The past few months I have been less inclined to try new recipes or even venture away from a select few tried and true meals I can make with very little effort. I think it most likely had to do with pregnancy fatigue. I was just not feeling very creative in the kitchen. I did still love to enjoy good food though so today I am sharing an old family recipe my mom prepared for us one evening when she was in town before the baby arrived. It is a beautiful meal that I highly recommend you try. It is quite easy to make and I love serving it to friends because it turns a normal meal into something unique.
My parent’s tried to expose us to a wide variety of foods when we were growing up. We certainly ate a lot of American staples and Southern foods, but we were also frequently presented with things that were a bit more exotic and out of the box. My mother hails from South Florida and so we often ate foods she enjoyed as a child. This included a wide variety of tropical fruits and vegetables like mangoes, guava, fresh coconut, heart of palm, and an assortment of greens. It also meant that we enjoyed an array of ethnic foods at a myriad of international restaurants. We of course ate Italian, Mexican, and Chinese but we also frequented the local Cuban, Greek, Japanese, Indian, and Thai restaurants that were available. Most of the time the international recipes we sampled were found at restaurants. However there was one meal my mother made at home that was distinctly foreign.
We always called this the National Liberian Dish. The recipe for this meal was passed on to us by my Aunt Dana and Uncle Jim. I believe it was given to them by a dear friend who served in the Peace Core in Liberia. I highly doubt that this is the national dish of Liberia, but I think it contains some key ingredients that are well-loved in that country.
This dish is very tasty and it is great to prepare when entertaining because it can be tailored to suit each particular guest. It was always a favorite for me as a kid because it involved a large number of condiments which I could add to the main course. The most unusual of these is the pickled watermelon rind. This can be difficult to find in some parts of the country, but if you keep an eye out you will eventually run into it. It is commonly found with pickles, relishes, and olives in the grocery store. It is not a necessity, but it is a fun accompaniment to the meal if you can find it and have an adventurous palate. I have even seen this at Big Lots and TJ Maxx on occasion in their foods aisles.
National Liberian Dish
1 whole chicken or several chicken breasts
2 onions
1 clove of garlic
1 bell pepper
3 tsp olive oil
2 cans whole tomatoes
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp red pepper
2 cups cooked rice
1 cup peanuts (I have also used sunflower seeds and these work great too)
1 can of grated coconut
2 hard-boiled eggs
pickled watermelon rind
apple chutney (see recipe below)
Cook the chicken in salted water over a low heat until tender. Cool and bone into bite sized pieces. Saute onions, garlic, and peppers in olive oil. Add tomatoes and cook an additional five minutes. Add curry powder, thyme, salt, sugar, and red pepper. Cook for another 10 minutes before adding the stew and chicken to a baking dish. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
Apple Chutney
1 cup water
5 tsp sugar
3 tsp vinegar
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp mustard powder
6 apples cut up in thin wedges
1/2 cup raisins
Combine all ingredients and simmer on the top of the stove for 45 minutes.
