“Jocon – Guatemalan Herbal Chicken”
From a British cookery book: thus, in British terms.
A 4-pound (weight) chicken
4 tablespoons corn oil
2 - 4 garlic cloves, chopped
6 - 8 spring onions (scallions), bulbs and leaves, chopped
4 - 6 leaves spinach, chopped
Half a bulb of fennel, chopped
2 sticks celery, chopped
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
2 - 3 green tomatoes, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
2 - 4 fresh green cayenne chillies
salt
SPICES – roasted and ground:
8 green cardamom pods
1 teaspoon coriander seeds (in America, are these called “cilantro seeds” – or coriander?)
1 teaspoon seeds from any chillies
GARNISH
whole fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves
whole chives
chilli powder
Quarter the chicken, skin and clean it. Put it, and its liver, neck and giblets, into a large casserole dish. Add 1 pint boiling water and place in an oven preheated to 375 degrees F / 190 degrees C / gas mark 5.
During this stage, heat the oil in the frying pan. Stir-fry the spices for 30 seconds. Add the garlic and stir-fry for a further 30 seconds, then add the spring onions (scallions) and stir-fry for about 10 minutes.
As soon as this mixture is ready, pulse it in a blender or food processor along with the other ingredients, using enough water to achieve a runny paste.
Stir-fry this paste for about 5 minutes. Then, when the casserole has cooked for about 20 minutes, add the paste to the casserole.
Return the casserole to the oven for a further 30 minutes, inspecting it about halfway through the cooking time and adding a little water if needed. Add salt to taste.
Serve the chicken on the bone, garnished with the whole fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves and chives and a sprinkling of chilli powder.