Murag Polao (Chicken Polao)

Serves three to four people.

Ingredients:

• Medium sized chicken - 2
• Polao rice - 4 cups
• Sliced onions - ½ cup
• Chopped onions - ½ cup
• Ginger paste - 2 tablespoons
• Garlic paste - 2 teaspoons
• Jaiphal (nutmeg) powder or paste
• Jaitri (mace) powder or paste
• Cinnamon - 2 to 3 pieces
• Cardamom - 4 to 5
• Cloves - 3 to 4
• Green chili - 5 to 6
• Sugar - 1 teaspoon
• Lime juice - 1 tablespoon
• Yogurt - 3 tablespoons
• Kewra - 1 tablespoon
• Milk - 4 tablespoons
• Pistachio powder - 1 tablespoon
• Food coloring (optional) - 1 teaspoon
• Salt - 1 tablespoon
• Ghee/Oil - 1 cup

Preparation:

• Clean the rice a few times, rinse and keep aside.
• Clean the chickens and cut each into 4 pieces. Dry and marinate with ginger, garlic, yogurt, jaiphal, jaitri, and a little bit of salt for 10 to 15 minutes.

• Heat about ½ cup of oil in a pan and fry the chopped onions until they are crispy. Keep them aside.
• Now add the sliced onions in the oil and heat until they are brown.
• Add in the cinnamon, cardamom and cloves, and stir for a minute.
• Add the marinated chicken pieces and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes over medium heat.
• Pour in 2 to 3 cups of water and cover.
• After 10 to 12 minutes of cooking, add the lime juice, sugar and green chili. Mix well with the chicken and cover.
• When there is about a cup of water left in the pan and the chicken looks cooked, turn off the heat.

• While the chicken is being cooked, mix the milk with kewra, and any food coloring if used. Stir in the pistachio powder with this mix as well. Keep aside.

• Heat the rest of the oil in a separate pan, and fry the rice until its crisp.
• Pour 5 to 6 cups of hot water over the rice and add in the salt.
• Once the water starts boiling, cover the pan and keep over medium heat.
• Stir the boiling rice after 3 to 4 minutes, and keep it covered again.
• Finally turn off the heat once the water dries up.

• Take out approximately half of the cooked rice and pour in all the chicken pieces and the gravy.
• Add in half of the milk-kewra mix and some fried onions.
• Now cover the chicken with the other half of the rice and add in the rest of the milk-kewra mix and fried onions.
• Cook over low heat for 15 to 20 more minutes, and stir whenever necessary to avoid burning the rice at the bottom.
• Turn off the heat completely when the mixture looks cooked, giving off a distinct aroma.
• Serve hot.