Name: Chicken Yakhni Pulao
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Cuisine: Pakistani
Ingredients: 800 g chicken, on the bone; 1.2 litres water; 1 onion, quartered; 1 tbsp ginger–garlic paste; 2 tbsp coriander seeds, 1 tbsp cumin seeds, 6 black peppercorns, 4 cloves, 4 cardamom, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 bay leaf (tied in muslin); Salt to taste; 500 g (2½ cups) basmati rice, soaked 30 min; 3 onions, sliced; 120 ml (½ cup) oil or ghee; 1 tbsp ginger–garlic paste; 3 green chillies; 200 g (¾ cup) yoghurt, whisked; 1 tsp cumin seeds

Method

Tick a step to mark it done.

Step 1: Simmer the chicken with the water, onion, ginger–garlic paste and the muslin spice bag until the meat is tender, about 30 minutes. Strain and reserve the yakhni; keep the chicken. You should have about 1 litre of stock.
Step 2: In a heavy pot, fry the sliced onions golden in the oil. Set aside a little for garnish.
Step 3: Add cumin seeds, ginger–garlic paste and green chillies. Add the cooked chicken and fry for a few minutes.
Step 4: Stir in the yoghurt and cook for 2–3 minutes.
Step 5: Add the drained rice and stir gently for a minute. Pour in the measured yakhni (about 1:1.5 rice to liquid by volume). Adjust salt.
Step 6: Bring to a boil, then cover and cook on low until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is fluffy, 12–15 minutes.
Step 7: Rest, covered, for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.