HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN MANDI

 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.