Food : Rice, nuts & raisins (Roz bel khalta) رز بالخلطه

This is a traditional dish served on Coptic Christmas day on the 7th of January and/or parties, making the best use of the turkey or chicken liver & gizzards after long fast.

Rice Ingredients:

2 ½ - 3 cups water
2 cups rice
1 large onion finely chopped/grated
½ tsp treacle

1 tbsp butter

½ tsp Salt

¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp allspice

¼ tsp black pepper

1 cardamom pod

Mixture (khalta) Ingredients:

¼ kilo chicken liver and gizzards, cut in small cubes

1 large onion finely chopped/grated

½ cup nuts (Almond + hazelnut + raisins + pine nuts) all in your preferred quantity 

½ cup raisins

2 tbsp butter / ghee / olive oil /or mix

2 tbsp vinegar (red, wine vinegar, balsamic or your favorite)
1 cardamom pods

¼ 

tsp salt     

¼ tsp cinnamon

¼ black pepper   

Mixture (khalta) Directions:

1.     cut the chicken liver & gizzards into small cubs, cover with vinegar and set aside

2.     soak the nuts in boiling water for 2-3 minutes for the almonds slightly more and for the hazelnuts slightly more until you can rub off their sheath
3.   drain the cubed chicken liver & gizzards from vinegar

4.    heat the butter and add chicken liver, gizzards stir till all brown on the outside

5.   add nuts and stir (if you prefer some crunch, you can toast all nuts in a hot oven for 5 minutes)

6.   add raisins and stir
7.   add cardamom, salt, cinnamon & pepper and stir then cover till done 

8.   remove from heat and leave aside while preparing the rice

Rice Directions:

1.     wash & drain the rice

2.    add about tbsp butter / ghee /olive oil /or mix and fry the onion till dark gold, add the rice & the cardamom keep stirring till the rice is dark gold

3.     then add the fried water, cinnamon, treacle, allspice, salt & pepper and bring to a rolling boil

4.     as soon as it boils turn the heat down to minimum to cook

Serving:

1.     you may mix the rice + mixture all together

or

2.     in the serving plate , first serve rice,then add on the top the liver and top it up with the nuts & raisins mixture

or

       3. in a mold put the liver and the mixture at the bottom then put the rice mixture over it. Flip the mold over on a large serving plate

or
     4. as photo below put the rice in a mold with a cavity in the middle and after you flip the mold over, put the   mixture in the center cavity