Yakhni also called Yahni means broth or a simple soup. So rice cooked in this broth along with the meat of your choice is the idea behind Yakhni Pilaf.
The recipe of Yakhni varies from region to region and the dish is common across most of West Asia and Eastern Europe. I have wanted to make this dish for a long time.
I just love the rice and meat combination and Biryani in any form has always been a favorite. But Yakhni Pilaf is a toned down version of a Biryani. What separates Yakhni Pilaf recipe from Biryani is the choice of spices. The cooking time and method for pilaf is also a bit quicker and easy than a Biryani.
So here it is, a simple pilaf that will give you a soothing taste, where the meat and subtle spices give the rice a fragrant aroma.
Yakhni Pilaf Inredients
200 Gms Mutton
1 Cup Basmati Rice
1/2 Cup Yogurt
1/2 Cup onion slivers
1 Tbsp Ghee or oil
1/2 Inch Cinnamon stick
4 Cloves
3 Cardomom pods
1 Whole Kashmiri chili
Salt to taste
Yakhni Pilaf Recipe
1. Soak the rice in 2 cups of water.
2. Heat the Ghee
3. Add the mutton and cook on a high flame for a couple of minutes
4. Take the mutton out of the pot and add the onions
5. Brown the onions and then add the whole spices
6. Saute until you can smell the aroma of the spices and then add the mutton
7. Add 4 cups water and cook until the meat is tender
8. Once the meat is cooked, add the yogurt and mix it well
9. Add the soaked rice and let is cook
10. When nearly cooked, turn the heat off and cover the pot. Let it cook further for 10 minutes in the residual heat
Serve Yakhni Pilaf with Baby
This quick and tasty midweek dinner will give the much needed break and give you the much needed change until the weekend. And now it is time for the movie. If you have the latest DishFlix, I am sure there a lot of amazing movie choices you can tap.
Baby (I) (2015)
Director: Neeraj Pandey Writers: Jayashankarr, Neeraj Pandey Stars: Akshay Kumar, Danny Denzongpa, Anupam Kher
There are a lot of movies coming out with plots to respond to the 2008 Mumbai attacks. The latest Saif Ali Khan starrer from Kabir Khan – Phantom – was a disappointment. Not Baby. Baby, with Akhsay Kumar as the lead has strong characters, an evolving plot and good actors all around from Kay Kay to Anupam Kher in supporting roles.
With the aromatic Yakhni Pilaf in the air, travel with Ajay Singh Rajput (Akshay Kumar) and the strategist Om Prakash Shukla (Anupam Kher) to Saudi Al Dera as they plan to capture a dreaded terrorist. The twists and turns in the movie and the incessant tension will keep you on the edge of your seat as you gobble the pilaf. THe twists and turns and the last minutes changes as their plan goes haywire will give you little time to go back to your kitchen for a refill.