1 small brown onion, sliced

1 celery stalk, cut in pieces

2 cardamom pods, crushed

1 clove

1 cinnamon quill

1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns

sea salt

800g double chicken breast on the

bone, skin on

For the rice

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

40g butter

1 small brown onion, finely diced

150g lean minced lamb

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp ground allspice

¼ tsp ground cumin

¼ tsp ground coriander

1 cup long grain rice, rinsed well

1/2 cup roasted pine nuts

¼ cup roasted flaked almonds

handful of coriander leaves

Serves 4

Place onion, celery, spices and a pinch of salt into a small saucepan. Place the chicken, skin down, and fill with enough water to cover. Bring to boil then lower heat and simmer gently for 6 minutes.

Turn off heat and leave the chicken for 20 minutes in hot liquid. Remove and when cooled, shred chicken into large bite-sized pieces. Discard skin and bones. Strain stock through muslin and reserve.

To make the rice, heat oil and butter in a large saucepan and sauté onion with a tsp of salt on low heat until it softens, about 10 minutes. Increase heat, add lamb and sauté until all juices have evaporated. Add spices and rice and stir through for a few minutes to coat the rice. Pour in 1¼ cups of reserved chicken stock. Bring to boil, then lower heat, cover pan and simmer gently for about 10 or 12 minutes until rice is al dente.

Serve rice and shredded chicken garnished with roasted nuts and coriander.

Spicy lamb and vegetable soup with chickpeas

75g dried chickpeas, soaked overnight

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 tbsp olive oil

300g trimmed lamb shoulder, diced

into 2 1/2 cm pieces

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 brown onion, sliced

1 tsp black mustard seeds

2 tsp smoky sweet paprika

1 medium carrot, diced into 1 1/2 cm pieces

1 small potato, diced into 1 1/2 cm pieces

825ml chicken stock

handful of coriander leaves, chopped

handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped

lemon wedges, to serve

Serves 4

Drain chickpeas and cover with cold water. Do not season. Bring water to boil and simmer, skimming off froth, until they are soft, about 1 hour. About 10 minutes before end of cooking, season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Put chickpeas aside in their liquid.

Toast and grind the cumin and coriander seeds.

Heat olive oil in a deep saucepan on a high heat. Season and brown lamb pieces then remove and put to one side. Reduce heat and add garlic, onion and 1 tsp salt. Cook for 8 minutes then add ground spices, mustard seeds and paprika and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Return meat to pan, add carrot, stir, then cover with stock. Bring to boil and simmer for 30 minutes, skimming any fat regularly.

Drain chickpeas and add to soup with the potato. Simmer for another 10 minutes, until potato is just cooked.

Check seasoning, ladle soup into soup bowls, garnish with freshly chopped herbs and serve with lemon wedges.

Hot tips

To make the chicken rice into a banquet, serve with minted yoghurt, tabouli, hummus and some flat bread.

Take a shortcut when making the soup and add tinned chickpeas. Just rinse, add at the end and fold through to warm.

The soup is also great with cooked white beans, borlotti beans or lentils. Cooked short pasta makes a welcome addition, too.

Something to drink

Grüner veltliner

Grown mostly in Austria, the grüner veltliner grape is made into various white varieties. The Prager Hinter Der Burg 2011 ($31) has a white-pepper spiciness. The acidity on the finish chimes with the coriander and parsley, while providing a foil to the lamb's richness.