CHICKEN MANDI RECIPE
Chicken Mandi is a
delicious rice dish that is unique in its method of preparation, serving and
taste. Though Mandi is a food item associated with Saudi Arabia, it is loved by
people of Kerala irrespective of their age. This tasty rice and meat
combination, which is available in restaurants, can be prepared at home easily
with this recipe. Though mandi preparation takes its time, the flavor of the
dish is worth it. The oily texture of the rice when taken with the chicken
pieces is mouth-watering.
Ingredients
Sella Basmati Rice
- 4 cups
Chicken (preferably
with skin) - 1 kg
Whole peppercorns
- 2 teaspoons
Garam masala
powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Cardamom - 1
tablespoon
Dry lemon -
Optional
Chopped capsicum -
1 No.
Chicken stock (salted)
- 4 cubes
Orange food colour
Sunflower oil -
3/4 cup
For cooking rice
Salt - 2 teaspoons
Sunflower oil - 1
tablespoon
Preparation
Rice preparation
Soak the Sella
Basmati rice for 20 minutes. We will not get the exact taste of Mandi with
ordinary Basmati rice.
Boil a large
amount of water. Add salt and sunflower oil to it. Do not add any other
ingredient to this water.
Add the soaked
rice to it.
Cook the rice
well. Sella basmati rice will take around 8 minutes to be cooked.
Mandi preparation
Wash the chicken
well. Then wash it with vinegar so that the chicken will be cooked fast and the
insides become soft. Also, the dirt in the skin will be removed.
Add the chicken to
the biriyani pot. Try to take big pieces of chicken. Make holes on the chicken
with a fork so that it will absorb the masala well. Dry the chicken pieces with
a tissue.
Add whole
peppercorns, garam masala powder, cardamom, dry lemon, chopped capsicum and
chicken stock to it. Crush the chicken stock with your hand before adding it.
Add colour. Mix
well.
Pour sunflower
oil. Don't pour coconut oil. Then the taste will differ.
Cook the chicken
for 5 minutes over a high flame. Flip the chicken when the colour of one side
changes.
Transfer the
excess oil from the pot to a bowl. Remove the dry lemon.
Add a part of the
rice on top of it as the first layer over a low flame.
Spread some oil
from the bowl on top of the rice.
Add the remaining
rice over it as the second layer.
Spread the
remaining oil on top.
Sprinkle some red
colour on top. Mix some turmeric powder with milk and sprinkle it over the
rice.
Cover it with
aluminium foil and place a lid.
Cook it for an
hour over a low flame.
Move the chicken
to a side. Mix the rice with oil in the bottom of the pot.
Perfect
restaurant-style mandi is ready.
