Poul Ak Nwa
Haiti's north-coast Sunday dish: chicken leg quarters braised in a tomato-and-cashew gravy, toasted cashew halves scattered through.
Overview
A Sunday dish from Cap-Haïtien on Haiti's north coast where cashews have been a regional cash crop since colonial times. The dish translates as "chicken with cashews" and the nut is everywhere: ground into powder and whisked into the gravy as a thickener (the technique parallels almond-and-walnut gravies in West African and Levantine cookery), and added whole-toasted near the end for texture. The flavour is unexpectedly creamy, like a cashew-cream sauce that happens to be tomato-based; mellow, sweet, faintly nutty, sat over a base of Haitian épis (the green seasoning paste of parsley, scallion, garlic, bell pepper, thyme and lime that's the foundation of most Haitian cookery). A whole habanero in the bouquet garni adds quiet heat. Smell is roasted cashews and tomato paste with thyme drifting through. Not difficult but not quick, 3-4 hours of marinating, then 45 minutes of cooking, and the bouquet garni technique (wrapping herbs in cheesecloth) gives a clean, herb-free finished sauce. Served at Haitian Sunday tables on the north coast over white rice with sliced avocado on the side; the cashew sweetness and the buttery avocado are the pairing that makes it.
Ingredients
Bouquet garni (wrap in cheesecloth)
- 6 sprigs thyme
- 4 sprigs parsley
- 2 scallions
- 1 habanero (whole)
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 4 cloves
- 4 garlic cloves
Chicken and braise
- 4 chicken leg quarters (each cut into 2 pieces)
- 6 oz (~170 g) épis (Haitian green seasoning)
- Canola oil for searing
- 6 oz (~170 g) tomato paste
- 1 litre chicken stock (or broth)
- 2 tablespoons cashews (ground to powder)
- ½ cup toasted cashew halves
- ½ green bell pepper (julienned)
- ½ yellow onion (julienned)
- salt
- pepper
To serve
- White rice
- Sliced avocado
Method
Stage 1 - Bouquet and marinate
- Wrap the bouquet garni ingredients in a square of cheesecloth; tie with string.
- Season the chicken pieces with the épis (Haitian green seasoning), salt and pepper.
- Marinate 3-4 hours, overnight ideal.
Stage 2 - Sear
- Heat a generous slick of canola oil in a heavy pot over medium-high.
- Sear the chicken in batches, 3 minutes per side, until deeply golden.
- Set aside on a plate.
Stage 3 - Tomato-cashew base
- Reduce heat to low.
- Add the tomato paste; cook 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, until it darkens slightly.
- Pour in the chicken stock; whisk to dissolve the paste.
- Whisk in the ground cashew powder until smooth.
Stage 4 - Braise
- Return the chicken and any juices to the pot.
- Add the bouquet garni.
- Simmer covered 30 minutes until 75°C / 165°F internal.
Stage 5 - Cashews and vegetables
- Toast the cashew halves in a dry pan over medium heat 3-4 minutes until golden (or use pre-toasted).
- Add the toasted cashew halves, julienned onion and bell pepper to the pot.
- Cook uncovered 7 more minutes, stirring once or twice.
Stage 6 - Serve
- Discard the bouquet garni.
- Taste; adjust salt.
- Plate over white rice with sliced avocado on the side.
Notes
- Épis is the Haitian flavour base: a fresh paste of parsley, scallion, garlic, bell pepper, thyme, lime juice and oil. Recipes online; or substitute Caribbean green seasoning.
- Ground cashews thicken AND flavour: the powder dissolves into the sauce as both a thickener and a flavour. Whole nuts at the end add texture but the powder does most of the work.
- Bouquet garni for a clean sauce: removing the aromatics in one bundle keeps the finished dish from being a herb-and-pepper hunt.
Storage
- Keeps 3 days refrigerated; reheats well, the cashew sauce deepens overnight.
- Freezes 2 months. Thaw overnight; reheat gently.
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