Plate of sharkasiya

Sharkaseya

Name: Sharkaseya
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 1 h 20 min
Total time: 1 h 45 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Egyptian, Middle Eastern, Turkish
Ingredients: 1 whole chicken (around 1.2kg); 1 large onion roughly chopped; 1 carrot roughly chopped; 1 celery stick roughly chopped; 6 black peppercorns; 2 bay leaves; 500g white short-grain rice; neutral oil for the tin; small handful of coriander chopped, or whole leaves; 25g walnuts roughly chopped; 2 tbsp ghee or butter; 6 garlic cloves half crushed, half roughly chopped; 2 tsp ground coriander; 3 slices of white bread crusts removed and roughly torn (around 140g); 150g walnuts; 125g whole milk

Soha Darwish

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Serves 6

Easy

Prep: 25 mins

Cook: 1 hr and 20 mins

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Sharkaseya is a rich walnut bread sauce served over chicken and white rice, with Turkish influence. It is a staple in Egyptian households

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Soha Darwish says, "Sharkaseya is derived from the word Sharkas, which refers to the Circassian people, an ethnic group who lived in Turkey during the Ottoman Empire. It’s another example of the Egyptian cuisine’s diversity and how it incorporated staples from various parts of the world. Decades ago, sharkaseya was typically cooked in the kitchens of Egyptian families with Turkish ties or ancestors. Sharkaseya is a rich walnut bread sauce topped with chicken cutlets and served with white rice. There’s something very soothing about this mellow nutty dish, that is now an opulent favourite across upper-middle-class households in Egypt regardless of their roots."

Ingredients

Nutrition

Units:

MetricUS

1 whole chicken

(around 1.2kg)
1 large onion

roughly chopped
1 carrot

roughly chopped
1 celery stick

roughly chopped
6 black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
500g white short-grain rice
neutral oil

for the tin
small handful of coriander

chopped, or whole leaves
25g walnuts

roughly chopped

For the sauce

2 tbsp ghee or butter
6 garlic cloves

half crushed, half roughly chopped
2 tsp ground coriander
3 slices of white bread

crusts removed and roughly torn (around 140g)
150g walnuts
125g whole milk

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Nutrition: per serving

kcal876
fat46g
saturates11g
carbs65g
sugars2g
fibre4g
protein49g
salt0.79g

Method

step 1

Put the chicken in a large, deep saucepan and cover with cold water until completely submerged. Add the onion, carrot, celery, peppercorns and bay leaves, and slowly bring to a boil over a gentle heat. Cook at a gentle simmer, skimming off any scum that rises to the top, for 45-60 mins until the chicken is cooked through. Carefully remove the chicken and set aside until cool enough to handle, then strain and reserve the stock. Put the stock back on the heat and reduce for 20-25 mins over a high heat until you have around 750ml-1 litre.
step 2

Meanwhile, tip the rice into a large saucepan and wash, agitating the grains around in the pan with your hands and carefully drain off the water. Repeat this several times, until the water turns from milky to almost clear. Add cold water until it reaches 1cm above the rice, and salt well. Bring to a boil over a high heat, then once boiling, cover with a tight-fitting lid and reduce the heat to its lowest setting. Let it cook for 15 mins, then switch off the heat and leave covered for at least 20 mins.
step 3

To make the sauce, heat the ghee in a pan over a medium heat. Once melted, stir in the crushed garlic and ground coriander and cook for 2-3 mins until fragrant. Set aside to cool slightly. Put the bread, walnuts and roughly chopped garlic in a food processor and blitz until finely chopped. Pour in the milk, 400ml of the reserved stock and add the fried garlic. Blitz again until smooth, adding a splash more stock if needed – you want a thick consistency. Return the mixture to the garlic pan and let it cook for 3-4 mins, adding a splash more stock if needed. Season well with salt and pepper.
step 4

Oil a 2.5 litre (27cm) bundt tin. Remove the bones from the chicken and tear the meat into large chunks. Season well. Pack the hot rice into the bundt tin and invert onto a lipped serving platter. Pour most of the sauce into the middle and around the rice, then top the rice with the chicken. Scatter over the coriander leaves and chopped walnuts to serve. Serve any extra sauce on the side.

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