It is the Yakhni or stock that gives the pulao its subtle taste. The spices cooked slowly in water release their own flavours which in turn flavours the rice.

Yakhni

Water - 2 lt
Ginger, grated - 2.5 cm
Cumin seeds - 1 tablespoon
Caraway seeds - 1 tablespoon
aniseeds - 1 tablespoon
Coriander seeds - 1 tablespoon
Pepper corns - 5
Cloves - 5
Green cardamoms - 5
Stick cinnamom - 4
Black cardamoms - 2
Dry red chillis - 2
Salt - to taste

Fish

Fish - 500 gm
garam masala powder - 1 tablespoon
Ginger paste - 1 tablespoon
Chilli powder - 1 tablespoon
Sugar - 1 tablespoon
Salt - 1 tablespoon
Large bread slices - 2
Oil for frying silver warq as needed.

Rice

Basmati rice - 500 gm
Ghee - 100 gm
Large onions - 2 finely and evenly sliced
Almonds - 15
Pistachios - 20
Pinch of saffron, soaked in 1/4 cup of hot milk.

Yakhni

Crush the spices a little and the loosely in a muslin cloth. Add to the water and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over a low fire till reduced to half, that is 1 litre. The water will look brownish.

Fish

Steam and debone the fish. Mash and add all the remaining ingredients except oil and warq. Knead to a smooth paste. Make small balls and deep fry till golden. Wrap a few balls in silver warq. Keep aside.

Rice

Wash the rice, spread on a tray to dry. Blanch the almonds and pistas, clean the sultanas.

Heat the ghee in a degchi and fry the onions, on medium heat, stirring till golden. Remove on to a piece of paper. So that extra fat can drain. Keep aside.

Fry the rice in the same ghee till opaque about 3 – 4 minutes. Add the yakhni heated and cover. Let cook on a low heat till the rice is almost done.

Add the fried onion, almonds pistachies, sultanas, Fish balls (except the silver coated ones) and saffron milk. Stir very carefully so that the rice and fish balls do not break. Reduce heat and shake the degchi occasionally till the rice is cooked.

Serve hot, garnished with the silver warq coated fish balls.

Variation

Prepare mince meat balls the same way and prepare meat moti pulao.

(Fish Head Curry)
Ingredients
Large fish head, preferably katla fish – 1
Turmeric – 1 tsp
Salt – to taste
Mustard oil as needed
Basmati rice – 250 gm
Ghee – 1 tbsp
Bay leaves – 2
Green cardamoms – 2
Cloves – 2
Cinnamon sticks – 2
Onion paste – 1/2 cup
Ginger garlic paste – 1 tbsp
Coriander powder – 1 tsp
Cumin powder – 1 tsp
Chilli powder – 1 tsp
Tomatoes, chopped – 2
Sugar – 1 tbsp
Shelled green peas – 1 cup
Garam masala powder – 1 tsp
Green chillies – 4

Method:
Cut the fish head in half and clean thoroughly, washig under running water. Drain and break the fish head into 4-5 pieces. Smear the pieces with a little turmeric and salt.
Heat 1/4 cup of mustard oil in a karahi till smoking and fry the fish head till golden. Take out and keep aside.
Meanwhile, wash the rice and dice the potatoes. Lightly fry the potatoes in the oil in which the fish was fried. Set aside.
Add the ghee to the karahi and if needed a little more mustard oil. Season with the bay leaves and whole garam masala. Add the onion paste and fry till a light brown. Add the ginger – garlic paste, cumin, coriander, chilli powder and tomatoes. Stir fry till the tomatoes are soft, sprinkling with a little water if necessary.
Add the rice and stir for a minute.
Add 500 ml. of hot water or stock, potatoes, peas, sugar, salt, green chillies and fried fish pieces.
Cover and cook over a low heat till the rice is done. This is a dry dish. Add the garam masala powder and remove.
Variation:
Instead of fish head, use pieces of fish the same way. Raisins and nuts can be added, too.
Instead of rice fried, pressed rice or puffed rice can be added, too. In that case use half the quantity of water and add the pressed or puffed rice at the end of the cooking time.

Ingredients
1 Whole bhetki fish – aprx – 11/2 kg
Juice of lime – 1
White vinegar – 2 tbsp
Basmati rice – 250 gm
Large capsicum – 1
Large onion – 1
Large carrot – 1
Salt – to taste
Hard boiled egg – 1
Soyabean sauce – 1 tbsp
Refined oil – 1/2 cup
Chilli sauce – 1 tbsp
Monosodium glutamate – 1/2 tsp
Small cabbage, grated for garnishing – 1
Sauce:
Tomato ketchup – 1 cup
Vinegar – 1/4 cup
Sugar – 1/2 cup
Cornflour – 1/4 cup
Pinch of edible red colour (optional) – 4
Slit the fish from the sides, clean the innards, but otherwise keep it whole. Ask you fish seller to do it for you. Soak the fish in water with the juice of 1 lime for half an hour. Take out and pat dry. Rub with salt and vinegar.
Finely chop all the vegetables. Chop the hardboiled egg. Cook the rice til 3/4 done. Drain and keep aside to cool.
Heat the oil in a karahi. Add the monosodium glutamate and saute for 5 minutes. Mix. Add the rice, egg, soya sauce, chilli sauce, monosodium glutamate and salt and saute for 5 minutes. Remove.
Stuff the fish with the mixture. Sew the opening properly. Keep the fish on a roasting tray.

Sauce:
Cook the ketchup, sugar, vinegar and 2 cups of water and cook on a medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the corn flour mixed with a little water. Cook till the sauce thickens.
Pour half the sauce over the fish and bake in an oven preheated to 200 degree C / 400 degree C for 30 minutes. The fish is done when it flakes easily.
Keep the fish on a serving tray. Discard the thread. Pour the remaining sauce over the fish.
Spread the grated cabbage all around and serve with noodles.

Ingredients:
White flesh fish (skinned, deboned and sliced) – 200 gms.
Rice – 11/2 cups
Spring onion (chopped finely) – 1
Ginger (grated) – 1″
Vinegar -1 tsp .
Water?- 10 cups
Soya sauce -?to taste
Ajinomoto – pinchful
Pepper – to taste
Salt – to taste

Method: Sprinkle vinegar on the fish slices. Place fish slices in a large warm bowl with soya sauce and ginger and onion.
Cook the rice in 10 cups of water till very tender. Pour this hot congee over the fish slices, sprinkle seasoning and serve.

Ingredients
Prawns???- 1/2 kilo
Onions???- 3
Green chillies??- 8
Ginger???- 1 Inch piece
Garlic????- 15 small pods
Somph???- 2 Teaspoon
Cinnamon???- 1/2 Inch piece 2
Cloves???- 6
Ghee????- 200 gms
Turmeric powder??- 1/2 Teaspoon
Coconut???- 1
Pulao rice???- 1/2 kilo
Cashewnuts???- 50 gms (25)
Pudhina (mint leaves)?- 1 Large bunch
Bay leaves???- 2
Cardamom???- 3
Salt????- To taste

Method
Wash and clean prawns well. Mix with the turmeric powder and 1 teaspoon salt and boil for 10 minutes till well cooked remove and keep.
Fry green chilies in 2 teaspoons of ghee. Then grind and keep.
Crush, ginger, garlic, somph, cinnamon and cloves, using a little water and keep aside.
Grate the coconut, extract milk to make up 1 litre of coconut milk keep aside.
Clean pudhina (mint) take the leaves and keep.
Heat a heavy bottom vessel, put the ghee, then the cinnamon leaves and cardamom, then put the cashewnuts, fry till golden brown in colour.
Then add cut onions. Fry the onions for a while add ground green chillies, fry and then add the crushed masala. Fry well, add the coconut milk, salt and turmeric powder. Cover and let it boil.
When the mixture is boiling, add well cleaned pulao rice. Cover and cook till rice is half cooked.
Then add cooked prawns, cook on low fire and keep the vessel covered with a little hot charcoal on top.
Keep stirring slowly from time to time till the pulao is done.