SAYA’S GRANDMA’S STUFFED CHICKEN
Saya’s Grandmothers’s Recipe
Morjh Shekampor (Stuffed Chicken – Persian style)
“This is my grandmother’s (Nana) recipe. She passed away in Tehran two years ago when I was in Australia in Community Detention. I cannot express how difficult and painful this was at this time.
My best memories of my grandmother were of her cooking. Her house smelt of Persian spices especially saffron. I can smell it now. She used saffron in so many recipes – she even made saffron tea. She loved cooking stuffed chicken. She’d go to the market early in the morning with her bright red lipstick on dressed in her white and smokey grey frock. She would buy a whole chicken for 95 cents, fresh from the farm. Every meal she would cook Persian rice with potato and saffron. Her rice cakes were the BEST.
My Grandmother loved bright red lipstick and you would see her bright red lips in amongst her jet black hair, fair skin and big breasts. She’d wear her lipstick out shopping, to meet her friends and visiting family. Our family had big respect for my Nana, she was precious to all of us despite at times being nitpicky/ grumpy at her husband. Every day my Nana took a nap between 12.30 until 2.30 so none of us called her during this time. She loved to travel around Iran. She loved her country. She saw many changes over the years and would be the first to help others who were in need of support.
I miss my Nana. I still talk to her. I really miss her cinnamon and apple cake and her formidable presence in the family.”
Ingredients:
Butter for chicken and stuffing
Breadcrumbs for stuffing
200 grams of walnuts
Sultanas
1 grated red onion
Grated 4 cloves of garlic
Chopped parsley
Pomegranate sauce
Pepper
Paprika
Tumeric
Salt and pepper
Saffron
1 whole chicken
Method:
Boil chicken for 15 minutes.
Let chicken cool.
Rub chicken with butter, saffron, turmeric, salt and pepper.
Make STUFFING:
Mix together breadcrumbs, melted butter, walnuts, sultanas, grated onion, crushed garlic, parsley and pomegranate sauce.
Put stuffing into the chicken cavity.
Bake for 45 minutes at 180 degrees celsius.
