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The king dish of Marocco
I regularly receive questions about Moroccan cuisine. The question I am asked the most is what I think is the most delicious dish. I can honestly say that all dishes from the Moroccan kitchen make me happy and that is because I grew up with them. Almost all dishes have a special meaning to me; a beautiful memory attached to it.
If I am forced to choose a dish, I think Bastilla with chicken is the most delicious. The combination between savory (herbs and spices), fresh (pickled oranges or lemons), sweet (nuts, sugar and orange blossom water), creamy (poultry mix) and crispy (nuts and phyllo dough) makes this dish a true taste bomb.
To the untrained tongue, this seems like an unpalatable dish. Very often I have been told by people that it is an impossible combination. Just as often, after tasting this delicious dish, I received compliments from those same people.
Serving amount: 8 people
Ingredients
Filling 1
· ½ bunch of coriander
· ½ bunch of parsley
· 1 kg chicken thigh fillet (skinless and boneless)
· 750 g onion rings
· sunflower oil for baking
· 3 table spoons (tbsp) ginger powder
· 1 tbsp cinnamon powder
· Salt
· Freshly grounded pepper
· 500 ml chicken bouillon
· 1 pickled orange
· 100 g of raisins
· 6 eggs
Filling 2
· 100 g of baked almonds
· 70 g of sugar
· 1 tbsp orange blossom water
Rest of the ingredients
· 50 g butter
· 50 ml of sunflower oil
· 1 pack of phyllo dough
· powdered sugar to taste
· cinnamon powder to taste
Extra props:
· Oven tray
· Frying pan
· Grinder
· (Nonstick) Baking paper
Preparation method
Pre-Preparation
1. Preheat the oven to 180 ºC.
Cooking:
Filling 1
2. Pick the coriander and parsley and chop up finely.
3. Fry the chicken thighs and onion rings in a little bit of oil on low heat until it is golden brown.
4. Add the ginger powder, cinnamon powder, salt and freshly ground pepper and fry the spices for 1 minute.
5. Deglaze with (add) the chicken bouillon and add the coriander and parsley.
6. Cover the pan and simmer over low heat for 1 hour until the chicken thighs are tender.
7. Remove the cooked chicken thighs from the pan and reduce the bouillon by half.
8. Cut the skin of the pickled orange into thin strips.
9. Add the sliced skin of the pickled oranges and the raisins and bind the sauce with the eggs by adding and stirring one by one.
10. Let the sauce boil on low heat for 3 minutes and then let cool.
11. Tear the cooked and now cooled chicken thighs into strips and add to the (egg) sauce.
Filling 2
12. Grind the almonds with the sugar and season with orange blossom water.
Setting up the Bastilla
13. Melt the butter and add the oil.
14. Brush one sheet of phyllo dough with the butter-oil mixture and place another sheet of phyllo dough on top.
15. Lubricate this with the butter-oil mixture and scoop the nut mixture in the middle.
16. Place a sheet of phyllo dough on top and coat with the butter-oil mixture.
17. Spoon the cooled chicken mixture on top.
18. Now fold the sides inwards and also grease the sides with the butter-oil mixture.
19. When the chicken mixture is well wrapped, turn the Bastilla over and place it folded side down on a baking tray covered with baking paper.
20. Grease the top of the Bastilla again with the butter-oil mixture.
21. Bake the Bastilla for 20 minutes in the oven until golden brown and crispy.
Serving
22. Place the golden brown and crispy baked Bastilla on a plate and sprinkle liberally with the icing sugar and the cinnamon powder.
Tips for serving & Picture/video
- Serve immediately, then the phyllo dough is still crispy.
- Preferably eat this Bastilla with your hands, so that you can fully enjoy this king's meal!
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