Chicken Pulao

There are many ways of cooking chicken pulao !! Sometimes it is layered like biriyanis , sometimes cooked like Bangladeshi style tehari , prepared meat is added while cooking the rice . Sometimes small pieces of chicken are taken and sometimes the chicken is cut into big 4 pieces . Sometimes the gravy is served too with the big piece of chicken and sometimes the gravy is used while cooking the rice.

It is funny , everytime I say “Morog Pulao” , I imagine big pices of chicken in gravy served with the pulao . So other than this everything is only “chicken pulao ” to me !! Though Murog pulao is just the Bengali name of Chicken pulao !! But I cannot imagine Morog Pulao without big pieces of chicken ( the chicken must be cut in 4 pieces) and the pulao layered and served with that chicken and white creamy gravy . 😀

Today’s recipe is not my “Morog Pulao” !! 😀 But “Chicken Pulao” !! hahahah sorry , if I make you confused !! I already made myself clear !! 😀

Whether it is Morog pulao or chicken Pulao , the authentic recipe requries it to be white , white and white . 😀

This version is quite homey style . Less spicy , mild in flavor but irresistible in taste !!!

Ingredients:

For the chicken:

1 chicken , cut in 8 pieces
1/2 (half) cup onion paste
1 and half tbl spoon ginger paste
1/2 tbl spoon garlic paste
2 cinnamon sticks
5 or 6 green cardamom pods
5 cloves
1 tea spoon black pepper
2 small black cardamom
2 bay leaves
1/2 tea spoon chili powder ( not more than that ), you may skip this , but I added it .
1 tea spoon special garam masala powder *
1/3 rd cup heavy cream or thick milk
Shahi Masala paste, apply all ( grind 1 tbl spoon desiccated coconut , 1 tbl spoon poppy seed or posto and 5 or 6 cashew or almond into a fine powder then make a thick paste with 3 tbl spoon evaporated milk or heavy cream or thick milk)
1 tbl spoon maowa / khoya ( optional)
Salt to taste
1/3 rd cup ghee

For the special garam asala grind half teaspoon cumin , 1/4 th teaspoon whole coriander , half teaspoon fennel , 3 cardamoms , 5/6 cloves , 9/10 white or black pepper , little mace ( javetri ) and nutmeg ( jaifol) together into a fine powder. Don’t dry roast any of them except javetri/ mace .

For rice :

3 cups aromatic rice like kalojeera/ Basmati
1 tbl spoon Ginger paste
1/3rd cup Chopped Onion
Ghee
Salt to taste
2/3 green Cardamoms, 2 small black cardamom, small stick of Cinnamon and 1 Bay leaf
10 green chilies , whole
Good quality Keora water

Procedure:

1. Marinate the chicken with all the ingredients except khoya , cream or milk and special garam masala powder . Heat ghee and add the chicken into it . Add little water and cook the chicken with lid on . The chicken will release water too . Let the chicken cook with it’s own water . Don’t over cook . The chicken needs to be tender but not fully cooked , or else when added while cooking rice , the flesh may come off . Add milk , special garam masal powder and khoya . There must be around 1 or 2 cups of gravy .

2. In another pot heat ghee. Add the green and black cardamoms, cinnamon and bay leaf. Fry for a while and then add the chopped onion .Fry them until they r light brown. add the rice, salt and ginger paste. Fry a little. Add the chicken with remaining little gravy. Mix well. Add hot water. For each cup of rice, add 1 and half cup of water. So Since here we took 3 cups of rice, we need to add 4 and half cup – 5 cup of water. I took 5 cups . So If your gravy is 2 cup , add 3 more cups of hot water . Cover the lid and cook on medium flame.

3. When the water is almost drying out add 10 whole green chilies .

4. Reduce the heat and stir with light hand without breaking the rice. Sprinkle keora water, close the lid tightly and keep it on low flame, which is known as dom. What I do, I always use double boiler method. For that place your pulao pot over another pot, filled with water. Keep it on medium flame. The steam will make the pulao just perfect!!!!!!!!!!!! The lid of the Pulao pot must be tithtly closed . Don’t open the lid too often , otherwise the fregrance of keora will vanish away !!

Serve hot with desi style salad and kababs or even boiled eggs..Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!