Fat Rice

The generous pot of aromatic rice, curry-scented chicken, and (much) more
can be traced back to Macau, the former Portuguese colony in China, where
it’s almost always served at home.

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Ingredients

6 Servings

Marinated Chicken

• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp. smoked paprika
• 2 tsp. curry powder
• 2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 6 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs (about 3 lb.
• ½ cup golden raisins
• 2 Tbsp. Sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar

Soffritto

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• Kosher salt
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 tsp. (or more) Sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
• ½ tsp. smoked paprika
• Freshly ground black pepper

Rice

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 2 oz. cured Spanish chorizo, thinly sliced
• 3½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups jasmine rice, rinsed
• 4 oz. Chinese sausage or andouille sausage, thinly sliced

Prawns and Clams

• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp. fermented black beans (optional)
• 1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh cilantro stems
• 1 Tbsp. finely chopped pickled chiles (such as serrano or jalapeño)
• 6 large head-on prawns
• 1 lb. Manila clams, scrubbed
• ½ cup dry white wine
• Kosher salt

Assembly

• 2 Tbsp. gochugaru (coarse Korean red pepper powder)
• ½ tsp. cayenne pepper
• ½ tsp. kosher salt
• 2 lemons, quartered, seeds removed
• Halved hard-boiled eggs
• oil-cured black olives
• green Spanish olives
• pickled chiles (such as serrano or jalapeño)
• pickled sweet peppers (such as Peppadew or cherry)
• thinly sliced scallions (for serving)

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Preparation

Marinated Chicken

1. Whisk garlic, lemon juice, paprika, curry powder, and turmeric in a medium bowl; add chicken and toss to coat.

2. Cover and chill at least 6 hours.

(DO AHEAD: Chicken can be marinated 1 day ahead. Keep chilled. raisins)

1. Bring raisins, vinegar, and 2 Tbsp. water to a boil in a small saucepan,
   reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until liquid evaporates, 8–10 minutes.

(Raisins can be prepared 3 days ahead. Let cool, then cover and chill. Soffritto)

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add bell peppers and onion;
   season with salt. Cook, stirring often, until softened, 8–10 minutes. Reduce
   heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are caramelized,
   45–60 minutes.

2. Add garlic and tomato paste to skillet and continue to cook, stirring
   occasionally, until tomato paste begins to darken, 10–15 minutes longer.
   Mix in vinegar and paprika; season with salt and pepper.

(DO AHEAD: Soffritto can be made 3 days ahead. Let cool, then cover and chill.)

Rice

1. Remove chicken from marinade; season with salt and pepper.

2. Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a heavy 5–6-qt. pot with a lid over medium-high heat.

3. Cook chicken, skin side down, until skin is brown and crisp, 10–12 minutes;
   transfer to a plate. (You can remove bones at this point, if desired.)

4. Reduce heat to medium. Add chorizo to pot and cook, stirring often, until
   crisp, about 2 minutes; transfer to a small bowl.

5. Add soffritto to pot and cook, stirring constantly, until sizzling, about 1 minute.

6. Add broth, scraping up any browned bits; season with salt (salting liquid
   adequately here is important for flavorful rice).

7. Add rice, sausage, chorizo, and raisins. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce
   heat, arrange chicken on top, cover pot, and simmer gently, until rice is tender,
   20–25 minutes.

8. Uncover; increase heat to medium-high. Drizzle remaining 2 Tbsp. oil
   around edges of pot and cook, undisturbed, until underside of rice is crunchy,
   about 5 minutes longer.

Prawns and Clams

1. While rice is cooking, mix garlic, fermented beans, if using, cilantro stems,
   and chiles in a small bowl. Peel prawns, leaving heads and tails on.
   Devein, stuff cut side with garlic mixture, and set aside.

2. Combine clams and wine in a large skillet, cover, and cook over high heat,
   stirring often, until clams open (discard any that do not open), about 5 minutes.
   Using a slotted spoon, transfer clams to a large bowl.

3. Reduce heat to medium-low. Lightly season prawns with salt and cook in
   same skillet until opaque in the centers, about 2 minutes per side.
   Transfer prawns to bowl with clams; pour pan juices into a small bowl.

(DO AHEAD: Prawns can be stuffed 1 hour ahead. Cover and chill.)

Assembly

1. Mix gochugaru, cayenne, and salt in a small bowl. Dip cut sides of lemon
   wedges into seasoning mix.

2. Top rice with prawns and clams and drizzle with reserved pan juices.
   Top with lemon wedges, eggs, olives, pickled chiles and peppers, and scallions.

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This Recipe Is Published Here

bon appetit