Skip to content
Home » Recipes » Chicken Yakhni Pulao Using Bengali Gobindobhog Rice

Chicken Yakhni Pulao Using Bengali Gobindobhog Rice

Kashmiri Yakhni Pulao using Bengali Gobindobhog Rice

About The Author

Hello! From Chuchura (in Hooghly District) and a foodie, I created this blog with a mission to preserve the food of the land; with a message to encourage and promote clean and real food. I hope you enjoy and gain out of this blog, happy reading!

Looking forward to read and hear your feedback.

A chicken yakhni pulao is perhaps one of those easy to cook, yet makes for a delicious one-pot meal. A biryani from Hyderabad or a Kolkata style chicken biryani takes a lot of effort to cook. Not this one.

What is Yakhni?

Yakhni comes from the word ‘Akhin’ which means shorba or a light broth. Yakhni was initially prepared from meat, aromatic spices, curd and saffron.

The Indian version does not use turmeric and tomatoes.

Persian cuisine used curries with a yogurt base. Akbar introduced a similar style when he annexed Kashmir in 1586.

According to a report in DNA, the earliest mention of Yakhni is in Ain-i-Akbar which is the autobiography of Akbar. Sheep meat was used in the dish.

What sets apart the Indian yakhni dishes to the Greek and Turkish regions is the absence of tomatoes. The Portuguese introduced tomatoes much later.

Which State is Famous for Yakhni Pulao?

Lucknow is famous for its Yakhni Pulao. Cities like Bangalore and Chennai, also serve yakhni pulao and variants of yakhni pulao and call it as biryani to cater to the crowd that craves for the dish.

Did I Mention Chicken Yakhni Pulao and Gobindobhog Rice?

Yes I did!

Flavors of Gobindobhog in Chicken Yakhni Pulao

When you use your hand to lift the pulao, you will notice the stickiness, yet on the plate each grains of the rice appear separate.

One mouthful and you taste the subtle flavors from the meat and spices that the rice has soaked up. There is a peppery note towards the end.

The aroma from the gobindobhog rice makes the subtle pulao makes it a more flavorful experience.

Basically a yakhni pulao has its origin in Kashmir where a mutton broth is prepared using meat, spices and aromatics. The liquid is called yakhni and has a soupy texture and is extremely delicious.

Long grain basmati rice which originates in parts of North India like Punjab is cooked in the shorba (yakhni) along with the meat resulting in yakhni pulao, or a pulao cooked in yakhni.

For this recipe, I have made two deviation from the tradition to make it better, affordable and more suitable to the Bengali palette.

Chicken Instead of Mutton

This recipe uses chicken.

There is no doubt that mutton has more depth in its flavors than chicken.

However, chicken is easily available and more affordable than mutton. I am still learning the tricks of buying a good mutton and goat meat.

Bengal’s Very Own Gobindobhog Rice for Chicken Yakhni Pulao

Gobindobhog rice is used instead of basmati.

The Indian market is replete with long grain rice which is sold as basmati rice. Cheap or expensive, they lack the aroma and flavor. It is difficult to procure a good quality basmati rice without burning a hole in your pocket.

Yakhni Pulao from Kashmir
The Chicken Yakhni Pulao Using Bengali Gobindobhog Rice Minus the Garnish

Over the course of my experiment with food, I have realized that basmati rice can be very well replaced. The other day I saw a video of Bangalore’s most famous military canteen called “Shivaji Military Hotel” use gobindobhog rice sourced from Bardhaman district in Bengal for its mutton donne biryani.

Gobindobhog rice without doubt has a much richer flavor profile, is widely available (at least in the eastern parts of India) and is inexpensive when compared to basmati rice.

Bengal’s authentic Basanti Pulao too uses gobindobhog rice.

I assure you that the flavor will mesmerize you into thinking whether you can also cook a chicken biryani using gobindobhog rice.

Let’s get cooking!

Chicken Yakhni Pulao

Chicken Yakhni Puloa Using Gobindobhog Rice

Minimal Effort, Subtle Flavors
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
5 from 6 votes
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time55 minutes
Total Time1 hour 20 minutes
CourseMain Course
Cuisinebengali, Kashmiri
KeywordBengali pulao, Chicken Pulao, Gobindobhog, Yakhni Pulao
Servings: 2 people
Author: Samrat Roy Chowdhuri
Cost: ₹ 60

Note

The equipment & ingredient quantity provided in this recipe is to assist you in cooking this dish. Feel free to experiment with your ingredients. Remember that we all have different set, size & shape of kitchen tools in our pantry.

Equipment

  • Wok
  • Slotted Spoon / Spatula
  • Colander (optional)
  • Preparation Bowls
  • Knife
  • Serving Bowls

Ingredients

  • 2 cup Gobindobhog rice
  • 2 tsp ghee

For the Brown Onions

  • 4 pc medium sized onion
  • 1/2 cup mustard oil

To Prepare the Yakhni

  • 200 g chicken
  • 2 tsp mustard oil
  • 4 pc green cardamom
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 4 pc clove
  • 2 pc 1-inch cinnamon or cassia
  • 1 pc mace
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
  • 1/3 cup well-beaten curd
  • 2 inch ginger
  • 6 pc garlic cloves
  • 1 pc onion
  • salt
  • 5 cup water

Instructions

Preparation for the Yakhni Pulao [25 minutes]

  • Finely slice the onions as mentioned under "For the Brown Onions"
  • In a wok, add oil and allow it to reach the smoking point
  • Add the sliced onions and saute till they are golden brown
  • Keep separate
  • Peel and roughly chop the ginger, garlic and onions as mentioned under "To Prepare the Yakhni"
  • Wash the rice repeatedly to remove the dirt and starch

Preparing the Yakhni [30 minutes]

  • In a wok, dry roast all the whole spices mentioned under "To Prepare the Yakhni" for a couple of minutes
  • Put these whole spices in a muslin cloth and tie to prepare a potli
  • In the same wok, add oil and allow the oil to smoke
  • Add the roughly chopped ginger, garlic and onion and saute lightly for a minute
  • Add half of the brown onions along with well-beaten curd and briskly stir
  • Drop in the chicken pieces and lightly saute for a couple of minutes
  • Add water and salt
  • Once it comes to a boil, taste the water for saltiness. The water should taste slightly saltier. If not, add more salt and taste again. This step is very important
  • Cover and allow to cook for 25 minutes
  • After 25 minutes, uncover and using a slotted spoon or tong separate the chicken pieces in a bowl or plate
  • Remove the spice potli and discard the contents
  • Filter the water by running it through a colander to separate the liquid from the solid content. This liquid is the yakhni or chicken stock

Cooking the Chicken Yakhni Pulao [25 Minutes]

  • In the same wok place the chicken pieces
  • Add in 4 cups of the yakhni
  • Put the flame on medium
  • Add the gobindobhog rice
  • Allow this to come to a boil
  • Using a spatula stir it every few minutes till the water dries up and you can see holes starting to form on the rice
  • Immediately lower the flame to the minimum, cover and cook it for another 10 minutes
  • Uncover and add ghee
  • Give this a nice stir to allow any moisture to evaporate and make the rice look drier
  • Your chicken yakhni pulao is ready
  • Allow the pulao to cool down before serving
  • While serving, garnish with the left-over brown onions

Notes

  • Buy chicken on the bone. The bones have gelatin which increases the flavor profile of the yakhni. Chicken pieces can be sized as slightly bigger than the usual curry cut pieces
  • Wash the gobindobhog rice properly till the rice appears clear when in water. A lot of starch will make the chicken yakhni pulao look mushy and not give separate grains
  • Never serve a pulao while its steaming hot. Pulao should be always served warm
  • While I have used oil to brown the onions and saute the chicken, you can use ghee
  • Do not worry if you see the curd separate when you add it while preparing the yakhni. It will even out once the yakhni is prepared
Tried this recipe?Mention @FinallyFoodie or tag #finallyfoodie!

5 thoughts on “Chicken Yakhni Pulao Using Bengali Gobindobhog Rice”

  1. Pingback: 6 Gobindobhog Rice Recipes You Will Fall In Love With

  2. Pingback: Dada Biryani Bhubaneswar - Should You Go There?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating