Yellow, herb-scented rice bound with egg surrounds a piece of chicken, hard-boiled egg, and black olive, all cooked inside bijao leaves. The wrapper concentrates the cilantro and turmeric aromas as the parcel sets; opening one and releasing that Amazonian steam makes cooking four at once seem entirely reasonable.
Turn what you find into an experience you can actually bring to your kitchen.
Season the chicken pieces with part of the salt. Heat one quarter of the oil in a pressure cooker and brown them for 4 minutes, turning until several sides develop color. Add about one fifth of the water, seal the cooker, and cook for 22 minutes once full pressure is reached. Turn off the heat and allow a natural pressure release for about 8 minutes before opening according to your cooker's safety instructions. Remove the chicken and reserve all of the broth.
While the chicken cooks, hard-boil two of the eggs in another pot using about one tenth of the water for 10 minutes. Cool, peel, and halve them; reserve the four halves for the centers of the juanes.
Finely chop the red onion. Heat the remaining oil in a large pot and cook the onion for 4 minutes. Add the ground garlic, turmeric, cumin, black pepper, oregano, and remaining salt; cook for 2 minutes, until the base is fragrant and deeply yellow. Stir in the chopped Amazonian cilantro, add the white rice, and pour in enough reserved broth to cover it by roughly one finger. Cover and cook over low heat for 12 minutes, until the rice is nearly cooked but still moist and slightly firm at the center.
Spread the rice in a large bowl and let it cool for 5 minutes. Beat the remaining four eggs and immediately mix them into the still-warm rice until every grain is lightly coated. The mixture should feel moist and cohesive, but not runny.
Clean the bijao leaves and pass them one at a time over a hot, dry pan for about 20 to 30 seconds per side, until they darken slightly and become flexible without cracking. Keep them spread out while assembling the parcels.
Cross two bijao leaves for each juane. Place one quarter of the rice in the center, add one chicken piece, half of a hard-boiled egg, and one quarter of the black olives, then shape the rice around the filling. Gather the leaf tips into a round, compact parcel and tie securely with the twine, without tightening enough to tear the leaf.
Bring the remaining water to a boil in a large pot and add the four juanes. Maintain a moderate boil for 35 minutes, keeping the parcels securely closed and surrounded by water. Remove them with tongs and drain with the gathered leaf ends facing downward. When opened, the rice should be firm and set around the chicken, while steam carries the aromas of bijao and Amazonian cilantro; that is usually where sharing them begins to require a surprising amount of willpower. Done! 🍃
