India – Food & Travel Guide

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 45 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients

Rice, parboiled in rose water with ½ tsp saffron: 2 cups

Chicken, cut into 8 pieces: 800 g

Orange peel, chopped, blanched: ¼ cup

Ghee: 1 ½ cups

Carrots, grated: ½ cup

Almonds: ¼ cup

Sugar: 2 tbsp

Saffron (kesar): ½ tsp

Pistachios, pounded: ¼ cup

Onions, quartered: 1

Salt to taste

Silver leaves (varq): 4

Method

Heat ½ cup ghee on medium heat in a pan; sauté the carrots until soft. Add orange peel, almonds, sugar and saffron. Stir in the sugar and wait till it dissolves. Cover and simmer for 5-7 minutes. Add pistachios and cook for 2 minutes. Remove. Heat the remaining ghee in a pan; fry the chicken to a golden brown. Remove and drain the excess oil, sprinkle salt. Remove the extra ghee from the pan, return the chicken to the pan, add onion and 3 cups of warm water; bring to a boil on medium heat. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the chicken is tender and the moisture evaporates. Remove from heat and keep aside. Layer a thick-bottomed pan with parboiled rice and carrot mixture. Pour 1 tbsp hot ghee and seal the pan. Cook on dum. Spread the rice on a platter, arrange the chicken on top, spread some more rice on top, sprinkle the nuts and decorate with varq. Serve.