It’s the busy person’s dilemma: you’d love to cook, but where’s the time? Here, then, is your solution. This space is a definitive guide to dishes and one-dish meals that won’t take you more than 15 minutes to prep and cook.
Cheat’s Chicken Pulao
Far less complicated to make than a biryani and just as delicious, this is an ideal recipe for a Sunday lunch or any other time when you are rushed for time and still want a home-cooked meal.
Ingredients
2 tbsp oil
1 medium onion, sliced fine
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
½ inch piece ginger, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 tbsp shop-bought biryani masala
½ cup fresh coriander, washed and chopped
½ cup fresh mint, washed and chopped
1 boneless chicken breast, cut into large dice
2/3 cup rice, washed and drained
2 cups hot water
Salt to taste
Method
1) Heat the oil in a 3 litre pressure cooker.
2) Put in the onions, ginger and garlic and fry on a low flame till the onions begin to brown.
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3) Add the tomatoes and cook till they are soft. Add the biryani masala.
4) Put in the herbs and the chicken and sauté till the meat loses some of its rawness.
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5) Add the drained rice and stir and cook till the grains are coated with the masala.
6) Pour in the hot water, add salt to taste. Close the cooker, put the weight on and cook on a low flame for 10 minutes.
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7) Allow the pressure to drop, before opening and serving with a raita or just some plain curd.
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Note: You can add vegetables such as capsicum, peas and large florets of cauliflower to this rice dish.
