Name: Andhra Kodi Pulao
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 90 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: ¾ cup Basmati Rice, washed and soaked; 250 g Chicken, curry cut, bone-in; 1 Onion, thinly sliced; 1 Tomato, chopped; 2 Green Chili Pepper, slit vertically; ¾ tbsp Ginger-Garlic Paste; 1½ tbsp Cooking Oil; 2 Cloves; ½ Cinnamon Sticks, 1-inch stick; 2 Green Cardamom; ¼ cup Mint Leaves, chopped; ¼ cup Coriander Leaves, chopped; 1½ tbsp Indian-Style Yogurt, whisked; ¼ tsp Ground Turmeric; ¾ tsp Red Chilli Powder, adjust to taste; ½ tbsp Chicken Masala; ¾ tsp Salt, to taste; 1¼ cup Water

1 hr 30 mintotal

1 hr hands-on30 min hands-off

Prep 30 min · Cook 30 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: Hot

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Method

In a heavy pot, heat the cooking oil until very hot. Add the whole spices (cloves, cinnamon, green cardamom) and let them sizzle for 10 seconds to release their aroma.
10 sec
Add the sliced onions and the slit green chillies to the pot. Sauté steadily over medium-high heat until the onions caramelize to a deep golden brown. This stage is where the dish gets its flavour, so do not rush it.
Add the ginger-garlic paste. Fry it for 60 seconds to cook off the raw, sharp notes.
1 min
Add the marinated chicken to the pot. Sear it over high heat for 5-7 minutes, so the outside browns and seals in the juices.
5–7 min
Turn the heat right down. Add the chopped tomatoes, fresh mint and coriander. Cook until the tomatoes break down completely into a soft pulp.
Add the dry spices: turmeric, red chilli powder, chicken masala and salt. Add the whisked curd quickly and keep stirring hard, so the curd does not split in the heat.
Cover the pot. Braise the chicken in the spiced masala over low heat for exactly 10 minutes, until it is about half cooked.
10 min
Drain the soaked basmati thoroughly. Add the drained rice to the simmering chicken. Fold it through very gently for 60 seconds, taking care not to break the grains.
1 min
Pour in the measured hot water. Bring it to a rolling boil. Turn the heat right down, cover the pot tightly, and cook on dum for 15 minutes without lifting the lid.
15 min
Turn off the heat. Let it stand, undisturbed, for 10 minutes. Uncover and fluff it very gently with a fork before serving.
10 min

How to tell it's done

Fragrant, separate grains of rice in a deep red-orange, laid over succulent, well-flavoured bone-in chicken that falls apart at a touch.

Getting it right

Tip

Andhra cooking is unapologetically hot, and the green chillies carry that sharp heat here. Don't leave out the mint: it balances the chilli and keeps the dish smelling fresh.

What to serve it with

Serve it hot with a plain onion raita, a good mirchi ka salan, and a hard-boiled egg on the side.

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Ingredients