Yakhni Pulao » Dassana’s Veg Recipes

This Yakhni Pulao is a scrumptious rice pilaf that includes aromatic basmati rice, flavorful vegetable inventory, wholesome combined veggies, fragrant spices and herbs. Whereas there are numerous variations to make this dish, my vegetarian recipe is aromatic, flavorful and attractive. Certainly one of our favourite rice dishes is Yakhni pulao after Biryani and Veg Pulao and I’m positive it is going to be yours too.

About Yakhni Pulao

The urdu phrase “Yakhni” refers to a broth or inventory. Pulao or pilaf is a one pot rice dish. The recipe will get its identify Yakhni pulao because the rice is cooked within the yakhni a.ok.a the inventory or broth.

The inventory is made first by cooking the meat (right here we make the inventory with veggies) along with aromatic spices. Later the rice is cooked till tender on this inventory.

The recipe of this Yakhni pulao is from the Hyderabadi delicacies. Typically yakhni pulao is a non-vegetarian dish. However there are vegetarian and vegan variations of this dish as properly like this recipe.

Making this subtly flavored dish requires a whole lot of care and a focus much like making a biryani. A slight error in your half can smash this dish. The rice grains need to be separate and but cooked. The veggies additionally needs to be tender and never overly cooked. So that you see this recipe calls for perfection.

As they are saying observe makes an individual excellent. I attempted making yakhni pulao many occasions. One thing or the opposite would go incorrect. A lot of the occasions the rice could be over cooked. The style was alright however the texture was one thing that might have been improved upon.

Lastly after some observe, now I could make a extremely good Yakhni pulao – so good, each within the style division and with a fluffy non-sticky texture of the rice grains. Do that recipe and you will notice its style, taste is way completely different and distinctive than your common pulao.

My mother used to make an superior Yakhni pulao and this recipe is impressed from hers. The vegetarian model of this Yakhni pulao is clearly made with a hearty mixture of agency greens, however you would make it extra healthful by including soy chunks, tofu or paneer.

About This Recipe

First we make the yakhni or the inventory with the greens and spices. The veggies are cooked in water with a bouquet garni manufactured from spices to make the broth or inventory.

Questioning what’s bouquet garni? Entire spices are stored in a muslin material after which tied tightly to a small bundle (additionally recognized in Hindi as ‘potli‘). It’s this small bundle of the spices that known as bouquet garni.

This bouquet garni is positioned along with the veggies, water and salt in a pan. The whole combination is allowed to cook dinner till the veggies are half-done or half-cooked. Later the spices are discarded. Then the broth or inventory is strained and the veggies are stored apart.

This spice infused broth is then combined with curd (yogurt), rice and the half-cooked veggies in a flavorful fragrant base of sautéed onions, herbs and seasonings. This complete assortment of greens, inventory, aromatics, rice is tightly lined with a lid and gradual cooked on dum till the rice grains are tender and softened.

The results of cooking with this method, is that the rice absorbs all of the flavors of the Yakhni inventory. The result’s an excellent delish and aromatic flavorful rice pulao.

It’s higher to make use of basmati rice for this pilaf recipe. For greatest outcomes soak the basmati rice in water for about 20 to half-hour. Pressure the soaked rice earlier than including it to the veggies and yogurt.

I’ve garnished the yakhni pulao with fried onions, mint leaves and cashews. You may simply garnish with fried onions (also referred to as birista) skipping the cashews and mint.

Do do that fragrant and wholesome yakhni pulao at dwelling. The yakhni pulao is greatest served with an onion tomato raita or cucumber raita. You may as well serve it with a veg curry of your selection.

Step-by-Step Information

Easy methods to make Yakhni Pulao

Make Vegetable Yakhni (Veg Inventory)

1. Place the next spices in a muslin or cheese material to make the bouqet garni:

• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
• ½ tablespoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 inch ginger, crushed
• 5 to six small to medium garlic cloves, crushed

2. Tie the muslin material securely with the spices inside it. That is the bouquet garni.

3. Warmth 5 cups of water to a delicate boil on medium warmth.

I’ve used 5 cups of water to make the yakhni pulao. In order that I don’t want so as to add further water later to the rice in case it’s wanted.

And if in any respect any further yakhni or inventory stays, it may be drank because it is sort of a skinny soup or may be added to gravies, curries, dals, paratha and so on.

4. Add 1.5 cup of combined chopped veggies like french beans, carrots, cauliflower and potatoes. Additionally, add ½ cup of inexperienced peas (matar) along with the ready bouquet garni. Add salt as required.

5. Cowl with a lid.

6. Prepare dinner and simmer the veggies until they’re half-done or par-cooked on medium-low to medium warmth. This takes about 10 to 12 minutes.

Notice that we aren’t boiling the greens right here, however gently cooking them on a medium-low to medium warmth.

Pressure the Yakhni

7. When the greens are half-cooked, take away the the bouquet garni. By way of a strainer fastidiously pressure the inventory or yakhni in a bowl and set the veggies apart.

When the bouquet garni turns into heat, squeeze it over the broth to extract extra flavors from the spices. Open the muslin and discard away the spices.

8. Set the vegetable inventory apart. From this vegetable inventory measure 2 cups and preserve apart.

Refrigerate the remaining veg inventory and add it to your soups, lentils, curries, rice dishes, paratha, roti and so on.

Soak Rice

9. In the meantime rinse 1 cup basmati rice after which soak the rice in water for 20 to half-hour. After 20 to half-hour drain all of the water and set the rice apart. Ideally use aged basmati rice.

Sauté Spices, Onions

10. Warmth 2 tablespoons ghee in a pan and let it soften.

11. Add the next spices to the melted ghee and fry for just a few seconds till they splutter:

• 2 to three small tej patta (Indian bay leaf)
• 3 inexperienced cardamoms
• 1 inch cinnamon stick
• 1 black cardamom
• 4 to five black peppercorns
• 3 cloves

12. Then add 1 medium-sized sliced onion – about ½ cup thinly sliced onions.

13. Sauté the onions stirring usually till they’re golden.

Make Yakhni Pulao

14. Add the soaked and drained basmati rice.

15. Combine to mix the basmati and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes on low warmth.

16. Now add the half-cooked greens and a pair of cups of the vegetable inventory or yakhni.

Add salt if wanted. We’ve got already added salt to the yakhni. Hold this in thoughts earlier than including the salt.

17. Add 3 tablespoons recent curd (yogurt or dahi).

18. Combine properly. Test the style of the inventory and it needs to be barely salty.

19. Cowl with a decent lid. I’ve wrapped the lid with a moist cotton material or kitchen serviette to cook dinner on dum. Prepare dinner for 15 to twenty minutes on dum on a low warmth.

20. Later open the pan. If the rice seems to not be fully cooked and the combination seems dry, simply add a splash of heat yakhni or broth to the rice. Gently stir with a fork.

Cowl tightly and cook dinner the pulao for a couple of minutes extra. If there may be some inventory within the pulao, then don’t add any further veg inventory. Merely cowl the pan and cook dinner additional for some extra minutes.

Make Garnish

21. Take one tablespoon ghee or oil in a pan. add 1 small sized onion, sliced thinly – about ⅓ cup thinly sliced.

22. As soon as the onion adjustments to mild brown colour, you may add 12 to 14 cashews and sauté with the onions.

23. Sauté stirring usually until the onions turns into golden brown.

24. Whereas serving garnish yakhni pulao with the crispy caramelized onions, golden browned cashews and a few chopped coriander or mint leaves. Serve scorching or heat with onion raita or with onion kuchumber.

Extra Tasty Indian Rice Dishes!

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This Yakhni Pulao put up from the archives (Feb 2012) has been republished and up to date on 8 October 2021.