Chicken Pullav

This is my maternal grandmother Achamma’s  recipe. I have tweaked it a bit over the years but most of it is original. It tastes best if made with Basmati rice which is long grained and has a wonderful aroma. Biriyani is a speciality rice dish where partially cooked rice is layered over cooked or marinated chicken or meat and sealed in a large vessel. It is cooked either on a stove with live coal on the lid to simulate an oven or in an oven if the quantity is not too large. Pullav is a version where the cooked meat or chicken and soaked , raw rice are cooked together. Quite often pullav is called biriyani in many parts of India but both are equally delicious.

Chicken Pullav

Print Recipe

Servings

15 people

Servings 15 people

Chicken Pullav Print Recipe Servings 15 people Servings 15 people

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 kg dressed chicken
• 1 kg Basmati rice
• 750 g onions
• 8 green chillies
• 1/4 cup ginger paste
• 1/4 cup garlic paste
• 6 cardamoms
• 6 cloves
• 1 inch piece cinnamon
• 2 bay leaves
• 100 ml oil
• 100 ml ghee (clarified butter)
• salt to taste
• 1 1/2 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 1/2 tsp coriander powder

Servings: people

Instructions

1. Skin and joint the chicken. Cut into 15 or 16 pieces. Wash well and drain.
2. Slice the onions into long thin slices.
3. Measure the Basmati rice and soak in cold water.
4. Heat 1 tablespoon oil and add half the sliced onions. Sauté for 2 minutes until light brown. Add 1 tablespoon ginger paste and 1 tablespoon garlic paste and sauté for another minute.
5. Add cleaned, cut chicken, turmeric powder and salt. Sauté for 3 minutes.
6. Add 500 ml water, chilli powder and coriander powder and cook chicken for 5 or 10 minutes or until done. Do not overcook now since it will cook further with the rice.
7. Cool. Drain the chicken and reserve the liquid. Make up the liquid to 1 ½ times the volume of rice (before soaking).
8. Take a large vessel and heat the remaining oil and ghee. After a few seconds, add the whole spices – cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and bay leaves and sauté for a minute or until the aroma is released.
9. Add the remaining onions and sauté for 2 minutes until light brown. Add the ginger , garlic pastes and continue to sauté for another minute.
10. Add the measured liquid from the chicken and bring to a boil. Wash and drain the rice. Add to the boiling liquid with slit green chillies and salt to taste.
11. As soon as the rice and liquid come to a boil ( 1 or 2 minutes) add the cooked drained chicken.
12. After a minute, turn down the heat and cover. Cook on low heat for 10 to 15 minutes and turn off the stove.
13. Keep covered for another 15 to 30 minutes to let the rice cook completely before serving.