Chicken yakhni pulao with raita
A Sunday dish from Delhi and Lucknow: chicken on the bone simmered with fennel, coriander seeds and whole spices into a fragrant yakhni (stock), then basmati cooked in that stock with ghee, fried onions and the chicken. Milder and quicker than biryani, eaten with a cool raita and often a kachumber salad. Mutton yakhni pulao is made the same way, with the meat simmered for about an hour (or pressure-cooked) first.
- 1 h 15Time
- 46 minHands-on
- 4Portions
- 41 gprotein per portion
- 810kcal per portion
Ingredients for 4 portions
- 750 gChicken curry cut
- ≈ 1 lWater, for the yakhni
- 1Onion, halved
- 6 clovesGarlic, lightly crushed
- 15 gGinger, a 3 cm piece, crushed
- 1 tbspCoriander seeds (sabut dhania)
- 1 tbspFennel seeds
- 1 tspBlack pepper, whole peppercorns
- 1Black cardamom
- 2Bay leaves
- 3 gCinnamon, a 4 cm piece of stick
- 6Cloves
- to tasteSalt
- 350 gRice, basmati
- 3 tbspGhee
- 1 tspCumin, seeds
- 1 gCardamom, 4 green pods
- 2Onions, thinly sliced
- 1 tbspGinger-garlic paste
- 2Green chillies, slit
- 100 gCurd, whisked
- 3 mlGaram masala
On the side
- 400 gCurd, for the raita
- ½Cucumber, grated
- 3 mlCumin, roasted and ground
Method
- Wash the chicken and put it in a large pan with the water for the yakhni, the halved onion, garlic, ginger, coriander seeds, fennel, peppercorns, black cardamom, one bay leaf, half the cinnamon and half the cloves (tie the spices in a muslin cloth if you have one) and salt. Bring to the boil.
- Simmer, covered, for 25 minutes, until the chicken is just tender.
- Meanwhile, wash the rice until the water runs clear and leave it to soak in fresh water.
- Thinly slice the onions and slit the green chillies.
- For the raita, dry-roast the cumin in a small pan until it darkens, then crush it. Whisk the curd smooth and mix in the cucumber, cumin and a pinch of salt. Keep it cool.
- Lift out the chicken pieces and strain the yakhni, discarding the spices. Measure 650 ml of the stock, topping it up with water if there isn't enough.
- Heat the ghee in a heavy pot and add the cumin seeds, green cardamom and the rest of the bay leaves, cinnamon and cloves. When they sizzle, add the sliced onions and fry until golden brown, about 8 minutes.
- Add the ginger-garlic paste and green chillies and fry for a minute. Add the chicken and the curd and fry on high heat for 3–4 minutes, until the curd has been absorbed.
- Drain the rice and fold it gently into the pot. Pour in the measured yakhni, stir in the garam masala and check the salt; it should taste slightly salty. Boil uncovered on medium-high heat until most of the stock is absorbed and small holes appear on the surface, 5–6 minutes.
- Cover tightly and leave the pulao on the lowest heat for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it rest for 5 minutes without lifting the lid.
- Fluff the pulao gently with a fork and serve with the raita.
