Yakni Pilau (Chicken Rice)

Name: Yakni Pilau (Chicken Rice)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 150 min
Total time: 180 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Pakistani Punjabi, Sindhi & Pashtun
Ingredients: 1 chicken; 4 cardamom pods; 10 whole black peppercorns; 3.5 tsp salt; 2 onions; 3 whole cloves; 2.5 cup long grain rice; 5 tbsp ghee; 0.25 tsp saffron strand; 2 clove crushed garlic; 0.5 tsp fresh grated ginger; 0.5 tsp garam masala; 0.5 tsp ground cardamom; 3 tbsp rose water; 0.25 cup sultana; 0.25 cup fried almonds; 1 cup hot cooked green peas; 3 hard-boiled eggs

A Pakistani pilaf of chicken, rice and sultana, seasoned with cardamom and black peppercorns and simmered on the stove. It's finished with almonds, peas and eggs.

3 hr · Serves 6 · Takes some skill

Method

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Time: Prep 30 min · Cook 150 min · 180 min total
Difficulty: hard

1
Make a well-flavoured stock by simmering chicken in water to cover along with cardamom pods, peppercorns, 2 teaspoons salt and the onion stuck with cloves.
2
Simmer for approximately 2 hours. Cool slightly, strain stock and measure out 4 cups. Remove meat from bones, cut into bite-size pieces and set aside.
120 min
3
Wash rice thoroughly in water, drain in a colander and allow to dry for at least 1 hour (this is optional if you're in a hurry!).
60 min
4
Heat ghee in a large pot and fry sliced onion until golden. Add saffron, garlic and ginger and fry for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
1 min
5
Add rice and fry 5 minutes longer over a moderate heat, stirring with a slotted metal spoon.
5 min
6
Add hot stock, garam masala, cardamom, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, rose water, sultanas and reserved chicken pieces.
7
Stir well. Cover pan tightly and cook over a very low heat for 20 minutes. Do not uncover pot or stir rice during cooking time.
20 min
8
When rice is cooked, remove from heat and stand, uncovered for 5 minutes. Fluff up rice gently with a fork and place in dish, again using a slotted metal spoon. Garnish with almonds, peas and eggs.
5 min