Chef Ajay Chopra's Chicken Berry Pulao makes for a splendid and impressive main course on Sundays when the whole family gathers.
Putting it together is a time-consuming job to and will require you to first make a spice mix, then the chicken gravy, and next a pulao and later finally you will need to assemble it.
But the end result is unforgettable.
The leftovers, if there are any, can be refrigerated and had for dinner on Monday.
Please do have a look at the options for vegetarians in the note below.
The chef was the host of MasterChef India Seasons 1 and 2. In 2018, he started The Big Daddy Chef, a YouTube series which feature a collection of food videos that encourage men to cook at home (about time!).
Chicken Berry Pulao
Serves: 2-3
Ingredients
For the spice mix powder
- ½-inch stick dalcheeni or cinnamon
- ¼ jaiphal or nutmeg
- 5-6 whole green elaichi or cardamom pods
- 6-7 kesar or saffron strands
- 1 tbsp dhania or coriander seeds
- ¾ tbsp jeera or cumin seeds
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp chopped rose petals
- 4-5 lavang or cloves
For the chicken gravy
- 2 cups sliced onions
- 2 tomatoes, chopped
- 3-4 tbsp tomato puree
- 1 kg chicken, curry cut, washed and drained
- 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 3-4 whole green elaichi or cardamom pods
- 1-inch stick dalcheeni or cinnamon
- 1 piece chakra phool or star anise
- 1 tsp jeera or cumin seeds
- 2 green chillies, finely chopped
- Salt to taste, around ½ tbsp
- ½ tsp haldi or turmeric powder
- 1 tsp red chilly powder
- 1 tsp dhania or coriander powder
- 1 tbsp spice mix powder (recipe above)
- 1 tbsp freshly chopped green dhania or coriander or cilantro
- 2 tbsp oil
- Water
For the pulao
- 2 cups rice, soaked in water
- 1 litre water
- 2-3 whole green elaichi or cardamom
- 3-4 lavang or cloves
- 1-inch stick dalcheeni or cinnamon
- 1 piece chakra phool or star anise
- 3 tej patta or bay leaves
- Salt to taste, around ½ tbsp
- ½ tbsp sugar
- 10-12 kesar or saffron strands, mixed with a few tbsp water in a bowl
- 2 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced
- 1 tbsp spice mix powder (recipe above)
- 3-4 tbsp ghee
To assemble
- 1 tbsp pistachio slivers
- 2 tbsp dried cranberries
- 1 tbsp cashews
- Ghee for frying the nuts and cranberries
- Mint leaves
Method
For the spice mix powder
- Combine all the ingredients in a blender/mixer and grind to a fine powder.
Keep aside.
For the chicken gravy
- Heat the oil in a kadhai or large saucepan.
Add the cinnamon, star anise, green cardamom, cumin seeds.
Let the spices fry for a minute.
Add the sliced onions and fry until golden brown.
Add the chopped green chillies and the ginger-garlic paste.
Saute for a few minutes.
Add the chicken pieces.
Add the turmeric powder, red chilly powder, coriander powder.
Mix and saute over high heat for 3-4 minutes.
Lower the heat, cover and let the mixture cook for 8-10 minutes over medium-low heat.
Then drain the chicken pieces out from the saucepan and transfer them into a bowl and keep aside.
In the same pan, add the chopped tomatoes and the tomato puree.
Let the tomatoes cook.
Add the cooked chicken back to the pan and mix.
The gravy should be thick, so add water accordingly.
Add the spice mix powder, salt and mix.
Cook the chicken until fully done.
Add the chopped coriander, take off heat and keep aside.
For the pulao
- In a kadhai or large saucepan heat the water along with the whole spices, salt, sugar over high heat.
Bring it to a boil, and then add the soaked and drained raw rice.
Once the rice is 80 per cent cooked, strain with the spices and keep aside.
- In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, spread 1 tbsp of the ghee and arrange the potato slices evenly across the bottom of the pan.
Add a 1-inch layer of the rice over the potatoes and drizzle some more ghee and then the saffron water over it.
Sprinkle some spice mix powder and layer with the remaining rice.
Sprinkle the remaining ghee, spice mix powder, and add the remaining saffron water on top.
Cover the pan and cook over medium-low heat for 8-10 minutes and then take off heat and keep aside.
To assemble
- Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a small frying pan over low heat.
Add the pista slivers, cranberries and cashews.
Fry in the ghee for a few minutes,taking care not to burn the nuts.
Take off heat and keep aside.
- In a large bowl, like a flat baking dish or a platter, add the nuts and cranberries.
Add some of the cooked rice along with its potato slices.
Add the chicken pieces with a bit of gravy.
Layer with more rice and chicken.
Garnish with mint leaves and serve hot.
Editor's Note: Store the excess spice mix powder for making future pulaus.
Vegetarians and vegans can try a vegetable version of this pulau and substitute the 1 kg chicken with ½ kg finely chopped or julienned mixed vegetables (like carrots, beans, cauliflower, peas, doodhi or bottle gourd) and/or paneer cubes. The ghee can be replaced with cashew butter. Skip the potatoes, ginger-garlic paste and the onions to further make the pulau Jain.
Chef Ajay Chopra is now the menu and restaurant consultant at Mumbai-based Zion Hospitality.