Okra Chicken Rice

Okras are not a vegetable easy to get here. I walked through a different part of the city. All bus driver are on strike since Tuesday and are still not back to work. This is the reason I had to walk from the parking lot and discovered a very small Lebanese shop. The fruit and veggie boxes outside caught my eye. Okra!

On the way back to my car I grabbed a plastic bag and some hands full of okra. Inside the shop was tiny and stuffed up to the ceiling with goods.

I had cooked chicken breast sitting in the fridge, a bell pepper and a whole leek. I wanted to make a one pot rice dish and Cajun cooking came to my mind.

In a cast iron pan I started with the onions, garlic and leek in 2 tbsp of oil. I closed the lid and let them steam and fry. Then I added the tomato paste and gave it a good stir.
Next came the bell pepper and the rice and that needed to get coated well.
Last came the chopped up okra and 2,5 times the amount of chicken stock.

Fresh bay leaves, oregano, marjoram and cayenne pepper, chili ancho and lots of smoked paprika and some salt and pepper.

I closed the lid and reduced the heat again and cooked it for 12 min, checking the rice and placing the chunks of chicken on top. Close the lid again and wait for 3 min to warm up the meat, stir and you are ready to serve.

Ingredients:
2 hands full of okra
1 red bell pepper
1 leek
3 spring onions
4 cloves of garlic
1 cooked chicken breast
1 cup parboiled long grain rice
2,2 cups of chicken stock
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp smoked paprika
chili ancho
cayenne pepper
2 bay leaves
2 stalks marjoram
2 stalks oregano
salt and pepper