Lavangi

Lavangi — Walnut and Sour Plum Stuffed Chicken

Lavangi is the signature stuffed dish of Azerbaijan's Caspian south, particularly the Talysh region. A whole chicken is filled with a fragrant paste of ground walnuts, caramelised onion and sour plum sauce, then slow-roasted until the juices run amber and the filling perfumes every bite of the meat.

Prep

35 min

Cook

110 min

Total

145 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •1 whole small chicken, about 1.5 kg / 3 lb 5 oz, skin on
• •200 g (7 oz) shelled walnuts, fresh, not rancid
• •2 large white onions, finely chopped
• •60 ml (¼ cup) sour plum paste (aloha/lavashana), see note below
• •1 tsp ground coriander seed
• •1 tsp ground black pepper
• •1 tsp dried mint, or 1 tbsp fresh, chopped
• •30 g (¼ cup) fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• •30 g (¼ cup) fresh dill or basil, finely chopped
• •1 tsp salt, adjust to taste
• •30 ml (2 tbsp) melted butter or olive oil, for basting
• •60 ml (¼ cup) hot water or stock, for the roasting pan

Steps

1. 1 Prepare the filling: Fry the finely chopped onion in a little oil over medium heat until deep golden, 10–12 minutes. Cool slightly.
2. 2 Grind the walnuts in a food processor to a coarse paste — they should release their oil but not turn into butter. Tip into a bowl.
3. 3 Stir the fried onion (with its oil), sour plum paste, ground coriander, black pepper, dried mint, fresh herbs and salt into the walnuts. Mix to a thick, spoonable paste; it should taste tangy, savoury and aromatic. Loosen with a tablespoon of hot water only if very stiff.
4. 4 Prepare the chicken: Pat dry inside and out. Loosen the skin over the breast and thighs by sliding your fingers underneath, taking care not to tear it. Season the cavity with a little salt.
5. 5 Stuff the cavity loosely with about two-thirds of the walnut paste. Spread the remaining paste under the skin over the breast and thighs, smoothing it flat.
6. 6 Truss or simply tie the legs together and tuck the wing tips behind. Rub the skin with melted butter or olive oil.
7. 7 Place breast-up in a heavy oven dish, add 60 ml / ¼ cup hot water to the pan, cover tightly with foil, and roast at 180 °C / 350 °F for 60 minutes.
8. 8 Remove the foil, increase the heat to 200 °C / 400 °F and roast for a further 30–40 minutes, basting every 10 minutes with the pan juices, until the skin is mahogany-brown and crisp.
9. 9 Check doneness: pierce the thickest part of the thigh — juices must run clear with no pink, and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the deepest part of the thigh (avoiding the bone) reads at least 75 °C / 165 °F.
10. 10 Rest the chicken uncovered for 10 minutes so the juices, which will be deeply coloured from the walnut and plum paste, redistribute. Carve and spoon the now-fragrant filling from the cavity over the meat to serve, with crusty bread or plain rice.
11. 11 Note on sour plum paste: traditional lavashana is made from sour wild plums (alücha) boiled down with a little salt. Outside the Caspian region it is hard to find; substitute 2 tbsp tamarind paste mixed with 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses and a pinch of salt, or 3 tbsp sour cherry jam loosened with 1 tbsp lemon juice and a pinch of salt. The dish will be less complex but recognisably tangy.