Neighbourly Love

Hey Lovely folks!

To say we are jinxed to have the bizzarest of neighbour's is an understatement. If you feel I am over-exaggerating read these major offenses in past few years we have gathered:

• Cooking with their door open, esp desi ones who give tadka (a tempering involving chillies😟)
• Bursting firecrackers in the tiny 4-flat corridor, which is a fire hazard and is illegal😳
• Leaving oil-lamps burning overnight & triggering a massive smoke🙄
• Ransacking our christmas wreath and other decor which is on the door😠

Needless to say we shudder each time a new neighbour moves in; and bonding is rare and unlikely. For my Mumbaikar soul, this is strange. Coz life without neighbour's is unimaginable back home. Despite their utter nosiness they are your first helpline in times of emergencies. 

On the topic of neighbors, I must mention the famous neighbours whom my country is always sparring with on & off. I'm not a fan of the politics, but food & cuisine is our common link. 

When we moved to UAE we were exposed to a lot of their TV shows esp cooking channels, I even follow one of the TV chefs on social media. She had shared a Afghani Pulao recipe. I have not seen desi versions of this dish but it definitely tempted my desi taste-buds. 

A bit of research told me, this is the national dish of Afghanistan (our second cousin neighbor😀). My version is a blend of the TV chef recipe & some of the original Afghani dish.  

First time I'd paired this Pulao with Chicken Kadhai (again the neighbour version which is sans my enemy "the capsicum"). We loved it so so much. This time I wanted to cut-down meaty combo; so I paired the Afghani Pulao with buttery Dal Makhni, and the combo was equally yum.

Give either combo a try, or pair it with a favourite of your own.

RECIPE:

Time Taken: 60-90 mins (it's worth the time & multiple steps)

Yield: 4 servings

Method:

Disclaimer : I have modified the steps a bit to cut down on time & effort (cough read sheer laziness)

1) Take 200 gms of chicken breast or thighs, cut in size of your liking and marinate with salt.

2) Prepare a caramel with:  2 tsp sugar melted to golden brown, and 2 tbsp of water. Keep aside to cool.

3 Par-boil 1.5 cups of basmati rice. This is not traditional but i prefer getting rid of the starch a bit. 

4) Prepare a stock should be about 3/4 cup - either with a chicken broth cube or homemade chicken broth plus some whole spices like 1tsp coriander seds, half tsp cumin seeds, a bay leaf,  a cinnamom stick, few cloves and peppercorns. Once it comes to a boil, put off flame and strain the stock. 

5) Slice 1 medium onion and 2 green chillies (optional) 

6) Heat oil in a pan, add a 4 to 5 cardamoms, some of the whole spices from the stock (just the cinnamon and few cloves or pepercorns), tip in thr onions and let them cook till pale golden, add the chicken and saute till the flesh turns opaque. Add the caramel and continue cooking.

7) Add the stock and give it a gud boil. 

8) Add the par-boiled rice, check salt and cover with lid. The stock will cook out the rice completely as well as imparting all the yummy goodness of the chicken and spices innit. 

9) While the pulao is cooking, julienne carrots about 2 tbsp much, some slicesd pistachios, traditionally raisins are also added but we don't like raisins so I skipped it. Heat a bit of butter or ghee and sautee the carrots and pistachios innit, atleast till d carrots r glossy 

10) Once the stock is absorbed in the rice and the rice is cooked completely, put off the flame. Garnish the rice with the fried carrots and pistachios. Serve warm with a spicy meat gravy or a buttery dal makhani. Bon Appétit! 

Cheers!