Yakhni chicken pullao

Name: Yakhni chicken pullao
Prep time: 1 h 20 min
Cook time: 1 h 20 min
Total time: 2 h 40 min
Yield: Serves 4-6
Cuisine: Pakistani
Ingredients: 100 ml (3½ fl oz) sunflower oil; 1 teaspoon black peppercorns; 250 g (1¼ cups) basmati rice; 1 large red onion, thinly sliced; 2 bay leaves; 1 cinnamon stick; 2 star anise; 1 teaspoon cloves; 1 teaspoon finely grated ginger; salt, to taste; 4-6 skinless chicken legs (thighs and/or drumsticks), on the bone; 2 teaspoons cumin seeds; 1 black cardamom pod; 3-4 green cardamom pods, bruised; 1 teaspoon coriander seeds; 1 teaspoon crushed garlic; ¼ teaspoon sugar; 1 tablespoon chopped coriander (cilantro); ½ tablespoon salt - ideally black salt (kala namak); 1 green chilli, deseeded and chopped; ½ long (telegraph) cucumber; 260 g (1 cup) Greek-style yoghurt; 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, roasted in a dry frying pan and ground

Preparation info

Serves
4-6

Difficulty
Medium
Ready in
3 hr

Appears in

Andaza

By Sumayya Usmani

Published 2023

About

Weekend comfort in a bowl, this is my mother’s signature chicken pullao recipe. ‘Yakhni’ refers to the stock used in the dish, which is infused with nourishment from the chicken on the bone and the spices.

Ingredients

250 g (1¼ cups) basmati rice
100 ml (3½

Asia
Pakistan
Karachi
Main course
Gluten-free

Method

Rinse the rice, then leave to soak in a bowl of water for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, heat half of the oil in a large saucepan with a lid over medium heat. When it is hot, add the peppercorns, cinnamon, star anise, cloves and black and green cardamom pods, then fry for 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Add the chicken and seal for 1–2 minutes, then add 400 ml (14 fl oz) wate