Algerian Tli Tli B'djedj - Pasta With Chicken!

"This is our family recipe for the very traditional Algerian dish tli tli. You can make tli tli with chicken or meat - the meat recipe is slightly different & I will post it later. You can use any tiny pasta for this but traditionally homemade tli til pasta OR orzo / bird's tongue that is used. My kids love it when I use the tiny stars or shells also. Traditionally we steam the pasta for this but you can cook it for 4 minutes or so in plenty of lighty salted water before adding the sauce - the pasta needs to absorb quite a bit of the sauce so keep it undercooked.."
 
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photo by Um Safia photo by Um Safia
photo by Um Safia
photo by MeriemDZ photo by MeriemDZ
Ready In:
1hr 45mins
Ingredients:
14
Serves:
6
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ingredients

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directions

  • Cut chicken up into serving sizes (6-8 pieces)
  • Brown in a large pan with the ghee, finely chopped onions, cinnamon, ras el hanout & pepper. Add 1 cup water & cook for 10 minutes
  • Add chick peas & add enough water to cover. tomato puree & the stock cube.
  • Cover & cook on medium heat for 1 hour & a half in a pan or 40 mins in the pressure cooker on med-high. If cooking in a pan, you may need to add a little extra water.
  • Whilst the sauce is cooking, prepare the pasta & eggs.
  • Hard boil the eggs, then peel & cut into halves.
  • In a bowl, mix the pasta with 1/2 cup water & a tiny bit of olive or sunflower oil. Place in a steamer & steam for 15 minutes. Remove from steamer & separate the pasta with a little water.
  • Put the pasta in a large pan & slowly spoon in a little sauce at a time until the pasta is fully cooked & the sauce has been absorbed nicely - the pasta should be moist with a little sauce coating it - not dry.
  • Place pasta in a large dish / platter & top with the chicken pieces, egg halves & a some more sauce.
  • Serve immediately with a green salad & crusty bread.

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Reviews

  1. Good! We enjoyed it very much.I liked the boiled eggs with it,I did however use only 1/2 lbs. of orzo and 4 chickentighs the rest I did just like the recipe called for and we both enjoyed it alot,will fix it regular,thank you for sharing.
     
  2. This was very simple to make and I followed the recipe as posted. My Algerian husband loved it. I will absolutely make this again!
     
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

ABOVE: My eldest, Talha with his 'Zaar Star! I'm 29 years old and have been cooking since I was old enough to wield a wooden spoon! My Mum is a fantastic cook and both my Grandmas were great cooks too. I've also had the pleasure of working in two commercial kitchens - one which I ran and the other I was second chef of. You can find me lurking in the NA*ME (North Africa / Middle East) Forum where I am a host: http://www.recipezaar.com/bb/viewforum.zsp?f=59 and also in the Cooking for Kids Forum where I am co-host: http://www.recipezaar.com/bb/viewforum.zsp?f=34 <style>body { background: url(http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/ww141/Um_Safia/seamless%20tiles/seamlesstile1.jpg);background-repeat: repeat; }</style> I am fortunate enough to have 2 children of my own now and enjoy cooking with my eldest who is almost 8 years old. My daughter is almost 3 & has now started joining me in the kitchen & 'helping'. She likes to stand on a chair next to me, give instructions & stir. We eat food from all over the world but my husband prefers it like 'mama used to make' or in his case ''like yemma makes it'' as he is Algerian! We are currently living in the UK after living in Algeria for a while. You will notice that I have posted quite a few Algerian classics. If I had the time and the money, I would spend all day every day trying new recipes! My husband has a 'recipe score' which is this: 1: "Add it to your recipe book - I loved it and wanna eat this again soon!" 2: "Interesting....I will enjoy eating this again." 3: "I cleared my plate but don't expect me to eat this again...ever." However, I rate 'Zaar recipes the by the 'Zaar standard, so don't worry. Oh and fyi, I have a problem being negative so will probably NEVER give a rating less that 4*!!! Other than cooking, I love anything arty-crafty and enjoy painting when I get the chance, which is rarely these days. 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