Less spices are used than in traditional Indian cooking, with fresh spices and herbs for flavouring. In some cases, cooking dough is spread over the container, like a lid, to seal the foods.This is known as purdah (veil), but on cooking becomes a bread which has absorbed the flavours of the food and the two are best eaten together. In the end, dum pukht food is about aroma, when the seal is broken on the table and the fragrance of an Avadhi repast floats in the air.
Ingridients
For the Marination
Chicken - 1 large breast piece cut into pieces
vinegar - 1 tblsp
Red chilli Powder - 1 heaped teaspoon
Garam Masala Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Black Pepper Powder - 1 tspn
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tspn
salt to taste
For the Rice
Basmati Rice - 1 cup
Warm water - 2 cups
Ghee - 1 tblsp
Cardamom pods - few
Whole spices - few
Salt - 1 tspn
For the Gravy
Red Chilli Powder - 1 tspn
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tspn
Onion - 2 medium sized chopped
Tomato - 1 medium sized chopped
coriander leaves - a handful
mint leaves - a handful
green chillies - 2
Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tspn
oil - 1 tblsp
Hung Curd - 2 tblsp
For Garnishing
Fried onion - 1 cup
Handful of cashew nut and raisins fried in ghee
Method
1. Marinate the chicken with the ingredients in the marination section for at least half an hour.
2. Soak the basmati rice for half an hour. Heat ghee in a pan, add the cardamom pods and the whole spices and let it crackle.
3. Add the rice , water and salt and allow it to cook till the rice is 90% done.
4. Deep fry the chicken in oil till all the sides are brown and crisp.
5. Heat oil ( you can use the same oil in which you have fried chicken) add onion saute them till translucent, then add chopped green Chillies and ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw small disappears.
6. Add tomato and saute for about two minutes.
7. Add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, and roast well for 5 minutes.
8. Add yoghurt and roast well.
9. Add mint and coriander leaves and fried chicken and mix well.
10. Arrange the cooked mixture and chicken in layers and sprinkle some turmeric mixed water, fried onion, fried kaju and kismis and put it for dum for 10 - 15 minutes.
Enjoy with your favorite raita or tamarind chutney and pappad.