Pakistani chicken yakhni pulao

Rice cooked in a fragrant homemade chicken broth (yakhni) with whole spices, so every grain is full of flavour. A gentle, much-loved Pakistani one-pot, served with a cooling raita.

Ingredients

• 1000 g Chicken thighs, bone-in, skin removed
• 1 Onions, halved
• 0.5 Garlic, halved across
• 20 g Fresh ginger, sliced
• 5 g Ground coriander
• 2 g Black pepper
• 0.5 g Bay leaves
• 8 g Salt
• 400 g Basmati rice, rinsed and soaked for 30 minutes
• 40 ml Vegetable oil
• 1 Onions, thinly sliced
• 4 g Cumin seeds
• 2 g Cardamom pods
• 1 Cinnamon sticks
• 0.5 g Cloves
• 80 g Natural yoghurt
• 3 g Garam masala
• 250 g Natural yoghurt
• 0.5 Cucumber, grated and squeezed
• 5 g Fresh mint, chopped

Method

1. Put the chicken, halved onion, garlic, ginger, ground coriander, pepper, bay and salt in a large pan with 1.2 litres of water. Bring to the boil, skim, then simmer gently until the chicken is tender.
2. While the broth simmers, rinse the rice until the water runs clear and leave it to soak.
3. Lift out the chicken and strain the broth. You need 700ml; keep any extra for soup.
4. Heat the oil in a wide, heavy pan and fry the sliced onion until deep golden. Add the cumin, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves for 30 seconds.
5. Add the chicken pieces and yoghurt and stir-fry for a few minutes until the yoghurt has been absorbed.
6. Drain the rice and add it with the 700ml hot broth and the garam masala. Boil until the liquid sinks below the rice, then cover tightly and cook on the lowest heat.
7. Leave the pulao off the heat, still covered, while you mix the raita ingredients with a pinch of salt. Fluff the rice gently and serve.