What are the tricks or tips to a kick a$ $ pulao? Sometimes mine turns out excellent and sometime it doesnt? I dont need recipes per say but maybe some ideas as to how i can make it finger licking good.
HUbs wants it tonight so any ideas today would help! :halo:
Re: yakhni pulao
Hmm... a nice flavorful yakhni is the trick. So make sur your yakhni is is flavorful, add the right amount of khara masalas, ginger/garlic, onion, and salt. I browm onions and ginger garlic paste then add chicken, cook it fow few mins, then the maslas and water (the amount you need to cook the rice). Once the yakhni is ready, add rice and it always comes out delish. Oh and if you have black zeera, sprinkle it on the top right before dum.
Re: yakhni pulao
Lusi you are right. I guess i may not be adding enough stuff to the yakhni.
Btw does it matter how much you bhoonify the gosht before adding the rice and yakhni? Maybe i am missing something there too? Should i add tomatoes/yogurt?
Re: yakhni pulao
I just bhonafy it till it gets slightly golden. Oh I am talking about the raw meat... I bhoonafy the raw meat in that fried onion and ginger/garlic mixture, then add the khara masalas, then add the water. Once meat is tender and yakhni seems to be ready I add the rice.
I know some people make the yakhni seperate, then make seperate tarka, then add yakhni to that tarka and when that boils then rice... I don't do all that...lol
I just make the tarka thing, add meat, bhoonafy the meat for few mins, add water (just the amount to cook the rice... for instance for 1 cup rice close to 2 cups of water). Once the chicken/meat is tender add rice. I just feel that this way the yakhni is more rich in flavor.
Some people like adding green chiles (without seeds or less seeds) and tomatoe aswell. It gives extra aroma and flavor, you can try that. Normally I don't but I have had pulao with tomatoes and green chillis and it tasted pretty good.
Re: yakhni pulao
Take a couple tablespoons of saunf and coriander seeds in a little cheese cloth and tie it up and let it release the flavors while cooking the yakhni. That adds a wonderful smell and flavor.
Re: yakhni pulao
Lusi and Niksik, I made the pulao last night and addded tomtoes and green mirch when bhoonifying the meat. It was pretty good but not the taste i was looking for. I think i am missing something in my yakhni, i think i will have ammi make it infront of me so i can see. Will post a pic in the aaj kia pakaya thread InshaAllah.
Thanks for your help ladies, its much appreciated.
Re: yakhni pulao
The key ingredient to a good tasting palao is the Yakhni.
Adding tomatoes will make it a Non-Palao as there are no tomatoes in a palao
I learnt this recipe from my Nani who made finger licking palaos
She's passed away but her palaos are still remembered.
I soak rice before i start cooking so its nice and soft and cooks faster in the palao
For Ikg meat whether it be chicken or beef
In a large pot filled with water add the meat
Soonf
Coriander Seeds
Sabut Zeera
DarCheeni
Bari Ilachi
Sabut kali mirch
Long
Cloves of Garlic
Ginger
Namak
One large onion roughly chopped
Cook on low heat till the meat is tender.
Take out the meat once its tender and strain the yakhni
In another pot, fry onions till they are about to turn golden/transparant.
Add crushed garlic and sabut zeera, sabut garam masala ( Bari/choti ilaichi, Kalimirch, Long, DarCheeni ) to it and fry till you smell the garlic and zeera.
Add the meat with a tiny bit of yakhni and bhoon the meat.
Add sabut hari mirchain, matar and rice, salt to taste for the rice and enough yakhni that rises just a few centimeters from the level of rice.
Cook on high till the yakhni level is the same as the rice level and then dam it on slow heat for fifteen minutes.
Re: yakhni pulao
That sounds fatntastic. Is is possible for you to mention approximate amounts of rice and the whole spices?
The key ingredient to a good tasting palao is the Yakhni.
Adding tomatoes will make it a Non-Palao as there are no tomatoes in a palao
I learnt this recipe from my Nani who made finger licking palaos She's passed away but her palaos are still remembered.
I soak rice before i start cooking so its nice and soft and cooks faster in the palao
For Ikg meat whether it be chicken or beef
In a large pot filled with water add the meat Soonf Coriander Seeds Sabut Zeera Bari Ilachi Sabut kali mirch Long Cloves of Garlic Ginger Namak One large onion roughly chopped
Cook on low heat till the meat is tender.
Take out the meat once its tender and strain the yakhni
In another pot, fry onions till they are about to turn golden/transparant.
Add crushed garlic and sabut zeera, sabut garam masala ( Bari/choti ilaichi, Kalimirch, Long ) to it and fry till you smell the garlic and zeera.
Add the meat with a tiny bit of yakhni and bhoon the meat.
Add sabut hari mirchain, matar and rice, salt to taste for the rice and enough yakhni that rises just a few centimeters from the level of rice.
Cook on high till the yakhni level is the same as the rice level and then dam it on slow heat for fifteen minutes.
adra, mein bhi isi tara banati hoon laikin sometime 1/2 cup yogurt bhi add karti hoon jab meat bhoon tai hain...:)
Re: yakhni pulao
lol, ab tau sab kuch andazay say dalnay ki adat ho gai hay 
You want the amount of whole spices for yakhni or the actual Palao??
For Yakhni made with Ikg meat
1 heaped teaspoon of zeera and soonf and I tablespoon of coriander seeds
2-3 pieces of Bari Ilachi
6 longs
6-8 or probably more sabut kali mirch
5 cloves of garlic ( i love my garlic )
Namak to taste
For Palao made with 4 cups of rice
1 large onion
2 cloves of garlic ( i use fresh garlic and chop it up finely, its the best. Hate the pre-paste made ones they smell yuck )
A heaped teaspoon of Zeera
2-3 Bari Ilachis
5 longs
6-8 kali mirch
You can always add or reduce the amount, some ppl find the smell of Khara masala overpowering whereas some like it.
The only thing I dont like in Khara masala and dont use it ever is that star shaped thing. It smells yuck
Re: yakhni pulao
adra thats exactly how i make it too but for some reason it doesnt taste as good as it should 
Even this time ia dded plenty of garam masala to the yakhni along with pyaaz, garlic, ginger etc but it still wasnt like my ammi’s. Maybe its just my taste buds, i dunno. I have forgotten how to cook good pulao 
same the bihari in me screams that yogurt will turn it into a Tahari
But it will add flavor and texture esp if you are adding potatoes to the Palao.
Re: yakhni pulao
Oh thanks! Sounds yummers. Maybe I'll make it today.
lol hota hay, you know the meat and vegetables in western countries dont have the taste like those back home so it wont always taste the same.
Maybe its the Yakhni amount.
When you make the Yakhni how much water is left in the pan with the meat ??
It shouldnt be too much cause then it’ll taste bland.
Oh thanks! Sounds yummers. Maybe I'll make it today.
If it turns out good, remember to pray for my Nani, she was an awesome woman.
Re: yakhni pulao
Even if it doesn’t turn out good I’ll pray for her. Recipe unki hai per it depends a bit on the pakaney waala also na 
Re: yakhni pulao
Hmmm last time i had about 1-1.5 lb packet of meat and the yakhni was exactly 3 cups which i used to make 1.5 c of rice. Makes sense? i think this could be it too, maybe i am using too less of meat? I mean how can ammi make good pulao in chicago but when i buy meat from there and make pulao in my kitchen 5 hours away, it aint that grand.
I think you caught the lack of gosht!
Re: yakhni pulao
Ira what sort of meat are you using?? For Yakhni Palao the meat should always have bones.
Ive seen ppl using boneless cubes for Yakhni and I go 
How in the world are they expecting the flavors without any bones.
Niksik follow your intinct with the recipe it’ll turn out good.
Re: yakhni pulao
okey thats solv kai ajj kia pakaen...mein bhi pulao banon gi....
adra, i will pray for your nani, and my mom :) gracias.
Re: yakhni pulao
adra, i use haddi wala gosht. You gotta have haddis to get the flavors. I think next time i will use more gosht although even this time hubs was saying how there was more botian/hadian than rice :DThanks a bunch for the suggestions.