2 ½cupsmedium-grain Mediterranean-style rice, such as arborio, baldo, or Valencia. I used arborio
1Tbspsalt, or to taste
About 4 lbs whole chicken legs and/or breasts
About 1/2 lb daikon radish
¼cuppeanut oil or vegetable oil
2medium onions(3/4 lb), coarsely chopped
2medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped
2cupswater(original recipe calls for 4 cups but I found it too much and the rice is too "moist")
About 1 lb peeled pumpkin or winter squash, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
ACCOMPANIMENTS
¾cupblack vinegar or cider vinegar, diluted ith 1/4 cup water, or to taste
2lemons, cut into wedges
Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Rinse the rice well with cold water. Place it in a medium bowl with enough lukewarm water to cover it in by an inch, stir in 1 tsp of the salt, and set aside to soak
Remove the excess fat from the chicken. Finely chop about 3 Tbsp fat and set aside. Traditionally the skin is left on, for extra flavor and succulence; remove and discard if you wish. Use a cleaver to chop the chicken into approximately 2-inch pieces, leaving the bones in. Rinse and set aside
Peel the daikon and grate it on a coarse grater, or cut it into match sticks. You will have about 2 cups. Set aside
Heat the oil in a large wide heavy pot over medium heat. Add the reserved chicken fat and render it (over medium heat, the fat will melt into the oil, leaving some small crispy cracklings). Scoop out the cracklings and save it for toppings if you like. Raise the heat to high and when the oil and fat are nearly smoking, add 1 tsp of the salt. Carefully slide the chicken pieces into the oil and start to brown them (you may need to do this in batches if your pot is not big enough to accommodate all)
After several minutes, add the onions. Cook until the chicken is browned on all sides, then add the daikon and tomatoes and stir well. Lower the heat slightly and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring if the vegetables are sticking at all. The daikon should have softened and the tomato will be starting to disintegrate
Add the water and the remaining 1 tsp salt, raise the heat, and bring to a vigorous boil. Lower the heat to medium and boil gently, partly covered, for 10 minutes. Taste the broth and adjust the seasoning if necessary
Drain the soaked rice and sprinkle it into the broth. The liquid should cover the rice by 1/2 inch, add a little hot water if necessary. Bring to a boil, then cover tightly and lower the heat to medium, and cook for 5 minutes. The water will now be just level with the top of the rice
Distribute the pumpkin pieces over the rice. Cover tightly once more, lower the heat to very low, and cook for 30 minutes
Remove the pot from the heat and let stand for 10 minutes before removing the lid
Serve with black vinegar, lemon and freshly ground black pepper if you like