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Lebanese poussin with spiced aubergine pilaf

Sara Buenfeld's Lebanese poussin for two: Halal poussins roasted with allspice and pomegranate molasses beside aubergine, with a pine nut, currant and herb pilaf cooked in Halal chicken stock.

Levantine · Main · Easy · 2 portions · 60 min

Each method follows published technique for the dish, and every Halal substitution is checked against the ingredient pages we cite. Photographs come from our ingredient library rather than the finished dish.

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Why Halal checks matter here

The dish is 2 small poussins, which are Halal only from Halal-slaughtered birds, and the pilaf is cooked in 200 ml of chicken stock, which is a chicken product.

Halal-critical ingredients

• Poussins: A poussin is a young chicken, a Halal bird, but slaughter decides, and poultry without a Halal mark doesn't say how the bird was slaughtered. Buy the poussins from a Halal butcher or in a certified pack. See Chicken.
• Chicken stock: Bought chicken stock is a chicken product, and the UK's mainstream stock cubes contain uncertified chicken or meat fat. Use a Halal-certified chicken stock or a vegan vegetable stock. See Stock cubes.

Ingredients

Poussins and aubergine

• 1 aubergine, roughly diced
• 1 tbsp olive oil, plus a little extra
• 2 Halal small poussins
• 2 good pinches allspice
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses

Pilaf

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 100 g basmati rice
• 2 tbsp pine nuts
• ¼ tsp allspice
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• good pinch ground cloves
• 200 ml hot Halal-certified chicken stock, or vegetable stock
• 2 tbsp currants
• 1 large tomato, chopped
• 1 tbsp chopped mint, plus leaves to serve
• 1 tbsp chopped dill, plus leaves to serve
• optional sumac, to sprinkle (optional)

Method

1. Roast the poussins. Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan, gas 4). Toss the aubergine in 1 tbsp oil, tip it into a large roasting tin and push it to the sides to make room for the poussins. Rub a little oil on the birds, sprinkle with the pinches of allspice, salt and plenty of black pepper, put a bay leaf inside each and roast for 35 minutes. Start the pilaf about 10 minutes in so everything is ready together.
2. Start the pilaf. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a medium pan and fry the onion for 5 to 8 minutes until golden. Stir in the rice and pine nuts for about 1 minute, then the ¼ tsp allspice, the cinnamon and cloves. Pour in the stock, stir in the currants, cover and cook for 7 minutes.
3. Finish the pilaf. Uncover, add the tomato, mint and dill, cover again and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more until the stock is absorbed and the rice is tender. Keep warm, covered.
4. Glaze the poussins. When the poussins have had 35 minutes, drizzle the pomegranate molasses over them and roast for 10 minutes more, until they and the aubergine are tender.
5. Serve. Rest the poussins for a few minutes while you toss the aubergine into the pilaf. Serve the birds whole or portioned on top of the pilaf, scattered with dill and mint leaves and a little sumac if you like.

Allergens

pine nuts, gluten (in some stock; the source suggests a gluten-free one if needed)

How this recipe was researched

Method adapted from BBC Good Food's 'Lebanese poussin with spiced aubergine pilaf' by Sara Buenfeld, which describes it as a Middle Eastern-style meal (serves 2: oven at 200°C (180°C fan, gas 4); a roughly diced aubergine tossed in 1 tbsp olive oil and pushed to the sides of a large roasting tin; 2 small poussins rubbed with oil, sprinkled with 2 good pinches of allspice, salt and black pepper, a bay leaf inside each, roasted 35 minutes; the pilaf started about 10 minutes in: a thinly sliced onion fried 5 to 8 minutes in 1 tbsp oil, 100 g basmati and 2 tbsp pine nuts stirred 1 minute, ¼ tsp allspice, ½ tsp cinnamon and a good pinch of cloves, 200 ml hot chicken stock and 2 tbsp currants, covered 7 minutes; a large chopped tomato, 1 tbsp each chopped mint and dill added, covered 2 to 3 minutes more; the poussins drizzled with 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses and roasted 10 minutes more; the aubergine tossed into the pilaf, the poussins served whole or portioned on top with mint, dill and optional sumac). We specified Halal poussins and a Halal-certified chicken stock or a vegetable stock; nothing else needed changing. Timings follow the published technique rather than a kitchen test.

Photograph from our ingredient library: a roast chicken, not the finished dish from this recipe.