MURG YAKHNI PULAO
Ingredients:
chicken breasts – 4
chicken legs – 4
chicken thighs – 4
1 It chicken stock,
salt – to taste
large onion, chopped.? – 1
Groundnut oil for frying onions
large onions, evenly sliced – 3
basmati rice – 500 gm
ghee – 2 tbsp
kabab chini – 10
star anise – 2
peppercorns – 10
black cardamoms – 4
bay leaves – 4
curd – 1 cup
kewra water – 2 tbsp
ginger paste – 1 tbsp
Tie in a muslin:
whole dry chillies – 2
gram dal – 1 tbsp
bay leaves – 2
coriander seeds – 1 tbsp
stick cinnamon – 2.5 cm
cloves – 4
green cardamoms – 4
peppercorns – 5
black cardamoms – 4
ginger, grated – 2 cm
Method:
?Crush all the masalas slightly and tie in the muslin. Pressure cook the chicken pieces with the stock, 1 tsp salt, the masala bundle, chopped onion for 10 minutes. Let the cooker cool on its own. Take out the chicken pieces. Squeeze the muslin to extract the flavour and discard. Reserve the stock.
?Heat enough oil in a karahi and fry the sliced onions, stirring well, till golden. Remove excess oil on a piece of paper. Crush the onions when cool and crisp.
?Soak the rice for half an hour. Drain and let dry for 10 minutes.
?Heat the ghee in the pressure cooker. Season with the whole spices. When they turn a shade darker, about one minute, add the rice and fry well.
?Once the rice acquires a parched look, add the curd ginger paste and browned onion, mixed together. Stir till the rice is well coated. Put in the chicken pieces and stir carefully a few times.
?Add the hot stock, powdered garam masala and kewra water. Close the cooker. Reduce the heat just as the cooker is about to reach maximum pressure. Cook for 4 minutes.
?Turn off the heat, but let the cooker sit on the gas oven till needed. Fluff up with a fork and serve with a raita. The whole spices may be removed at the time of serving, if desired.
?Variation: 1 large chicken, cut into pieces may be used instead of individual cuts.
