Easy chicken pulao bengali style

This is my 2nd post and this is a main course item. Of course this came as an alternative to my favourite chicken biryani!! chicken biryani at home you need lots of ingredients as well as time in your hand to pull it off nicely. Having a five month old at home, that was not quite possible on my husband’s birthday..and so I made our very own bengali pulao(which is normally made only with cashew and raisins) with a twist ..added chicken in it.. And the result? When I opened the lid, my husband came running into the kitchen asking “Did you still manage to cook some biryani for me? ” And my reply to him was..Ya…but with a twist.. So presenting my version of bengali pulao with chicken..

Preparation time : 1 hr
Cook time: 30 minutes

Yield: Serves 2-3 persons.

 Ingredients

To Marinate the chicken

• 200-250 grams chicken
• 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• Pinch of turmeric
• Salt as needed
• 1 tsp oil
• 1 ½ to 2 tbsp. Curd / yogurt

For the pulao

• 2-3 bay leaves
• ½ tsp whole jeera
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 4-5 cloves
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 black cardamom
• 2-3 green cardamoms
• Cashews and raisins palmful each
• 1 ½ cups rice (daily basmati rice or biryani rice even better..I made this with daily basmati rice)

• 1 ½ to 2 tbsp. oil
• 1 large onion thinly slices
• 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
• 1 medium tomato chopped
• Salt as needed
• Pinch of Turmeric
• 2 ½ to 2 ¾ cups water

Method

1. Wash rice and soak for at least 30-45 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. Marinate chicken with ingredients mentioned under to marinate.
3. Heat a pot or cooker with oil, add spices along with fennel and garam masalas (cardamoms,cloves & cinnamon) and saute till it begins to smell nice.
4. Add onions, green chili and fry till lightly golden. Fry ginger garlic paste and fry until the raw smell disappears.
5. Add marinated chicken and fry until it is lightly colored. This takes around 3 to 4 minutes. Take care not to burn.
6. Add tomatoes, salt and turmeric. Fry until the tomatoes completely mashed as a gravy.
7. Then pour water, when it comes to a boil, add salt and rice.
8. Add the cashews and raisins over the top.
9. Cook until the rice is done completely. Towards the end. Simmer the flame and cover the pot. Cook on a low flame for 3 to 5 minutes. Fluff up after 5 minutes.
10. Garnish with a tomato flower.

If cooking in a pressure cooker.

1. When there is very little water left in the cooker close the lid. Cook on a low flame for 3 to 4 minutes. Turn off the stove. Do not allow the cooker to whistle. Once the pressure goes off fluff up the rice.
2. Serve chicken pulao with salad.