Yemeni Zurbian with Chicken

Ingredients

• 4 dry onions
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1/2 cup water
• salt
• ground red pepper (paprika)
• a pinch of turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• a pinch of seven-spice mix
• a pinch of black pepper
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 kg chicken thighs
• 4 potatoes
• 2 1/2 cups basmati rice
• hot pepper (as desired)
• saffron + water
• a small piece of charcoal for smoking the zurbian

Method

1. Slice the onions into crescents and fry them in 1 cup vegetable oil until the onions turn brown
2. Strain the onions from the oil and divide the amount into two parts
3. In an electric blender, add 1 cup yogurt, 1/2 cup water, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 spoonful ground red pepper paprika, a pinch of turmeric, ground ginger, seven-spice, black pepper, and 3 crushed garlic cloves
4. Add all the spices to the yogurt, then add half the onions and blend well
5. Remove the skin from the chicken thighs, clean them, cut them, and wash them with vinegar, lemon, and water, then sauté them over the heat for about 10 minutes
6. After sautéing the chicken for a while, remove it and set it aside
7. In the same pot, sauté the potatoes after peeling, washing, and cutting them into cubes
8. Add the chicken marinade we prepared over the potatoes
9. In another pot, bring 1 cup water to a boil with aromatics: cardamom, bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, and a few cloves
10. Let the water boil for 10 minutes, then remove the aromatics and add the washed, salted basmati rice
11. Leave the rice on the heat for about 5 minutes, then drain it and add it over the chicken and potatoes, along with 2 hot peppers (optional; you can also leave them out if you do not want the dish spicy)
12. Let the mixture cook over very low heat for about 1 hour or more as needed, then turn off the heat
13. In a separate bowl, soak a little saffron in 1/4 cup hot water and leave it for a while, then strain the saffron water and add it over the rice
14. Light a piece of charcoal, place it on aluminum foil with a little oil, put it in the rice dish, cover the pot, and leave it for about 15 minutes so the smoke infuses the rice
15. Garnish the chicken zurbian when serving with the remaining onions and a little parsley
16. Serve the chicken zurbian with green salad or yogurt, as desired