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1
Stew the Chicken
40 Mins
Gentle simmer, about 95°C (200°F)
Heat 15 ml of the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Fry the onion for 3 minutes until soft, then add the red pepper and garlic and fry for 2 minutes more. Stir in the achiote and cumin, add the chicken pieces and brown them for 5 minutes, then add the tomato and the chicken stock. Cover and simmer gently for 30 minutes, until the chicken is tender and the juices run clear, and the meat reaches 74°C (165°F) inside.
Keep the simmer gentle — a hard boil toughens the chicken and clouds the sauce.
Done when: The chicken is tender and pulls easily from the bone; the sauce is rich and reddish-gold.
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2
Cook the Yellow Rice
20 Mins
Low heat, about 95°C (200°F)
While the chicken simmers, put the rinsed rice in a pot with 450 ml of water, half the salt and a pinch of achiote. Bring to the boil, stir once, cover tightly, lower the heat and cook for 15 minutes without lifting the lid. Take it off the heat and rest it for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
Do not lift the lid while the rice cooks — the steam is what finishes it.
Done when: The rice is fluffy, separate and golden yellow, with no water left in the pot.
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3
Make the Peanut Sauce
10 Mins
Low heat, about 90°C (195°F)
Put the peanut butter in a small pan with 100 ml of water, the lime juice and a pinch of salt. Warm over low heat, stirring all the time, until the sauce is thick, smooth and glossy — about 8 minutes. It should coat a spoon and hold a ribbon when you lift the spoon out.
Stir without stopping or the peanut sauce catches on the bottom of the pan.
Done when: The sauce is thick, glossy and smooth, like a soft paste rather than a soup.
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4
Fry the Plantain
8 Mins
Medium heat, about 170°C (340°F)
Heat the rest of the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Fry the plantain slices for about 3 minutes on each side, until soft, deep golden and caramelised at the edges. Lift them out and drain briefly on a plate lined with a paper napkin.
Ripe plantain burns fast — watch the colour and take it out as soon as it is golden.
Done when: The plantain is soft all the way through, golden with darker caramel edges.
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5
Pack the Parcels
10 Mins
No heat
Lay a softened bijao leaf flat, shiny side down. Spoon a quarter of the yellow rice into the centre, ladle over a chicken piece with plenty of its stew juices, lay a piece of fried plantain alongside, and spoon over the peanut sauce. Scatter with cilantro, fold the leaf over the filling and tie it with a strip of leaf so the parcel holds.
Pack while everything is hot — the leaf keeps the meal warm for hours.
Done when: Each parcel is a neat, tied bundle about the size of a small book, with no filling spilling out.
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6
Rest and Open at the Table
5 Mins
No heat
Let the parcels rest for 5 minutes so the rice soaks up the stew juices. Serve each tonga still wrapped, and open it at the table — the leaf is the plate. Eat the rice, chicken, plantain and peanut sauce together, in the same mouthful, with a glass of fresh fruit juice.
Open the leaf away from you so the steam escapes without burning your hands.
Done when: The leaf opens to a steaming mound of yellow rice, tender chicken, golden plantain and peanut sauce.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve the tonga still wrapped in its leaf, opened at the table. The pleasure of the dish is in the opening — the steam, the smell of the leaf, and the yellow rice, chicken, plantain and peanut sauce all together on the green leaf.
Ecuador
30m
