Chicken Yakhni Pulao

I have been thinking many times to write about this. I would like to ask readers of this blog particularly who are silent readers .I know you have come and spent good amount of time on some pages. But why you keep shying away from posting a comment here. I would really appreciate from those who love checking each post here ,but do not leave their footprints, speak up –what you liked and even if you don’t like. Don’t disappoint me this time.
Anyways, since this is the last day of my 7 day challenge and co-incidentally this is Sunday. And Sunday means some lavish cooking for me. Although, I have made this chicken yakhni pulao last Sunday but I am posting it today. There has been a similar recipe with fish that I published some days back-if you wish you can check that recipe - Here . Keeping that recipe in mind I have come up with chicken yakhni pulao this time with few procedural changes.

Chicken Yakhni pulao
Serves-4-5
Recipe requirements
For the aakhnir jol- visit this recipe- Here
Akhnir jol/aromatic water- 2 cups
For the chicken gravy
1 tsp of turmeric powder
1 -2 tsp of salt
2 tsp of red pepper powder
2 tsp of cumin powder
2 tsp of coriander powder
2 tsp of meat curry powder
10-12 black pepper
2 medium size purple onions
3-4 garlic
1/2 inch ginger
2tbs of cooking oil
Now heat up a frying pan/deep bottom pan and add cooking oil.
Temper it with 2 bay leaf and10-12 whole black pepper.
Add in 4-5 chicken wing pieces.(It would be nice to marinate them in little bit of yogurt+salt+red pepper powder mixture for half an hour.)

Add chopped onions,garlic and ginger.Fry for 3-4 mints med-high flame.
Add turmeric, red pepper powder and salt. Add in all the other dry ingredients-cumin, coriander and meat curry powder.
Fry the chicken with the above spices for 10-12 mints. Add some 2-3 tbs of water if necessary.
Keep frying till the oil separates out. Cover it and cook for half and hour.
Now to frying the rice

Recipe requirements for rice
2 cups of basmati rice/gobindo bhog rice
2 medium size onions chopped
3-4 cloves garlic
1 inch ginger chopped
2-3 bay leaves
2-3 tsp of mixed garam masala ingredients whole like mace/dalchini/cloves/black pepper
¼ cup of shelled pistachios
½ cup of cashews
¼ cup of raisins(optional)
1 tbs of yogurt
1 tsp of sugar
Salt as per taste
3 tbs of cooking oil
Procedure
Wash rice thoroughly in water for 2-3 times. Soak it in water for 30 mints; meanwhile work on the aakhnir jol /aromatic water and frying fish pieces etc.
Coarsely chop cashews and pistachios .Heat up a cooking pan or a vessel big enough to hold the entire contents listed above.
Add 3 tbs of cooking oil, add bay leaf and chopped garlic, ginger.Fry them well for 5 mints till they turn out nice golden colour.
Add in chopped onions, fry till they turn out nice brown. Add cashews and pistachio. Fry them well for another 5 mints. Add 1 tbs of plain yogurt.
Add in soaked rice and keep frying for another 5-7 mints without stirring much as this break the rice garins.

Now assemble the pulao
Preheat the oven at 190 deg Celsius (fan assisted).
In a oven-proof dish, layer about 2-3 tbs of rice mixture first.
Now keep the chicken pieces and then again layer rice mixture over it.

Layer this way till all rice mixture and chicken wings are used up.
Now add in 2 cups of aakhnir jol/aromatic water to it by the sides of the dish. Cover it with foil and bake it for 20 -25 mints.

Take out .Cut a lemon in half and sprinkle half lemon juice over the baked pulao, mix in gently. Keep it covered. Let it sit there for 1 hr and then serve.

Enjoy your delicious chicken Yakhni pulao.

It’s been a really challenging week for me but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Hope you all liked the recipes I published during this week. Thanks for leaving your valuable footprints here. See you all on Tuesday.

Happy Cooking