PULAO WITH SHAHI CHICKEN QORMA
2 small skinned chickens, cut up
into 8 pieces
1/2 cup yogurt
3 tablespoons oil and 1 stick
butter
2 sticks cinnamon, broken
3 to 4 cardamom pods
2 to 3 medium onions, chopped 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced finely with 11/2-inch piece of fresh ginger
2 teaspoons ground coriander
seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala (see
note)
1/2 cup light cream
1/4 cup Indian “mawa” or ricotta
cheese
1/4 cup peeled almonds, ground
1 to 2 teaspoons sugar 2 tablespoons or so raisins,
soaked and drained, optional Couple of generous pinches of saffron, soaked in 2 to 3 teaspoons rose water
1 1/2 to 2 cups basmati rice, soaked 30 minutes, washed, drained and set aside
Water, as needed
Wash and clean the chicken of any gristle and extra fat; drain well, mix with the yogurt and set aside. Meanwhile, in a heavy, large pot heat the oil and butter. Over medium heat, saute the cardamom pods and cinnamon sticks until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the onion and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is just light golden brown. Add the minced garlic and ginger, along with the ground coriander and garam masala; cook stirring until a sauce begins to form, about 8 minutes.
Add the chicken pieces and cook until the chicken loses its raw look, stirring frequently to coat the pieces with the sauce, about 10 minutes. To tenderize the chicken, add a quarter cup of water, stir the pot and cover. Over low heat, let the chicken cook, stirring occasionally and adding a dash of water if needed, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the cream in the microwave oven in a glass measuring cup and stir in the ricotta, breaking the cheese curds as much as possible. Add the hot cream mixture to the pot in drizzles, stirring the chicken as you add it. Stir and cook a minute or so and add the ground almonds and the sugar.
Keep cooking, stirring often, until the sauce thickens and coats the chicken pieces well, about 10 minutes. By now, you would have cooked about 40 minutes. If the sauce looks somewhat separated from the oil, don’t worry; Indian sauces are not supposed to look smooth and homogenous. The chicken should be almost cooked and tender, with the fragrant sauce permeating the meat.
Just before adding the reserved rice, add half of the saffron, which should first be mashed into the rose water with the back of a spoon. Stir to combine the flavors. Total cooking time should be 45 to 50 minutes.
Cooking the rich and fragrant qorma is the key to the dish. Now stir in the drained rice and cook, stirring constantly for about a minute or so until the rice appears translucent. Add about 3 to 4 cups of water, depending on the amount of rice.
Add the remaining saffron-rose water and the raisins; stir gently to mix. Bring to a gentle boil, reduce heat and cook until steam vents develop over the rice, about 7 to 8 minutes. Reduce heat to low, cover the pot and cook until the rice grains test done, about 6 to 8 minutes.
Gently stir the rice with a spatula, lifting from the bottom. Serve in a shallow bowl or dish and garnish with sliced almonds. A spicy yogurt drink is generally served on the side.
NOTE: A trip to an Indian store may be worthwhile. There you can buy skinned cut-up chicken, cardamom pods and cinnamon sticks as well as rose water and saffron (often of poor quality). If you buy packaged garam masala there, ask for masala for mild qorma.
It is, however, easy to make your own garam masala, since many of its ingredients are also Christmas spices. In a coffee or spice mill, grind together 2 teaspoons coriander seeds (optional filler), 1 teaspoon cardamom seeds, 8 to 10 cloves and 1 teaspoon peppercorns; to the resulting ground, mix in 2 teaspoons cinnamon powder and a half teaspoon each grated nutmeg and allspice powder. Blend well and store in a small jar with tight lid.