Chicken Mandi
Preparing Mandi at home is very easy if you have all the ingredients in hand. I am not a fan of the flavor of the artificial Smokey flavor from the burning of coal in oil. You may do so, if you like the flavor of it. The more the chicken sits marinated, the more flavorful the chicken turns out to be.
One of the easiest yet most aromatic and flavorful rices you can prepare is this Yemeni Chicken Mandi. I do not call this one authentic, but really is very close to the real Yemeni Chicken Mandi. The flavors are spot on! The juices that drop from the steaming chicken is mixed with the rice and cooked to perfection, the steamed chicken is then air fried/ broil for crispening its skin.
Chicken Mandi has now become a favorite among all nationalities and it’s no wonder! As the flavors are not overpowering yet very delicious. The dry lemon plays an important role here, but if you do not have one it will still taste Yumm. You can easily make delicious Chicken Mandi at home in few easy steps.
Let’s see how it’s prepared:
Ingredients: makes for 3-4 people
Marination
- 1 whole Chicken (skin on), halved
- 1 tsp Garlic paste
- 2 tsp Mandi Masala Powder (dry grind equal parts of dry lemon, cumin, cardamom, coriander seeds, whole black pepper, cinnamon, cloves and bay leaves)
- 1 tbsp Lemon juice
- Salt, as required
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
Mandi Masala:
- 1 large Onion, chopped or sliced
- 1/2 Capsicum, sliced finely
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 tsp Ghee
- 2 Dry Bay leaves
- 4 Cardamom pods
- 4 Cloves
- 1/2 tsp Cumin, whole
- 1 tsp Whole Black Pepper
- 1 tbsp Coriander Seeds, whole
- 3 Green Chillies, slit
- 2 Dry lemon
- 2 tsp Garlic paste
- 1 1/2 cups Sella Basmati Rice
- 2 1/4 cups Water (Ratio: 1 part rice to 1 and 1/2 parts water)
- 1 Chicken Stock Cube
- Red Food Color, Optional
- 2-3 Saffron strands soaked in warm water
- Fried Onion/ Raisins, to garnish
- Coriander leaves, to garnish
Instructions:
- Poke holes using a fork on the Chicken (skin on) with the ingredients mentioned above and set aside at least for half an hour or over night if possible.
- Into a deep vessel, add in olive oil and ghee and add in your whole spices, chopped onion, salt, and sauté well, next add in the garlic paste, green Chillies, Capsicum and Dry Lemon. Sauté well until aromatic.
- Finally add in the chicken stock cube and add in the washed and drained rice grains and water and allow to bring to a boil, meanwhile, place 2-3 foil papers and poke holes or using a similar sized steam plate with drains, place your marinated chicken and close the lid, make sure the lid fits in perfectly and there are no gaps in between, so that the steam does not escape.
- Cook the rice on high for around 15 minutes and on simmer for around half an hour.
- Finally, remove the chicken from the steamer plate and rub in a dash of olive and red food color (optional) and broil/ airfry for 5 minutes on 190 deg C. (Make sure the chicken doesn’t dry, this depends on the size, I used a 900 gms Chicken)
- Pour in soaked saffron water and red food color if needed.
- Into a serving platter, add in the Mandi rice, and place your grilled chicken on top and garnish with fried onions and raisins.
- Serve hot with Salatta harra and enjoy!
