Chicken Yakhni Pilau -Mehboob Pilau style
Chicken Yakhni Pilau – Mehboob Pilau style
Pilau or Pilaf is a rice dish which usually involves cooking in stock or broth, adding spices, and other ingredients such as vegetables or meat. This is a very popular dish in Pakistan and nearly every household cooks this dish. There are different variations of Pilau, but the main ingredient is the stock. If your stock is flavourful and aromatic, it means that your Pilau will be delicious.
In Karachi, one of the most famous Pilau is the Mehboob Pilau. A shop in the main streets of Soldier Bazar sells one of a kind Pilau. They start selling the Pilau around mid-day and you have to reach there as early as possible to buy it as it gets sold out in a matter of hours.
This Pilau is my son’s favourite and since we lived around the area, he used to have it quite regularly. Since we moved to Australia I have been trying to bring out the same flavour of the Pilau, but it has been quite a challenge. Finally I was able to bring out the closest flavour to Mehboob Pilau and my son approved of it too. So here’s sharing one of Karachi’s finest, Mehboob Chicken Pilau.
Ingredients
- 3 cups Rice Wash and Soak for 1 hour
For the Broth/Yakhni
- 1 Kg Chicken
- 4 Potatoes Cut in 2’s
- 2 Onions Cut in 4’s
- 8 Green Chillies
- 6 cloves Garlic
- 1 piece Ginger about an inch
- 2 tbsp Corriander seeds
- 2 tbsp Cumin Seeds
- 2 tbsp Fennel Seeds (Saunf)
- 1 tsp Cloves
- 1 tsp Pepper corn
- 6 Bay Leaves
- 3 Star Anise
- 2 Cinnamon Sticks
- 3 tbsp Salt Can increase or decrease as per taste
- 8 cups Water
For Assembly of the Pilau
- 1/2 cup Oil
- 2 Onions Finely sliced
- 1 tbsp Garlic paste
- 1 tbsp Ginger paste
- 2 Green Chillis Finely chopped
- 1 cup Yogurt Beaten
- 1 tsp Pepper corn
- 1 tsp Cloves
- 1 tsp Green Cardamom
- 2 Black Cardamom
- 1 tbsp Garam Masala powder
Instructions
For the Broth/Yakhni
- In a deep dish put the Chicken pieces, onions, Green chillies, Garlic, Ginger, Potatoes along with all the whole Garam Masala and salt
- Now fill the dish with 8 cups of water
- Let the Chicken boil with all the spices and potatoes for about 30-35 minutes until you get a strong aroma of the spices
- After 30-35 minutes take out the Chicken pieces, Potatoes and Green Chillies from the Broth and strain the Broth
- The spices that is strained is not needed and can be discarded
For Assembly of the Pilau
- Pour oil in a deep dish and fry the Onions until golden brown
- Take out the Onions in a separate dish
- Use the same Oil and put your Garlic and Ginger paste along with the chopped Green chilies and fry (don’t over brown the paste)
- Now put your chicken and stir it in the paste for about a minute
- Add the yogurt and whole spices and stir it well
- Keep stirring until the yogurt is dried out but don’t burn it
- Now add the potatoes and give it a good mix for about a minute
- Next add the Broth/Yakhni (6 cups only). If your broth is less than 6 cup you can add water to complete the 6 cups
- Let the Broth/Yakhni come to a boil and then add the Green Chillies which were taken out from the Broth earlier
- Now add the rice
- Cover the dish and let it cook on high flame for about 10 minutes
- After 10 minutes lower the flame, there should be 20-30% water remaining
- Add the brown onions which were fried earlier and 1 tbsp of Garam Masala Powder. Also check the salt level during this time, and adjust according to your taste
- Now cover the dish and let it cook for about 5-7 minutes. At this stage the water will dry out completely and the aroma of the brown onions and Garam Masala Powder will get infused in your Pilau
- Now open the lid and if the water is completely dry you are ready to serve it otherwise just let it steam on low flame until completely dry
- Mix well prior to serving so that the brown onions and Garam Masala Powder in blended
- Serve with Yogurt and Salad
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