Chicken / Mutton Pulao

With an ever demanding Corporate life, it is extremely difficult to balance Home and Work at the same time. I juggle all the while and try to be the person I want myself to be, a super woman! :P Cooking has been a passion discovered a few years back and since that it has been one of my best companions. Leaving apart the fact that I love to cook and serve for my near and dear ones, it is more of a stress buster to me, I am the girl who gets all worked up about a Friday night Dinner with Hubby dearest, I am the girl who goes through her recipe piles to dish out something extraordinary every weekend; Yes, I am the girl next door.

Both of us have been great admirers of One-Pot Meals, my definition of that would be, Rice and Meat cooked together with spices thrown in which can be eaten by itself. Importantly a dish, which will be a meal by itself, exquisite and no side dishes needed, to save time of course. One of the most fascinating examples being Biryani, of various kinds.

The Mutton Pulao from last Sunday

I made this same recipe with Mutton last Sunday and yesterday I made the same with Chicken, both came out really well. The difference being with Mutton, I pressure cooked it for 10 whistles. With Chicken, I did it for 2.

(Note : Here in the western part of India, due to the minerals present in the Water, it takes longer for me to pressure cook / boil anything, adjust accordingly.) 

Remember : We will cook it in the Microwave Oven for 20 minutes more, so we only need the Meat to be half done in the Pressure Cooker.

Ingredients:

Chicken / Mutton – 700 gms

Garlic – 1 pod, made into thick paste

Curd – 4 tbsp

Salt to taste

Add all the above ingredients into a Pressure Cooker, add two cups of water and Pressure Cook for 2 whistles in case of Chicken and 10 in case of Mutton. Preserve the stock.

Basmati Rice – 2 Cups – Soak in some water

Clarified Butter / Ghee – 2 tbsp – use cooking Oil if you want to

Bay Leaves – 3

Green Cardamom – 6

Black Cardamoms – 2

Cinnamon – 2” stick

Cloves – 6

Whole Black Peppercorns – 10 -15 (to taste)

Mace – a few strands

Star Anise - 2

Onions – 3 medium sliced

Ginger – size of one big thumb, grated, extract the juice out by pressing between your palms. We will use the Ginger juice.

Red Chili Powder – 1.5 tsp, reduce if kids / people do not have a high heat quotient are eating. As I do not use any Green Chili Paste in this, hence I add the Red Chili Powder a tad more.

Biryani Masala – 2 tbsp

Coconut Milk – 2 Cups (I used Maggi Coconut Milk Powder to make Coconut Milk, use the type you can get your hands on)

Salt to taste

Sugar to balance

A big Microwave Safe bowl

Some Cling Film

Method:

In a big vessel, pour the ghee in and add the Bay Leaves, Black and Green Cardamoms, Cinnamon, Cloves, Whole Black Peppercorns, Star Anise and Mace and let them crackle

Add the Onions and fry till translucent

Add the Ginger juice

Add the pieces of Meat, do not pour it in with the stock, we will need to use the stock later

Add the Red Chili Powder and Biryani Masala and mix thoroughly

Add Sugar and Salt to taste

Drain the Basmati Rice and add the same and keep frying for about 5 minutes, after 5 minutes, turn off the stove

In a big Microwave safe bowl, pour the contents in

If you have added 2 cups of Rice, then add exactly double the quantity of liquid. As I added 2 Cups of Rice, I added 4 cups of liquid, 2 cups of the Meat Stock and 2 Cups of Coconut Water

Cover with a Cling Film, tighten the ends. Make few punctures on the Cling Film for the heat to escape

Put it in into the Oven, I keep it under the Microwave mode “high” for 20 minutes, all Ovens are different hence you have to take your call here

This is how the Rice looks after you take off the Film

Once it is done, bring it out (it will be very hot, use gloves) & give it 5 minutes to settle down

Take off the film and it is ready to be served :D