Okay, so this ended up drifting more toward India than I expected when I stepped out on this culinary limb, but I am more than satisfied with the result. Marinating that chicken for 24+ hours really made its flavor intense, it was very unfamiliar and exciting to my palate.
Before we get into the recipe, let's take a gander at why this dish rocks your body:
Celery Root, while terribly ugly before a good peeling, is quite good for you. It's rich in manganese, magnesium, Vitamin C, potassium and a couple B vitamins. And of course, plenty of fiber.
Radishes are a fab source of Vitamin C, Folate (B9) and Potassium, as well as fiber. They're also incredibly low in calories; an entire cup of sliced radishes contains only 19 calories.
Ginger, while not too nutritionally useful in the quantities seen here in this recipe, has been used medicinally for centuries to ease stomach ailments, cure nausea and reduce inflammation in the body.
Fun fact: Jains do not consume root vegetables for religious reasons.
Alright! Enough of all that jazz, let's get cooking.
Well, let's get marinating first.
This will successfully marinate 4 chicken thighs:
1 cup of Greek yogurt
1/4 of a red onion (chopped)
6 garlic cloves (smashed)
1 tps. turmeric
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1 Tbsp. ground caraway seeds (toast them before you grind them)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
Put all that stuff in a large resealable plastic bag, smoosh it around a bit to mix, then add the chicken and give it another smoosh. Place the bag in a mixing bowl or a tupperware container or something to protect your fridge in case it leaks.
Let that groove for a day or so.
Okay, here's what you'll need for rest:
1 celery root
5 medium radishes
1/3 cup of basmati rice
A one-inch knob of fresh ginger
1/4 inch slice of lime's worth of juice
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
To taste salt, pepper, whatever other spices you'd like to use
Before you do anything, take your chicken out of the fridge, remove it from the marinade and set it aside. You need to get the chill off of it a bit.
Preheat your oven to 400° and start prep on those roots. Take all the brown stuff off of that celery root with your knife (be careful, it's dense and can be difficult to slice). Chop it into half-inch cubes. Rinse, dry, chop the ends off of and quarter your radishes.
Transfer your roots to a baking sheet, drizzle a little oil on them, salt and pepper, toss to coat. Those will go in your oven for 20-25 minutes, you should probably stir them around a bit about halfway through the cooking for even browning.
While the roots are roasting, you can start your rice and make your yummy oil. Cook your rice according to the package directions, it should take at least 15 minutes if not 20 or more. I would season your water with a couple pinches of salt at the very least, you can add other spices if you like, but basmati is pretty tasty without help. Check it while it's simmering to make sure you don't need to add more water (burnt rice will ruin your day, believe me).
To make the ginger lime oil, combine about a Tbsp. and a half of extra virgin olive oil with the grated ginger, lime juice and black pepper. Set that aside to get happy.
Heat a heavy skillet (used my trusty cast iron here) to about medium. I took the time to fish out my garlic and onions from the marinade and pan roasted them real quick in a little oil to combine with the roots when they came out of the oven, totally optional, I just hate to waste good garlic. After that, should you choose to do it, re-oil the skillet and add your chicken. 5 minutes per side, standard.
To plate this beauty, plop some rice in the center of the plate, surround it with your roots, pile the chicken on top and spoon that oil on to your roots, maybe a little on the chicken too. This recipe makes two healthy helpings.
I lucked into the last day of a sale on Sockeye salmon, so I snatched up a heaping filet of it and will be making use of it in tomorrow's fun. Do come back!
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