Serve this delicious and tasty Chicken Yakhni Pulao with Burani Raita. (Image: Shutterstock)
Yakhni Pulao, a traditional South Asian rice dish, has evolved over the years thanks to the influence of different regions.
Yakhni Pulao is a dish loved by South Asians for centuries. It contains fragrant rice with delicate spices and tender meat, creating a delicious combination of flavors. The dish has a rich historical background, originating in medieval Iran as a humble meat stew, slow-cooked and preserved in a traditional clay pot, which eventually gave the dish its name.
Yakhni Pulao, a traditional South Asian rice dish, has evolved over the years thanks to the influence of different regions, resulting in a wide range of adaptations. This rich and flavorful dish has even found its way onto the menus of prestigious fine dining establishments, where chefs showcase their unique interpretations of this classic dish.
See the recipe-
Ingredients
- Soak 2 cups of basmati rice (minimum half an hour of soaking)
- Chicken pieces – 500g
- Half onion – cut in two
- Black cardamom – 2 pods
- Whole black peppercorns – 1/2 teaspoon
- Clove – 1/2 teaspoon
- Cinnamon – 1 stick
- Bay leaf – 1 leaf
- Nutmeg powder – a small pinch
- Garlic – 6 cloves
- Ginger – 1 stick
- Coriander seeds – 1 teaspoon
- Salt to taste
- 1 whole onion, thinly sliced
- Ginger and garlic paste – 1 and 1/2 teaspoons
- Chopped tomato – 1 whole
- Cumin seeds – 1 teaspoon
- curd 1/2 cup
- Coriander powder – 1/2 teaspoon
- Red chili powder – 1/2 teaspoon
- Garam Masala – 1 teaspoon
- Ground fennel seeds – 1 teaspoon
- Butter – 2 tablespoons
Preparation and method
- Make a 'bouquet garni' or a Spice Potli, with onion, garlic pods, whole ginger, black cardamom pods, black peppercorns, coriander seeds, cloves, cinnamon stick and nutmeg on a clean muslin cloth.
- Add 3 cups of water to a saucepan/handi, add chicken, salt and bouquet garni and boil it for about 15 minutes.
- Remove the bouquet garni from the broth. Save the chicken and set it aside. The 'yakhni' is ready.
- Fry the sliced onions over medium heat. Reserve half.
- In the remaining fried onions, add ginger garlic paste, salt, red chili powder, cumin seeds, tomatoes, coriander powder and fry for about 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, add the garam masala and green cardamom along with the yogurt.
- Simmer until the tomatoes blister and are tender.
- Add the fennel seeds and chicken pieces to the masala mixture and let it simmer for another 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the soaked and drained rice to the previously prepared yakhni, cook the rice uncovered for about 5 minutes or until the water dries up.
- Add 2 tablespoons of ghee to the rice mixture and sprinkle with the reserved fried onions. Seal the pot with aluminum foil or atta to allow the Yakhni flavors to penetrate further into the meat and Pulao rice.
- Cook the Yakhni Pulao on low heat for 15-20 minutes or until the rice is cooked.
- Serve this delicious and tasty Chicken Yakhni Pulao with Burani Raita during a family lunch.
Recipe by Chef Mikhail Shahni, Co-Founder and Product Director of House of Biryani.
