A combination of rice and yellow lentils blended with spinach and aromatic flavors.
Ingredients
500 gm chicken (on the bone, cut into medium size pieces) OR mixed vegetables
150 gm yellow lentil (yellow moong beans)
250 gm basmati rice
400 gm spinach (chopped and washed)
325 gm onion sliced
325 gm tomato (diced)
3 tbsp cooking oil (or butter ghee)
2 tsp cumin seeds (zeera)
1 tsp crushed garlic
1 tsp crushed ginger
2 ¼ tsp salt (adjust to taste)
1 ½ tsp red chili powder
½ tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
For Garnishing (optional but recommended)
Butter ghee
Green chili (finely chopped for extra spice)
Crispy Fried onions
Mango pickle or any pickle of your choice
Method
Combine rice and lentil together. Wash and soak for about 15-20 minutes in luke warm water.
Meanwhile, in a pot/pressure cooker heat oil or ghee (whichever you are using).
Fry sliced onions until light brown.
Add chicken followed by crushed garlic and ginger. Fry for 3-4 minutes on high flame. Dry out the water released from the chicken. When you see a crispy look on the outer side of the chicken, move on to the next step.
Add tomatoes, salt, chili powder and turmeric powder. Mix in and fry for literally 2 mins.
Add chopped spinach and fry for 6-8 mins until the water released from the spinach is almost dried.
Add 500 ml water and let it boil. The idea is to cook until the chicken is absolutely tender and falls of the bones easily. I am using a pressure cooker. After adding water, close the lid and let it cook on high flame. When it starts to whistle, turn the flame to low-medium and leave it for at least 15 minutes. Switch off the flame and let it settle naturally.
If you are using a pot, after adding water let it boil on high flame. Then cover with a lid. Let it simmer cook on low-medium flame for at least 25-30 minutes. This will make the chicken absolutely tender.
NOTE: if using mixed vegetables it will take less time to cook.
Take the chicken pieces out in a plate. Use a fork to separate the meat from the bones. At this stage its like shredded chicken. Get rid of the bones and add the meat back to the pot. It doesn’t need to be completely mushy.
Add the soaked rice and lentils and 650 ml water. Check the seasoning at this point and adjust if needed.
Close the lid again. If using pressure cooker, keep the flame high. when it starts to whistle turn it to low medium and switch off after 8 minutes. Let the steam settle before you open the lid.
If using a pot start by cooking on high flame. When it starts boiling, cover with the lid. Turn it to low-medium for the first 5 minutes. Then, let it cook on low flame for about 20-25 mins. Make sure the lid is tight and the steam does not escape. Switch off the flame. Check the rice and lentils are completely cooked.
Stir gently to give it a mix. It doesn’t need to be completely mushy.
Serving Suggestion
Serve hot with the garnishing of your choice.
Story
This is an all time favorite dish of my family. It’s a one pot delicious treat on a lazy weekend afternoon. You can also treat your friends with something delicious with the least effort.
Going back down the memory lane, my mother-in-law used to make this dish. She did this when she needed to clear the fridge and use all the leftovers. It would taste delicious each time, but different, depending upon the left overs added in it. Hence, I came up with a set recipe to get an amazing taste each time.
This looks a perfect single dish that needs no company