Junglee Pulao

 

I got the idea of Junglee Pulao from About.com's Indian Food Guide. I did not follow the recipe as exact, rather did it my way. The result was a tasty one pot meal, easy to cook and good to eat, especially on a rainy monsoon afternoon. The recipe given below will make enough pulao for four.

Ingredients:

• Basmati Rice - 2 cups
• Hot water - 5 cups (21/2 cups of water for each cup of rice)
• Whole Black Cardamom-2
• Star Anise-2
• Bay Leaves-2
• Cinnamon stick -1" long -1
• Mixed vegetables of your choice (carrot, bean, potato, capsicum etc - cut into small pieces)
• Chicken - 350 grams , cut into small pieces (you can add more if you want more chicken in your pulao)
• Vinegar-4tsp
• Ginger-Garlic Paste- 2tsp
• Tandoori Masala- 2 tsp
• Garam Masala Powder
• Salt
• Sugar
• Vegetable Oil - 3tsp
• Ghee- 1 tsp
• Onion- 2-3 medium size, slivered
• Green chilli- 2, cut into small pieces
• Cashew and Raisins- a handful

Procedure: 

• Marinate the chicken pieces in a mixture of vinegar, ginger-garlic paste, tandoori masala, and a bit of salt. (I left it overnight)
• Wash well and soak the Basmati rice in water for 15-20 minutes.
• Heat Oil and Ghee in a heavy bottomed pan/ kadai.
• When the oil is heated, add the whole spices - Black Cardamom, Star Anise, Bay Leaves and Cinnamon
• Add the onions. Fry until golden.
• Add ginger-garlic Paste. Fry well.
• Add the vegetables and stir fry well.
• Gradually add the chicken pieces. Mix well and cook the vegetables and chicken for sometime (until they are half done)
• Add the rice, and pour the warm water.
• Cover the pan with a lid, and cook on medium flame for 10 minutes or until the water is completely dried up and the rice is cooked.
• Sprinkle Garam masala powder and shake well the pan.
• Serve hot with salad.