Tastes like home.
With an abundance of tomatoes in the village, meals such as Chicken Rice Mountains were created. Stews could be served with rice, so they were filling and could stretch far and feed many, but they were mainly created as the ingredients were accessible: tomatoes, oil, rice and protein.
Nabula El Mourid says…
I grew up with stories about “the village”: a place near Chryssokelaria in Greece where my yiayia grew up before she migrated to Australia with my papou and her baby daughter Mary, my mother, in 1953.
Not only was the village Yiayia’s homeland, but it was a place where she developed her love of creating delicious, soul-warming dishes from the simplest of ingredients. Simple, because post war there was no money. Clothes were washed in the river, there was no schooling, and the young learned to make everything from scratch, such as ricotta and pasta.
With an abundance of tomatoes in the village, meals such as Chicken Rice Mountains were created. Stews could be served with rice, so they were filling and could stretch far and feed many, but they were mainly created as the ingredients were accessible: tomatoes, oil, rice and protein.
While the ingredients are simple, the flavour is rich. The smell of onion frying in olive oil will always take me back to walking into my grandparents’ home, knowing I was about to enjoy my favourite meal with the people I loved the most. Served with a Greek salad and fresh bread to soak up the sauce, it never disappointed.
Having the rice served as “mountains” was part of the enjoyment as a child, and now watching my children get as excited as I did to knock over the mountains and dive into this simple, heart‑warming meal sparks a sense of nostalgia every time.
Hope you enjoy. Yiayia will be proud.
Ingredients
Serves 4
Chicken Rice Mountains and Greek Salad
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, finely diced
2 large chicken breasts, chopped into 3cm pieces
90g (1/3 cup) tomato paste
400g tinned crushed tomatoes
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
cooked jasmine rice, to serve
Greek Salad
1 tablespoon white vinegar
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 large tomatoes, chopped into wedges
1 Lebanese cucumber, halved lengthways and sliced
1 red onion, diced
100g feta, cut into cubes or triangles
95g kalamata olives
Method
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and add the onion and garlic. Sauté for 3–4 minutes, until translucent and fragrant. Add the chicken breast pieces and brown on all sides. Season with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Once the chicken is browned, add the tomato paste and tinned tomatoes. Stir to combine, then add 500ml (2 cups) water. Stir again, reduce the heat to low and place the lid on the saucepan slightly ajar.
Cook the stew over low heat for at least 3 hours, stirring occasionally. If the liquid reduces too much, add an extra cup or two of water as needed. The stew is ready when the sauce is thick and creamy in consistency. Taste and adjust the seasoning if required.
To make the Greek salad, whisk the vinegar, olive oil and oregano in a small bowl until well combined. Place the chopped tomato, cucumber, red onion, feta and olives in a bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently to combine.
To serve, pack the slightly cooled cooked rice into small cups, then invert each cup onto a plate to create a small mound of rice. Spoon the chicken stew over the rice and sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper. Serve with the Greek salad on the side.
THE WEEKLY GROCERY SHOP BY NABULA EL MOURID IS OUT NOW.
Published in ed#749
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