Coconut Chicken Pulao
An easy to prepare, fragrant one-pot chicken dish.
Ingredients
3 potatoes, sliced
2 onions, finely sliced – makes the crispy onions for the garnish sunflower oil to fry onions and potatoes
50 ml sunflower oil
1 cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
5 ml (1 tsp) cumin seeds
1 onion, finely chopped
7, 5 –10 ml coarse salt
12,5 ml crushed garlic
2 sprigs curry leaves
20ml (4 tsp) red chilli powder
700 g chicken fillets, cut into pieces
5 ml (1 tsp) ground cumin
10 ml (2 tsp) ground coriander
5 ml (1 tsp) garam masala
1/ tsp turmeric
2 tomatoes, blanched, peeled and chopped
250 ml (1 cup) frozen peas
100 ml coconut milk
750 ml (3 cups) cooked
Spekko India Gate Basmati Rice
50 ml boiling water
Few drops egg yellow food colouring, to garnish
Fresh coriander to garnish
Method
1.Par-cook the potatoes by frying until they are light golden brown and soft in the centre.Set aside.
2.Heat oil in a frying pan and fry finely sliced onion until golden brown. Drain in a stainless
steel sieve and then on absorbent paper. Allow the excess oil to drain.The onions
should be crispy. Set aside.
3.Heat the 50 ml oil in a large thick-bottomed pot. Add the cinnamon stick and bay leaves.
4.Add the chopped onions and sauté with salt until the onion pieces are a light golden brown. Add the crushed garlic and curry leaves.
5.Stir for 3 – 5 seconds. Stir the red chilli powder into the fried onion for2-3 seconds. Add chicken and coat in the fried masala paste. Continue stir frying the chicken pieces until they are sealed. Add the ground cumin, coriander, garam masala and turmeric. The mixture will stick to the pot. Use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pot.
6.When the chicken pieces are sealed, add in the chopped tomatoes. The tomatoes add moisture that will help soften any spices that are stuck to the pan. Add the frozen peas and par-cooked potato slices. Pour the coconut milk over the potatoes.
7.Layer the cooked Spekko Basmati rice over the potatoes.Pour a few drops of egg yellow colouring over the rice. Reduce heat to the lowest setting and pour 50 ml boiling water over the rice. Steam the chicken pulao on a low heat for 3 – 5 minutes or until the moisture has evaporated.
8.Check the pulao often to ensure the chicken does not stick and burn. Garnish with fresh coriander and fried onions.