric powder for seasoning, no calories whatsoever!

Directions

Fry chicken pieces in 2 tablespoons of oil in a proper pot without adding any spices. Once golden add in the onions and sprinkle with salt and turmeric. Pour in some water and allow it to cook on low flame.
Put another pot on the stove and fill with water. Bring to a boil and add the rice; after a couple of minutes strain it. in a saucepan put the butter, sugar, saffron and barberries. When he butter is melting add in a little water and remove from the heat till barberries remain red and saffron is mixed with the ingredients.
Put the strained rice back into the pot and put the lid wrapped in a piece of cloth. Don't forget to add a little oil. Once the rice is cooked through, transfer to a serving platter and garnish on top with the mixture of butter , saffron and barberries. In another dish serve the chicken and pour its greasy stock in a small bowl.

Barberry

Barberries grow in two places around the country more than other places. Red barberry is abundant in the south of Khorasan Province and black barberry is produced in Kermanshah. that's where Rice and Barberry comes from!
Many people think that it is very easy to make it but there are many key points involved which make a real cook out of you!
To have a better taste, fry the chicken in oil and once golden add the onion along with the spices and water. You should apply the whole onion( without chopping) so select small onions; 2 to 3 are enough!
The required spices for the chicken include turmeric powder and salt only. The chicken gets golden after frying so saffron and tomato paste are not recommended.
chicken should be juicy, of course with a thick consistency. Serve the chicken stock in a separate bowl.
Apply fresh oil for sauteing barberries; butter is proffered.
Add sugar to the barberry on the heat since it not only causes the barberries to stick to rice but the taste of the cuisine will be sweet-sour. Saute barberry on low heat otherwise it will get dried and is annoying once chewing.
To get a better color out of your saffron, grind it in a stone or wooden mortar rather than in an electric grinder. This way, the fragrant smell of saffron will be preserved.
Heat butter in the saucepan along with barberry, saffron and sugar. after a couple of seconds pour in 1/2 glass of water and saute for a few minutes and then remove quickly. Don't allow it over the heat a lot as the taste and smell of saffron will be destroyed.
One mistake some women make is to put the brewed saffron in a covered dish and keep in the refrigerator. This way, the great smell and unique flavor of saffron will be lost.
The best drink to go with the dish is a glass of Doogh, rosewater syrup or orange flower syrup.
Doogh is a savory yogurt-based beverage popular in Iran and Azerbaijan, It is sometimes carbonated and seasoned with mint. Outside Iran and Azerbaijan, it is known by different names.
To garnish, spread sauteed barberry over the rice topped with slivered pistachios. The combination of green and red colors will be really charming!
If you are obese, limit the amount of the applied oil and eat only 6 dessertspoons of rice. Serve it with fresh vegetables and greens as a salad to gain plenty of fiber and stop overeating!
If you are usually constipated, take advantage of rich olive oil. You can sprinkle powdered wheat bran on top of your plate. Apply abundant fresh leafy vegetables and greens to multiply the amount of the gained fiber which will help to reduce constipation.
If you are anemic, replace chicken with turkey which includes plenty of iron especially in its legs. Drink a glass of fresh orange juice; Vitamin C will help to absorb more iron in the body.