Chicken And Okra Stew Recipe
It is possible to make five different variations of each vegetable dish in Turkish cuisine; with tomato paste, without tomato paste, with ground beef, with meat and with chicken. If I am not mistaken, I have shared recipes for okra with tomato paste, without tomato paste, okra dish with ground beef and okra with meat. Only the chicken and okra stew was missing.
Recently, when I was about to start cooking olive oil okra recipe, (okra without tomato paste) my friend called. While we were talking, I invited her to dinner. As you know, in Turkish culture, it is not possible to offer a vegetable dish to a guest. It must have meat or chicken in it. I even think that baked potatoes with kofte and chicken with baked potatoes are our national hospitality dishes. But that day I did not have the means to act in line with our national values. I only had okra and chicken breast. I combined the two with the idea that a meal cannot be served without meat or chicken for a guest, which was instilled in me as a child. I also made mushroom pilaf on the side. We loved the menu.
There is something that no one can be sure about in chicken and vegetable dishes, just as in vegetable dishes with minced meat; Should the chicken be roasted first or the onion? From my experience, I can tell you that it doesn't matter if you roast both well enough, it's good either way. It still doesn't matter if you don't roast both or either enough, it's bad either way. The important thing is that the onion softens well, and the chicken is cooked to a point where it turns red after releasing its water.
Which Spices Should Be Used?
Your own favorite seasonings, of course. There is no formula for the use of spices in Turkish cuisine. Turkish cuisine is not a cuisine based on spices like Indian cuisine. Food gets its flavor from the main ingredients and cooking methods. If you are not making a dish that is identical to a certain spice, such as yayla soup, you can use any spice you like, like or associate with any dish you want.
I use thyme in tomato paste chicken dishes because I like the smell of thyme, but this is not necessary, you can skip it or you can use other spices you like instead.
Enjoy the recipe...
Ingredients
- 500 g of chicken breast,
- 500 g of fresh okra,
- 1 onion,
- 1 tablespoon of tomato paste,
- 5 cups of water at room temp.,
- 5-6 tablespoons of olive oil,
- Salt,
- Dried thyme.
Preparation
- Squeeze the lemon into a large bowl filled with water,
- Remove the stems of the okras and place them in lemon water,
- Heat the olive oil in a pressure cooker,
- Add the small-cut chicken and stir fry it until it turns golden brown,
- Add the chopped onion and stir fry until soft,
- Add the tomato paste and stir fry until it starts to smell,
- Add the okra and 5 cups of water and mix,
- Close the lid and cook until the okra is soft,
- Add the salt and thyme, bring it to a boil again and remove from the heat.
Enjoy your meal...