Aruk

Ingrediënten

Makes about 40 patties

2lb / 1 kg chicken breast

1 big onion, thinly chopped

5 oz / 140 g flat leaf parsley, thinly chopped stalks included

2 large zucchinis, coarsely grated

2 carrots, grated

1 heaping tsp Iraqi tbit baharat (store bought or see recipe, page 233)

2 tsp salt

3 eggs

1 cup whole grain spelt flour or all-purpose flour sunflower oil for frying

Instructies

There are two ways to prepare the chicken breast: Place the chicken breast in a food-processor and blitz until it is minced.

Or, dice the chicken breast into ¼ inch / 1 cm pieces. Place into a large mixing bowl. Add the chopped onion and parsley. Blend in the zucchini and carrots.

Add the spices and mix well. Add the eggs and flour, combining into a uniform mixture. Pour the oil into a large frying pan, so that there is a layer of oil about ¼4 inch / 2 mm, or even less for a good non-stick pan. Heat the pan over medium-high heat. Scoop a spoonful of the mixture and drop it into the pan. Flatten it a bit if needed.

Fry for about 2-3 minutes on each side, turning when golden, and repeat with the rest of the mixture.

a dish: aruk. These patties please the most difficult These are not served freely. Whenever my mother caters in the family. makes them, she automatically rations the specific number of patties one may have. If you happen to walk in on her when she is frying them, she keeps an eye on you when you near the succulent batch cooling on a rack, like a veteran awk. Likewise, these are not left on the stove for any starved grandkid to walk in, lift the lid, and make a quick food-grab. Were it otherwise, the patties would be consumed within minutes. After they are meticulously allocated, the rations are hidden in the back of the fridge, saved for the lucky ones. My daughter, Sharon, learned how to cook them, then told me she felt like she had struck gold. As an added plus, you can serve them the next day, cold or

reheated, and no one complains. There is a bit of a hassle in manually cutting the

chicken breast into diced pieces, but it's totally worth the work. The diced pieces keep the chicken

tender and succulent. It is important to mention

that my daughter recently adapted this recipe to

hetic modern-day life by blitzing the chicken breast

in a food processor. She reports great success with

keeping the texture and saving time.

Another important note concerns the baharat spice

mix used in this recipe. The seasoning is comprised of

salt and baharat. That specific blend is Iraqi baharat,

the one used for tbit. It can be easily ground in-house

then kept in the freezer for future use.

Ronny likes to stuff the aruk into a bun with some

mayo, thin slices of tomato, and arugula, which turns

into an energizing grab-on-the-go.