Chicken Pulao with Cardamom, Cloves and Basmati Rice

• 1kg chicken on the bone, skinless and cut to medium pieces
• 250g basmati rice
• 525ml water or stock
• 3 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 heaped tsp cumin seeds
• 6 cloves
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 2in cinnamon stick
• 2 black cardamom pods
• 2 large white onions thinly sliced
• 2 green chillies slit lengthwise
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1in ginger
• 1 heaped tsp coriander powder
• Salt to taste
• 20g freshly chopped coriander
• ½ lime, juiced

In a blender add the garlic and ginger with a splash of water and make a smooth paste. Set aside.

In a heavy bottom sauce pan heat the oil. Add the whole spices letting them sizzle and infuse their flavours for 30 seconds. Now add the white onions and fry on a low heat for 30-35 mins. They will soften and start to colour. Make sure to stir every few minutes making sure it doesn’t stick to the pan. The quantity of onions for this dish is quite a lot so give it time to fry and retain a light brown colour.

At this stage increase the heat to medium, add the green chillies and fry for a few seconds followed by the ginger and garlic paste. Fry for 2 minutes until the raw flavours from the paste cook through. Now add the chicken pieces along with the coriander powder stir well making sure the spices coat the chicken pieces sealing through for 8-10minutes. Add salt and continue to fry the chicken. Add half the water quantity and bring to a boil simmering with a lid on for 10 minutes. Stir half way through the cooking process. The chicken will nearly be done by this time.

Now add the rice, little fresh coriander and the remaining water. Bring to a boil; simmer for 18-20 minutes until all the liquid has been absorbed and the chicken & rice are tender.

Add the remaining coriander at this stage. Cover the pulao and turn the heat off. Leave to rest for 10minutes to let the rice cool slightly before serving. Serve with some lime juice, salad and raita. \