Sephardic Chicken and Rice Croquettes

From the Evening Herald - 30th April 2009

Jewish Passover celebrations last week sent me back to Claudia Roden’s Book of Jewish Food, as much a cultural history as a cookbook.

When most of us think of Jewish food we think of Woody Allen films and New York Jewish jokes about chopped liver, matzo balls and gefilte fish.

Roden’s book does indeed have many recipes from the Ashkenazi (European) world but the book is most interesting when it explores the cooking of Sephardic Jews.

Sephardic originally meant those Jews that had lived in Spain under the Moors but now signifies the Jewish diaspora with roots in the Mediterranean, Middle East, India and Africa.

Jewish dietary laws apply to both cuisines but Ashkenazi food is standardised while Sephardic food varies from country to country and even family to family, depending on their origins.

The main differences are based on climate and ingredients. The Ashkenazi world with its cold damp winters used lots of animal fats, meat, salted fish, potatoes and onions.

The Sephardic world is hot, and their cooking is lighter using olive oil, rice, aubergines, peppers and spices.

Roden’s recipe below is from the Baghdadi community in India, so called because most are of Iraqi descent and mix Indian flavours to the Iraqi and Syrian dishes they brought with them when they settled in India in the 19th century.

Risotto rice works best for this dish but you could also use pudding rice.

Baghdadi Chicken and Rice Croquettes
125g round rice (e.g. Arborio), 250g Chicken Fillets, 1 garlic clove, 1 inch piece of peeled fresh ginger, ½ tsp garam masala (or curry powder), ½ tsp turmeric, 4 tbs chopped parsley. Oil for deep frying.

Boil the rice in salted water for 15 minutes only, then drain. Mince the chicken to a paste in a food processor and then add the other ingredients, including the cooked rice, and blend until fully mixed.

Oil your hands as the mix is sticky. Take walnut-sized lumps and roll into fingers 5-6cm long. Deep fry in hot oil for c.5 minutes until golden.

Serve with salad, dips and relishes such as Mango Chutney and Raita (natural yoghurt mixed with chopped fresh mint, grated cucumber and lemon juice).