Toasted Spice Chicken and Rice Bowl with Avocado
- Savory
Warm curry, cumin and coriander bloomed in butter give the chicken and rice a toasty depth, finished with cool avocado and wilted spinach.
- Total
- 55 min
- Prep 15 · Cook 35 · Rest 5
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
You'll practice: Absorption rice · Searing
Instructions
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Rinse the rice under cold running water until the water runs mostly clear, then drain well. Bring 600 ml water and 0.5 tsp salt to a boil in the saucepan, stir in the rice, cover and cook on low for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave covered for 5 minutes, until the grains are tender and the water is absorbed.
~20 min
Rinsing removes surface starch so the grains stay separate, and the covered rest lets residual steam finish cooking them evenly.
Absorption rice Use a tight-fitting lid and low heat so the rice absorbs all the water without scorching; resist stirring, which makes it gluey.
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While step 1 cooks
While the rice cooks, cut the chicken into 3 cm pieces and pat dry. Season with 0.5 tsp salt and the pepper. Melt 20 g butter in the frying pan over medium-high heat, add the chicken in a single layer and brown for 5 minutes without moving it, then turn and cook 3 minutes more. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
~5 min
Patting the chicken dry and leaving it undisturbed lets it sear and brown through the Maillard reaction instead of steaming.
Searing Pat the chicken dry and leave it undisturbed in a hot pan to build a brown crust; moving it too soon prevents browning.
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Lower the heat to medium, add the remaining 20 g butter to the pan and stir in the curry powder, ground cumin, ground coriander, turmeric and cinnamon. Toast for 45 seconds, until fragrant and darkened slightly, without letting them burn.
~2 min
Toasting the ground spices in butter dissolves their flavour compounds in fat and drives off raw notes, deepening the aroma.
Blooming the ground spices in butter for under a minute is what gives the bowl its toasty depth; if they darken to black, they are bitter, so start again with fresh butter.
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Return the chicken and its juices to the pan and toss to coat in the toasted spices. Cook for 4 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and reaches 74°C in the centre.
~4 min
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Add the spinach to the pan in handfuls and stir for 2 minutes, until just wilted. Season with the remaining 0.5 tsp salt.
~2 min
Spinach wilts quickly because its leaves collapse as heat breaks down cell walls; brief cooking keeps it bright and tender.
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Fluff the rice with a fork and divide between four bowls. Spoon the chicken and spinach over the top, halve, stone and slice the avocado, and lay it alongside.
~5 min
