Servings: 3
Cook Time: 30 mins
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• ½ kg long grain Basamti rice
• ½ chicken with bones
• 150ml vegetable oil
• 2 tsp whipped yogurt
• ½ liter water
• Salt, to taste and mix a bit of MSG with it

Hara Masala

• 1 big onion (for Yakhni)
• 1 small onion (for frying)
• 6-8 cloves of garlic
• 1 square inch peeled ginger cube
• 2-3 whole thai green chile (hari mirch)

Sookha Sabut Masala

• ½ tsp cumin seeds (zeera)
• ½ tsp whole black peppercorns (kali mirch)
• ¼ tsp whole cloves (laung)
• Few scraps of nutmeg (jaifal)
• 2-3 bay leaves (tez patta)
• 1 whole star anise
• 2 inch cinnamon stick

Potli

• 2 tsp whole raw fennel seeds (saunf)
• 2 tsp whole raw coriander seeds (dhania)

Directions

Clean and soak the rice. Clean the chicken. Clean all Hara masala and finely chop the small onion.

Cooking the chicken

Take a pressure cooker and roast the Sookha Sabut Masala for 15 sec in 30ml oil. Add half a liter water and chicken to it. Add the Potli, close the lid and cook on med flame with just 1 whistle (or 25 min with no whistle). Open the cooker when the pressure is down to zero.

Drain and save the Yakhni (stock). Separate the chicken pieces. Separate and mash ginger, garlic, and onion into a pulp. Throw out everything else (or compost).

Cooking the pulao

Heat the remaining oil (120ml) in a bigger pot (at least 3-4 liter pot – very important). Add chopped onions and fry till it is golden (save a bit for garnishing). Add the cooked chicken and the pulp (onion, ginger, garlic) fry it for about a minute. Add whipped yogurt and give it a mix, cook for another minute.

Add soaked rice (without water) cautiously so it doesn’t break. Add stock to the mix, to the level that it just immerses everything (and not beyond or over it). If stock falls short, then add a little bit of warm water. Add salt to taste. Cook 5 minute on high and 15 min on simmer with the lid on (and tightly sealed – I use something heavy on the top)

When you open the lid after 20 min, you will see the top layer of rice almost standing in air which means you are done. Garnish with saved fried onions, and optionally, chopped dhania leaves.