Ingredients
| 2 dried red chillies | |
| 4 cloves garlic, peeled | |
| 1 teaspoon sweet paprika | |
| ½ teaspoon ground cumin | |
| 2 tablespoons olive oil | |
| 15g (1 tablespoon) butter | |
| 4 bone-in chicken legs (drumsticks and thighs) or 1 kg bone-in chicken, skin on | |
| 2 red onions, finely chopped | |
| 250g (1½ cups) canned chickpeas, rinsed, or cooked dried chickpeas | |
| salt and pepper | |
| finely chopped coriander, to garnish |
Chtitha is one of the most popular Algerian sauces – especially common with chicken and chickpeas. It is generally prepared with a simple dersa garlic-chilli paste as its base. While it typically uses dried chillies or cayenne pepper, you can also use a fresh red chilli in the dersa if desired.
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Instructions
| 1. | To make a dersa paste, cut the chillies open, shake out the seeds and put the flesh into a small bowl. |
| 2. | Cover with hot water and leave to soak for 30 minutes; drain. |
| 3. | Transfer to a mortar with the garlic, paprika and cumin and using a pestle, pound to a paste. |
| 4. | Season with salt and pepper and stir in 60ml (¼ cup) water to loosen. Set aside. |
| 5. | Heat the oil and butter in a large pot or casserole dish (Dutch oven) over a medium-high heat, add the chicken and onions, season with salt and pepper and cook until the chicken is browned on each side, about 10 minutes. |
| 6. | Stir in the dersa paste and turn the chicken to coat. |
| 7. | dd the chickpeas and 175ml (¾ cup) water, mostly cover the pot with a lid, reduce the heat to medium and cook until the chicken is tender, about 45 minutes. It should be saucy. |
| 8. | Add a touch of water if needed. Scatter over the coriander to garnish and serve. |
This is an edited extract
from The North African
Cookbook by Jeff
Koehler, photography
by Simon Bajada,
published by Phaidon,
$80, phaidon.com.