Frika stuffed chicken

Clean the chicken cavity with kitchen roll, rinse it gently and separate the skin from the meat with your fingers over each breast and the thighs.

Blend two medium onions with half a teaspoon each of black pepper and ground cardamom and two teaspoons of salt until roughly chopped into a marinade.

Press a handful of the marinade into the cavity, place another handful between each breast and the skin and on the legs, and spread any leftovers over the outside.

Marinate at least two hours, six to eight recommended.

Soak a cup of frika about two hours, washing it a few times until the water stays clear; the grains double in size.

Add two tablespoons olive oil to a pot over medium heat with a bay leaf to infuse, then add two onions in a small dice and saute four to five minutes until softened.

Add one and a half teaspoons salt, one teaspoon black pepper, three quarters of a teaspoon baharat and a quarter teaspoon each cardamom and cinnamon, mix, then add the frika and mix again.

Add one and a half cups of water, cover and bring to a light boil over medium, then turn to low and cook 45 minutes to an hour until the grains are soft and fluffy.

Mix in three teaspoons of sumac, take out a few spoonfuls of frika to stuff the chicken and spread it on a plate to cool.

Cook the rest another 15 minutes, turn off the heat and steam it 20 minutes with the lid on.

Pull as much marinade as you can from between the skin and the meat and out of the cavity.

Transfer the chicken to a baking tray and loosely fill the cavity with the cooled frika, not packed in.

Fold the flaps of skin over each other and sew them together with a toothpick, alternating sides, then tie the legs with butcher's twine.

Pour over olive oil and massage it into the skin.

Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for one to one and a quarter hours, depending on size; the stuffing, breasts and thighs should read at least 74 degrees Celsius, and foil the bird if it is done before the stuffing.

Fill a serving platter with the steamed frika, put the chicken on top and garnish with fried almonds and chopped parsley.