Yakhani Pulao

Food connects us. With all our differences many can be resolved over a shared meal. If there was ever any doubt about the interconnectedness of humans, a pulao is the dish to settle this. Simply put is a one pot rice and meat ( or vegetable) dish and its variations can be found from South East Asia to the Caribbean by way of Africa and Spain. All over the world people make some form of pulao or Polao, Pela, Pilav, Pallao, Pilau, Pelau, Pulao, Pulaav, Palaw, Palavu, Plov, Palov, Polov, Polo, Polu, Kurysh, Fulao, Fulaaw, Fulav, Fulab, Osh, Aş, Paella ( taken from wikipedia here). If there ever is a dish that proves that human migration is about food, it is this one. We bring our flavours to new lands in the hope of preserving our cultural practices but also as a form of familiarity and comfort. Of course as with all human practices, these dishes evolve to include ingredients and techniques of our new lands because at the end of the day practicality is the conventional way of life.

I’m not here to tell you that my version or my mother’s version is the best one but this is closest to the version I grew up with. As I have said in the past my family’s staple grain is wheat, it is what has grown on the lands they have owned for the last 3 genrations at least but for special occasions, we had rice. When there was a wedding or a dawat ( a dinner party) or at a big majalis ( a religious gathering amongst Shia muslims). I’m an anomaly in that I’ve always preferred rice over bread. So you can imagine I lived for these special occasions and longed to belong to families where the Jumah (Friday) lunch was a simple Yakhni Pulao with a chopped salad and mango pickle. Pulao is the unsung hero of a Pakistani dawat. It is unassuming and doesn’t steal from the limelight like its glamorous cousin the biryani.

As an adult in my own kitchen with the liberty to create my own rituals and menus around food, I will make pulao over any other form of carbohydrate. I often hear that rice is difficult to make. While it may be the case to begin with but once mastered, this is a fool proof dish that doesn’t need much else along side it. I of course have it with mango pickle and aloo bukhara ki chutney ( recipe). Pure bliss!

The stock here is simple and making extra helps for soups and stews through the winter months. My mother’s recipe doesn’t have any tomatoes or puree but I love adding them in the summer months when they are found in abundance. See what is happening here? I’ve evolved the recipe something that has been happening for centuries so all over the world we end up with versions of the same ting using ingredients that are local, seasonal and to the people’s taste preferences.

THE RECIPE

Yakhani Pulao

• prep time: 1 hour

• cooking time: 40 minutes

• Serves 8
  
  

INGREDIENTS

• 750 grams of chicken
• 2 cups basmati rice rinsed and soaked (2 hours at least)
• 2 large onion chopped
• 2 vine tomatoes chopped or a ½ tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 Tbs tomato puree ( optional)
• 2 dried red chilli (Asian aisle or from Asian grocery stores)
• 1 Carrot
• 4 cloves whole garlic
• 30 grams of whole ginger
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp whole black peppercorns
• ½ whole cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp crushed red chilli flakes
• 2 tsp black pepper
• Salt to taste
• 4 Tbs olive oil

method

The stock

1. In a large deep utensil place the chicken, an onion, garlic cloves, ginger, carrot, bay leaves and salt. Cover with water.
2. Bring the water to boil over medium heat. A layer of foam will form over the water. Remove it using a spoon and discard.
3. Turn the heat down low and simmer the stock for 45 minutes to an hour.
4. Using a sieve set over a bowl, separate the water. Reserve the chicken pieces and bay leaves. Discard the stock vegetables (or crush them to use as a base for curries, stews, soups or pasta sauce).

The pulao

1. In a pan heat the oil with bay leaves reserved from the stock, cumin, cinnamon stick, peppercorn and cloves until the spices sizzle for 2 minutes.
2. Cook an onion in the oil on medium till translucent.
3. Now add the tomatoes and tomatoes puree and cook till the contents of the pan resemble a jam (can be anywhere from 5-10 minutes).
4. Add the reserved chicken and crushed red chilli flakes, black pepper and season with salt to taste. Coat the chicken with all the tmotoey mixture and cook for 5 minutes (30 minutes if the chicken isn't pre cooked like it is here).
5. Now add 3 cups of stock (if you have stock left over, freeze for another time or for soups, stews etc.). Heat for 3-5 minutes.
6. Drain the soaked rice and transfer to the stock pot.
7. Bring to boil. Turn the heat to medium when the rice comes over the surface.
8. Put the lid on and cook for 10 minutes on the lowest heat.
9. Turn off the heat but do not remove the lid. Keep the lid on for a further 10 minutes.
10. Serve hot with a chopped salad, rita, pickle or sauce of choice.

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