Chicken Pulao

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice	2 cups
Chicken	250 gms
Onion	1 big
Sour Tomato	1 medium
Ginger-garlic paste	1 tsp
Green Chillies	2 nos
Curd	2 tbsp
Oil	4 tbsp
Ghee	1 tbsp
Chopped coriander leaves	½ cup

Ingredients for tempering:

Bay leaf	1-2
Clove	2
Cinnamon	small piece
Fennel seeds	¼ tsp
Star anise	3
Cardamom	1(optional)

Ingredients for Marinating Chicken

Red chilli / Coriander powder mix	1 tsp
(Mix Red Chilly and Coriander Powder mix :: 100 : 150 gms)
Kashmiri Red chilli powder	½ tsp
Fennel powder	½ tsp
Garam masala powder	½ tsp
Turmeric powder	1/8 tsp
Salt	½ tsp
Lemon juice	1 tsp

Method:

1. Clean and wash the Chicken well. Drain the excess water. Add all the ingredients mentioned for marinating and coat the Chicken well. Keep aside for half-an-hour to one hour.
2. Wash the Rice well for two times and soak with fresh water for half-an-hour to one hour. Keep aside.
3. Chop Onion into thin slices. Cut Tomatoes into big pieces. Slit green chillies and discard the seeds.
4. Heat a Cooker or thick bottomed broad vessel (cooker is best). Pour oil and ghee. Once it becomes hot, add all the ingredients mentioned for tempering. Fry for a minute and add sliced onions. Saute till light golden pink. Now add slit green chillies and fry a minute. Lower the flame and add tomato pieces and ginger-garlic paste. Saute till tomatoes becomes soft and juicy. Now add curd with few chopped coriander leaves and fry till oil oozes out.
5. Now add marinated chicken pieces. Raise the flame and saute for 2-3 minutes. Then lower the flame and cover with a suitable plate. Cook for 5 minutes. Open the plate and mix well.
6. Now add 3+3/4 cup of water to the cooked chicken and mix gently. Check the salt. If needed adjust.
7. Drain the water from the rice using a colander. Keep ready. Once the water starts boiling, add the drained rice and few chopped coriander leaves. Mix well and cover with plate. Raise the flame and cook for 5 minutes. In between open the plate and gently turn over the rice to avoid sticking to the bottom. Now lower the flame and cook for another 5 more minutes. In between mix gently for one time.
8. Side by side in another burner place a tawa and heat it in high flame (heating the tawa can be started when you lower the flame for cooker). We need hot tawa.
9. Now open the cooker and spread chopped coriander leaves and cover. Place this over hot plate. Lower the flame and cook for 10 minutes and switch off. Keep covered for 15-20 minutes. Do not open in between.
10. While opening do not allow the vapourised water dropping into the Pulao (just take out the plate without tilting). Gently flip over the rice. 

        Chicken Pulao is ready. Serve with Raita or with any favourite dish.