Chicken Pulav

This is one of my favorite easy and delicious recipe. I love the flavors of this recipe.

Ingredients:

Chicken - 2 lbs 
Basmathi Rice - 4 cups
Onions - sliced 1.5 cup
Green chillis - 5 slit
Ginger garlic paste - 1tsp
Tomato - 1 cup finely chopped
Chopped coriander leaves - 1 cup
Poppy seeds - 1/4 cup
Mint leaves - 1/4 cup
Water - 3 cups
Coconut milk - 2 cups
Salt - As per taste
Ghee - 1 1/2 tbsps  
Oil - 1 1/2 tbsps 
Cloves - 5
Cardamom - 4
Star anise - 1
Shahjeera - 1/4 tsp
Bay leaves - 2
Nutmeg - 1/2 tsp

Marinade:

Yogurt - 1 1/2 tbsps 
Ginger garlic paste -  1 tbsp 
Red chilli powder - 2 tsp , as needed
Turmeric pwd - 1/4 tsp 
Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup
Mint leaves - few
Lemon juice - 1/2 tbsp 
Salt - As needed

Cooking Method:

Marinate the chicken with the ingredients listed under 'Marinade'. Leave it for 30 minutes. 

Wash Basmathi rice and soak it for 30 minutes.
In the mean while, dry roast poppy seeds in a pan and grind it. 

Heat oil and ghee in a pan and add all the whole spices. Saute for few seconds. Add sliced onions to it and mix well. After it turns slightly golden brown color, add turmeric, ginger garlic paste, green chilli's , mint leaves, cilantro and poppy seeds mixture. Mix well and let it cook for 3 minutes. 

Add tomato to it now and stir well. Close the lid and let it cook for 3 minutes until it become a smooth mixture. Add the marinated chicken to it and let it cook by closing the lid. Let the chicken until it is half cooked. Add coconut milk to and rest of the water to it and let the chicken cook in it until its 3/4 cooked. Add salt to this if needed. Now add rice, rest of mint and coriander to it and mix it. Cover the lid and let is cook on medium slow heat for about 20 - 25 minutes (until the rice is cooked). You would see the rice it completely cooked and ready to be served. You can sprinkle some lemon juice on top of rice before serving.

Shrimp and Vegetables Pulav

Shrimp is one of my favorite sea food. Below recipe an easy to make rice when I don't feel like making any curry.


Ingredients:

Basmati rice - 3 cups
Butter/ Ghee             - 2 Tbsps

Shrimp - 1lb skin and tail removed

Onions - 1/4 cup

Green chillies - 4 (slit long)

Turmeric - 1/2 spoon

Red Chilli Powder - 2 tsps

Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp

Bay leaves - 2

Cloves - 3

Cardamom - 4

Shajeera - 1tsp

Cinnamon - 1/2 stick 

Cilantro - as needed

Garam masala - 1 pinch

Jeera powder - 2 pinches tsp

carrots - 1/4 cup chopped

Fresh peas - 3 Tbsp

Cashews - 3 Tbspoons

lemon Juice - 2 Tbsps

Salt - as needed

Oil - as needed

Method:

Wash basmati rick and let it soak for 15 minutes. In a rice cooker, add 1/2 spoon of salt, 2 Tbsps of butter, whole spices (cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and bay leaves) and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan. Add Shrimp and saute it for 5 minutes. As you see the water evapourating from the shrimp, add 1/2 spoon chilli powder,turmeric, 1/4 spoon salt. Mix it well and let it cook well. Take this into a bowl.

Heat oil in the same pan and add shajeera. Stir it. Add onions and let it cook until it turns into golden brown. Add ginger garlic paste and mix it. Let it cook for 30 seconds. Add green peas, green chillies, jeera powder and cashews. Mix well and wait for a minute. 

Now add cooked shrimp to it.Stir and close the lid and let it cook for 5 minutes.

Add red chilli powder,salt, Dhaniya powder, garam masala and stir well. Let it cook for 3 more minutes. Turn off the stove and mix this to the rice and cook it.After the rice is cooked, add 2 tbsps of lemon juice on the top.

Take it in a bowl and garnish it with cilantro.

Can be eaten with Raita.