Ingredients:
basmati rice – 1 cup
golden raisins – 1/3 cup
butter or ghee – 2 tbsp
cuminseeds – 1/2 tsp
piece of cinnamon – 10 cm
green cardamoms – 4
large onion finely sliced – 1
chicken stock or water – 2 cups
salt – to taste
pepper – 1/2 tsp
sugar – 1/2 tsp
cooked and shredded chicken – 1 cup
cooked peas – 1/2 cup
cream – 1/4 cup
sliced hardboiled egg – 1
Method:
Wash and soak the rice for half an hour. Wash and soak the raisins too till needed.
Heat the ghee in a degchi. Add the cuminseeds; when they stop spluttering, add the cinnamon and green cardamoms, slightly bruised. When these turn a shade darker, put in the onion and fry. Once the onion starts to pick up brown spots, add the rice and fry till the rice turns opaque.
Add the stock or water, heated, salt, pepper and sugar. Cover; let it come to a boil and lower the heat. Soon the water will be absorbed and you’ll find holes appearing on the surface. When that happens, add the cooked chicken, well squeezed raisins, peas and cream. Mix once with a very light hand.
Put a tawa underneath the degchi and cook on dum till the rice is tender. The pulao should not be too dry. The pulao can also be put in a moderate oven to finish.
Garnish with slices of hardboiled eggs. Serve with a spicy raita.
