Make a paste of hawaij, butter or olive oil, lemon juice and salt. Marinate the chicken and refrigerate overnight or at least for an hour.
1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon butter, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon hawaij spice mix, salt to taste, 900 grams whole chicken with skin
Soak almonds in hot water, peel, slice, pat dry, fry in oil and keep aside. You may use store-bought sliced almonds.
15 almonds
Prepare chicken mandi
Preheat the oven to 200℃.
Heat oil in an oven-friendly wide-mouthed pot on the stovetop.
4 tablespoon cooking oil
Fry the almonds until golden, remove them, and keep them aside for garnish.
Add more oil if required and saute the onions until translucent and then switch off the stove.
1 large onion
Add the drained rice, whole spices and raisins, green chillies, water and salt to taste.
2 cups basmati rice, 6 cloves, 4 green cardamom, 10 black peppercorns, 1 inch cinnamon stick, 2 bay leaf, 1 tablespoon raisins, 3 to 5 green chillies, 3 cups water, salt to taste
Place a wire rack over the pot or keep the pot under the wire rack in the oven or use a thick foil and cover the rice pot. If using the foil method, make a few holes all over the foil before you place the chicken over it.
Place the marinated chicken over the wire or foil.
Keep this on the lower level of the oven and bake for 20 mins.
Reduce the temperature to 150℃ and bake for 1 hour and 30 mins or until the chicken dripping is reduced or stopped. If you use a wire rack, you may stir the rice once during the baking time but with the foil method that is not easy.
Smoke the chicken and rice
Remove the chicken and rice from the oven.
Start burning the charcoal piece.
1 piece charcoal
Fluff up the rice, place the chicken on the bed of rice, tuck a few lemon slices, and pour the saffron water all over the rice and chicken.
lemon slices
Place a foil cup or a small steel bowl inside the rice pot tucked well so that it doesn't topple. Add a splash of oil into the cup.
1 teaspoon oil
Pick the fully burnt charcoal using tongs and carefully place it into the foil cup - it will start smoking up immediately so cover it with a tight lid or foil and you may also use a kitchen towel to trap the smoke inside. You may also place the chicken and rice back into the oven and do the smoking process inside the oven itself.
Let it sit for at least 10 minutes to infuse the smoky flavour to the chicken and rice.
Prepare Zahawiq
Meanwhile, prepare the dip by grinding all the ingredients together in a chopper and adjusting the flavours as per your taste.
2 large tomatoes, 2 garlic cloves, 2 green chillies, 1 pinch cumin seeds, lemon juice to taste, ½ bunch Fresh coriander leaves, salt to taste, 1 sprig fresh mint leaves
Serve Yemeni chicken mandi garnished with fried nuts and lemon slices with prepared zahawiq (Salata Hara), yoghurt, and some salad!