Chicken Pulao with Pumpkin

Equipment

• A Uighur man sits in the shade with his teapot and bowl of tea, in Kashgar, in western Xinjiang .

Ingredients

• 2½ cups medium-grain Mediterranean-style rice, such as arborio, baldo, or Valencia
• 1 tablespoon salt, or to taste
• ¼ cup peanut oil or vegetable oil
• 2 medium onions (¾ pound), coarsely chopped
• 2 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped 4 cups water
• ¾ cup Jinjiang (black rice) vinegar or cider vinegar, diluted with ¼ cup water, or to taste
• 2 lemons, cut into wedges (optional)

Instructions

1. 1Gather about four pounds of whole chicken legs or breasts.
2. 2Prepare half a pound of fresh daikon radish.
3. 3Peel and cut one pound of pumpkin or winter squash into one-and-a-half-inch cubes.
4. 4Measure out freshly ground black pepper for seasoning.
5. 5Wash the rice thoroughly under cold water, transfer it to a bowl, cover with an inch of lukewarm water, mix in one teaspoon of salt, and let it soak.
6. 6Trim any excess fat from the chicken pieces, then finely chop three tablespoons of this fat and reserve it.
7. 7Leave the chicken skin intact to retain moisture, or remove and discard it.
8. 8Chop the chicken into two-inch bone-in pieces using a heavy cleaver, then rinse and set aside.
9. 9Peel and coarsely grate the daikon radish, or slice it into thin matchsticks to yield about two cups.
10. 10Warm the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat.
11. 11Stir in the reserved chopped chicken fat and cook until it renders down into crispy cracklings.
12. 12Remove the crispy cracklings from the pot once the fat melts and set them aside.
13. 13Increase the heat to high and stir in one teaspoon of salt once the oil mixture is almost smoking.
14. 14Carefully add the chopped chicken to the hot oil, turning the pieces occasionally to brown them.
15. 15Brown the chicken in batches if your pot is crowded, returning all meat to the pot before stirring in the chopped onions.
16. 16Continue cooking until the chicken browns evenly on all sides, then mix in the prepared daikon and tomatoes.
17. 17Reduce the heat slightly and cook for five minutes, stirring frequently to prevent the vegetables from sticking.
18. 18Simmer until the daikon softens and the tomatoes begin to break down into the sauce.
19. 19Pour in the water and the remaining teaspoon of salt, bring to a strong boil, then reduce the heat to medium, partially cover the pot, and simmer for ten minutes.
20. 20Check the broth for seasoning and adjust the salt if needed.
21. 21Drain the soaking rice and scatter it evenly into the pot, ensuring the broth covers the rice by half an inch and adding hot water if necessary.
22. 22Bring the pot back to a boil, cover it tightly, and cook over medium heat for five minutes until the liquid drops to the level of the rice.
23. 23Scatter the cubed pumpkin evenly over the rice, cover the pot tightly again, reduce the heat to its lowest setting, and cook for thirty minutes.
24. 24Take the pot off the heat and let it rest undisturbed for ten minutes before removing the lid.
25. 25Serve the finished dish directly from the pot, or prepare to plate it on a large serving platter.
26. 26Remove the tender pumpkin and chicken pieces carefully with tongs and set them aside if serving on a platter.
27. 27Mound the cooked rice onto a large platter using a spatula, then arrange the reserved chicken and pumpkin over the top.
28. 28Allow guests to serve themselves directly from the communal platter.
29. 29Provide serving spoons and individual plates for guests who prefer standard utensils.
30. 30Set out small bowls of the diluted black rice vinegar so guests can drizzle it over their portions.
31. 31Offer fresh lemon wedges and a pepper mill at the table for additional seasoning.
32. 32Consider making a variation using fresh quinces, which are firm, yellow fruits popular in autumn.
33. 33Cook the quinces to release their sweet and tart flavor profile.
34. 34Substitute the pumpkin with one or two peeled, cored, and chopped quinces, or use a combination of both.

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