Stuffed Figs with Chicken & Tamarind Sauce
Ingredients
- 18 large figs fresh or dried
- olive oil
The filling:
- 1 onion medium. chopped finely
- olive oil for frying
- 1 whole chicken breast cut into 1/4 inch cubes
- 1/4 teaspoon cardamom freshly ground
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
- pinch ground cloves
- salt
The sauce:
- 100 grams tamarind paste (can be purchased in health food stores or Middle Eastern stores)
- 2 figs fresh or dried
- 1 liter ice water
- 2 ½ tablespoons brown sugar
Alternatives:
- 4 tablespoons brown sugar + juice from 1/2 lemon can be used instead of tamarind paste
Instructions
The Filling
- Fry the onion in a small amount of olive oil.
- Add the cubed chicken and spices.
- Stir until the chicken turns white.
- Adjust seasonings.
- Remove from heat.
- Cool.
- * For a vegetarian version, substitute mushrooms for the chicken. Chef Basson recommends a combination of button and oyster mushrooms.
The Sauce
- Dilute the tamarind paste in a saucepan with a little hot water.
- Chop the figs and add them.
- Add the water, cinnamon and brown sugar.
- Bring to a boil.
- Cook until reduced and all flavors have melded.
- Remove from heat.
- * Tamarind comes from the Hebrew: ~tamar hindi~, meaning Indian fig.
Assembly & Cooking
- If using fresh figs, open the tops and hollow them out with a little spoon, taking care not to rip the edges or bottom.
- If using dried figs, simply massage the fig with your fingers to soften and cut a little slit at one end (no need to remove anything).
- Fill with stuffing mixture and close the slit over the stuffing so it doesn’t show.
- Fresh figs: Add to the pot only for the last 10 minutes of cooking the sauce.
- Dried figs: cook for 15-20 minutes, taking care not to let the sauce burn or dry out.
- Sauce should be thick like syrup.
- You can take out the figs and reduce the sauce to the desired consistency before serving.
- Add sugar if the sauce is to tart for you.
Notes
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