Yakhni Chicken Pulao (Chicken Rice Pilaf)
Blog: cookingwithnelo.com
Servings: 4
Ingredients
Whole Spices/ Sabut Garam Masala
- 1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds - aka sabut dhaniya
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds - aka saunf
- 2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds - aka safaid zeera
- 6 cloves - aka laung
- 2 black cardamoms - aka bari elaichi
- 4 green cardamoms - aka choti elaichi
- 1 small piece of cinnamon - aka dalchini
- 2 small bay leaves - aka tez patta
- 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns - aka sabut kali mirch
- 1 small star anise - aka badiyan ka phool
For fresh garlic, ginger and chili paste
- 6 cloves garlic - peeled
- 1 inch piece of ginger - peeled
- 4 small green chilies - (Note A)
Other ingredients
- ½ cup (120 ml) cooking oil - divided
- 1 medium (110 g) onion - thinly sliced
- 1 pound (500 g) chicken - skinless, bone-in, cut into pieces (Note B)
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder - aka zeera powder
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder
- 2.5 teaspoons salt - white table salt, divided
- ¼ cup (60 g) yogurt - whisked until smooth
- 2 cups (400 g) sella/parboiled basmati rice - washed, soaked for 2 hours, then drained (Note C)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice - freshly squeezed
- ½ inch piece of ginger - peeled and julienned (thin matchsticks)
- 4 small whole green/red chilies - whole, uncut, adjust quantity to preference
Instructions
- Have all ingredients prepped and ready before you start cooking. You can use the checkboxes next to each ingredient to track your prep.
- In a bowl, combine all ingredients mentioned under "whole spices/sabut garam masala". Set aside
- In a blender or food processor, grind together all ingredients listed under "garlic, ginger and chili paste". Use just enough water to make it smooth. Set aside.
- Heat ¼ cup cooking oil in a pot over medium heat. Add sliced onion and cook until it starts to turn golden around the edges. Don't let it turn brown.
- Now add the whole/sabut garam masala mix you made. Saute for 2 minutes.
- Add 3.5 cups of water. Cover, bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low, and cook covered for exactly 15 minutes. Maintain a gentle simmer. Don't let it go any longer or the liquid will reduce more than what's needed for yakhni.
- Turn off the heat. Use a fine-mesh strainer/sieve to separate the broth from solids. Measure the broth. You need 1.5 cups of liquid per 1 cup of rice. So for 2 cups rice, the total is 3 cups of liquid. If there isn’t enough, add water to make up the difference. If the measured quantity is a bit more, that's fine.
- In a large non-stick pot/saucepan, heat the remaining ¼ cup of oil on medium-high heat. Add the chicken. Also add cumin powder, garam masala powder, and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir and cook until the chicken has changed color and is no longer pink.
- Add whisked yogurt and your fresh ginger-garlic-chili paste. Stir for 1 minute. Add the broth you made and remaining 1.5 teaspoons salt. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer covered for just 10 minutes.
- Increase the heat to medium-high again and bring the yakhni to a rolling boil. Once boiling, add the soaked, drained rice, fresh lemon juice and julienned ginger. Also add 4 small uncut fresh green/red chilies (pull the stems out, but chilies should have no cuts or openings to avoid extra heat). Gently stir to mix.
- Partially cover the pot with lid and let liquid reduce over medium-high heat (or medium if your burner is strong). Don't stir yet, just keep an eye. At first, the bubbles on the surface will be big and vigorous. As the liquid cooks down further, you'll start to see small bubbles and steam holes across the surface. That’s your cue to give a brief, gentle stir. Some liquid (around 10 to 20 percent) will still be left, which is intended.
- Cover completely with lid right away, and reduce heat to the lowest setting. Let it steam for 15 minutes. If using regular basmati instead of sella basmati, steam 10 minutes instead. DO NOT remove the lid. No peeking, no stirring.
- Turn off the heat. DO NOT remove the lid yet and leave the pot on the same burner. Let the rice rest for 15 minutes so it finishes cooking in residual heat.
- After the resting time, remove the lid, plate the rice using a flat, wide utensil like a rice paddle, and enjoy.
Notes
Note A: Fresh Chilies – You'll see them listed twice under ingredients. That's not a mistake. We need some for the paste, some for the dum. Adjust quantities to your spice preference. I use small red or green Thai/bird’s eye chilies.
Note B: Chicken – Usually, I’d be fine suggesting boneless chicken as a substitute, but not for this recipe. You need the bones to make a proper yakhni.
Note C: Rice – If using regular basmati instead of sella, soak for 30 minutes and steam for 10 instead of 15. Everything else stays the same.