ECUADORIAN CHAULAFAN

Rice, chicken, bacon, onion, garlic, bell peppers, peas, carrots, scrambled eggs, raisins, spices, and herbs are all ingredients in the Ecuadorian dish known as chicken chaulafan, which is a variation on Chinese fried rice. When I previously shared the recipe for arroz con pollo, some people requested that I also share the recipe for the second type of arroz con pollo made in Ecuador, known as chaulafan or chicken fried rice. 

Chaulafan comes in many various forms and can be made with a variety of ingredients, including chicken, pig, shrimp, or other shellfish. The greatest venues to enjoy a delicious chaulafan can be found in most of Ecuador's cities at chifas or Chinese eateries. I recall that 18 de Noviembre Street in Loja was home to a chifa. I used to hunger every time I passed a buddy of mine who lived on the same block because of the mouthwatering aroma of that eatery.

Ingredients 

For the chicken broth 

• 5 pounds whole chicken cut into pieces 
• 10 cups of water 1 pearl onion or white onion, diced 
• 2 carrots 
• 2 chopped celery stalks 
• 5 coriander sprigs Salt 

For the rice 

• 1 tablespoon oil or butter 
• 2 tablespoons minced pearl onion 
• 3 ¼ cups of the chicken broth 
• 3 cups of uncooked rice 

For the chaulafan 

• 2-3 tablespoons of oil 
• 3 tablespoons of butter 
• 1 cup of minced pearl onion 
• 6 garlic cloves, crushed 
• 4 oz bacon or pancetta cut into small cubes 
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped coriander 
• 2 tablespoons of aji or ground chili 
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin 
• ½ teaspoon ground annatto 
• 2 bell peppers 1 red and 1 green, diced 1 cup of cooked peas 
• 2 diced cooked carrots, about 1 cup 
• ½ cup raisins 
• 6 scrambled and boiled eggs 
• 7 tablespoons of soy sauce 
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 
• 3 tablespoons cilantro or parsley finely chopped 
• 2 bunches of spring onions or green onions 
• finely chopped Salt to taste 

To accompany 

• Avocado wedges or slices 
• chili or hot sauce 
• pickled onions 
• ketchup

Preparation 

For the broth 

1. Bring the water, carrot, onion, celery, and cilantro to a boil in a big saucepan. 
2. Cook the chicken for an hour over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until done. 
3. Take the chicken out of the soup, let it cool somewhat, and then shred the flesh, saving the shredded chicken for another use. 
4. Keep the broth closed and set it aside for the rice.

For the rice

1. Rice and diced onion are added to hot oil or butter and thoroughly mixed. Add the chicken stock next, bring to a boil until the liquid has decreased, then turn the heat to low and simmer the rice covered for about 20 minutes, or until it is tender but still firm.

For the chaulafan 

1. To make a refry or stir-fry for the chaulafan, heat 2-3 tablespoons of oil over medium heat in a wok-style pan. 
2. Add the minced onion, smashed garlic, bacon or pancetta, cumin, cilantro, ground aji or chile, and ground annatto along with 1 tablespoon each of Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce. Cook the onions for 5-8 minutes, until they are tender. 
3. Include the cooked rice, diced bell peppers, and shredded chicken. Stirring occasionally, cook the mixture for about 5 minutes over medium-high heat.
4. The remaining Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, eggs, carrots, raisins, peas or peas, and scrambled eggs should all be added. Well combine all the components.
5. Remove from heat and top with green onions and cilantro, both chopped. 
6. Serve with avocado, chile, and ketchup or tomato sauce on the side.

In Ecuador, chicken chaulafan is so widely consumed that many people just refer to it as "pollo rice." Arroz with pollo is frequently prepared chaulafan style at several places. In this recipe, I use a little amount of bacon or pancetta, but you may skip it if you don't like pig. It's extremely normal to add bits of ham and pork to the chicken chaulafan. The process of making the broth is my favorite part of making chicken chaulafan because it smells so nice and makes me think of chicken consommé, a straightforward and delectable chicken soup that is often served with a piece of chicken and topped with coriander and green onions. 

I'm reminded of how excellent homemade chicken broth is throughout the broth preparation, and if I had the time, I'd make it for all of my dishes. However, because making everything from scratch is not always possible, if you are craving chicken chaulafan but are short on time, you may still prepare a fast alternative using shredded chicken flesh. a canned chicken broth and a roast chicken from the grocery. But I can assure you that making everything from scratch is worthwhile if you have the time. Typically, fried rice, or choulafan, is served with avocado, chili, ketchup, or tomato sauce.

As always, I hope this post was beneficial and you now have more information about cooking. I encourage you to read the other entries we have on the topic if you're interested in learning more about it. I'm confident you'll find one of them to be of interest. Please let me know which dish you're interested in learning.