By Nandini Bhushan*
Much like the Indian culture, the cuisine of India is blessed with an immense range of traditional as well as regional food. Depending upon the availability of local vegetables, fruits, Spices and herbs along with the climatic factor, Indian food varies in choices. Each state is influenced with these choices making them unique and distinctive from one another.
Also try: Indian Food Recipes: Akuri
Chicken Berry Pulao
Parsi cuisine would not be complete without the famous Irani chicken berry pulao. It is believed that the pulao originally was prepared with the leftover Salli chicken and rice, a little kebab was added to it and was topped with the delicious Iranian berries. It is a mildly spiced one pot meal with chicken gravy, meatballs along with saffron rice and garnished with berry.
Ingredients
For the chicken
Chicken : 500 gms
Onion : 2
Tomatoes : 2
Curd : 2 tsp
Ginger garlic paste : 2 tsp
Biryani masala : 2 tsp
Turmeric powder : 1 tsp
Garam masala powder : 1 tsp
Red chilli powder : 1 tsp
Cinnamon stick : 1
Clove : 4
For the kebab
Mutton keema : 250 gms
Bread : 2
Ginger garlic paste : 1 tsp
Onion : 1
Egg : 2
Red chilli powder : 1 tsp
Coriander and mint leaves : ½ cup
For pulao
Basmati rice : 2 cups
Saffron : a pinch soaked in warm milk
Cinnamon stick : 1
Clove : 2
Cardamom : 2 to 3
Ghee : 2 tsp
Kebab
Mutton keema : 250 gms
Bread : 2
Ginger garlic paste : 1 tsp
Red chilli powder : 2 tsp
Turmeric powder : ½ tsp
Onion : 1
Egg : 2
Coriander and mint leaves : ½ cup
Salt as per taste
Oil for frying
Step 1
Soak the bread slices in water and squeeze out the moisture.
Step 2
Mix all the kebab ingredients along with soaked bread in the mutton mince and give it a good mix. Keep it aside for at least an hour.
Step 3
Make small sized balls and deep fry until golden brown.
For the chicken masala
Step 1
Marinate the chicken with curd, ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, biryani masala, garam masala along with salt.
Step 2
Heat oil in a pan and saute onion until translucent. Add cinnamon and clove and mix well.
Step 3
Next add the tomato puree along with the marinated chicken. Saute until the masala combines together and oil leaves the side of the pan. Add a cup of water and cook the chicken on medium flame for about twenty minutes or until tender.
For the pulao
Cook the rice in boiling water and salt until ¾ done. Add the soaked saffron to the rice.
Assembling pulao
Step 1
In a deep bottom vessel add ghee and chicken gravy.
Step 2
Top the rice with chicken, kebabs, fried onion and a handful of berries. Repeat it for at least two layers.
Step 3
Seal the vessel and place it on tawa and let it cook on medium heat for another fifteen minutes.
Serve it hot.
*Nandini Bhushan is a well-known food blogger
