Recipe · Chicken
Medieval Blank Maunger (Chicken, Almond Milk, and Rice)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb boneless chicken thighs or breast (stands in for capon)
- 4 cups water or light chicken broth, for poaching
- 1 cup blanched almonds, plus 1/4 cup more for garnish
- 3/4 cup short-grain white rice (or medium-grain), rinsed
- 2 tbsp butter or neutral oil (the original “white grece”)
- 2 to 3 tbsp sugar, or to taste
- 3/4 tsp salt, or to taste
- Optional: a pinch of ground ginger or white pepper
Directions
- Poach the chicken in the water or broth until just cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. Lift it out and shred the meat finely. Keep the poaching liquid.
- Grind or blend the 1 cup blanched almonds with about 2 cups of the warm poaching liquid until smooth. Strain through a fine cloth or mesh if you want a silkier milk, pressing hard; you should get about 2 cups almond milk. Top up with more poaching liquid if needed.
- Put the rice and almond milk in a saucepan. Simmer gently, stirring often, until the rice is soft and the mixture is thick, 20 to 25 minutes. Add a splash more liquid if it sticks.
- Stir in the shredded chicken, butter or oil, sugar, and salt. Cook a few minutes more until thick enough to mound on a spoon (the original says chargeaunt, stiff). Taste and adjust sugar and salt.
- Toast or lightly fry the remaining almonds in a little butter or oil until golden. Serve the blank maunger warm in bowls, scattered with the fried almonds.
Slow cooker option
Poach and shred the chicken on the stove (or use leftover cooked chicken). Put the rinsed rice, almond milk (made as above, or use 2 cups unsweetened almond milk mixed with 1/2 cup of the poaching broth), salt, and sugar in the slow cooker. Cook on high 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring once or twice, until thick. Stir in the chicken and butter for the last 15 minutes. Finish with fried almonds.
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