PULLAO

  1 kg (2 lb) meat of your choice, boned, cubed and washed

Yakhni (flavored broth):

4 cups meat broth 

Bones of the meat

Tie up in a piece of cheesecloth, or sterilized gauze:

1 peeled onion

2 peeled garlic cloves

1 slice of fresh ginger

15 black peppercorns

10 cardamom pods, small green 

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 cinnamon stick plus 1 extra for garnish

1 bay leaves

1 tsp coriander seeds 

Salt

Basmati rice

Saffron filaments

Roasted nuts and raisins

Pour the chicken broth into a pressure cooker, add the bones and bring slowly to the boil, carefully skimming the scum. Drop in the cheesecloth pouch and add 1 tsp of salt, lock the lid, lower the heat and simmer gently for 20 minutes.  When ready, squeeze the pouch into the broth to extract all the flavors and discard.  Strain the yakhni and set it aside. 

     

In the meantime, saute 1 scant tsp cumin seeds, and 4 small green cardamom pods in 2 tbsp olive oil, and cook until the spices change colour. Dry the meat cubes and cook until slightly brown on all sides, Add a little yakhni broth and simmer until the meat is thoroughly cooked. 

Add some water to the broth to measure 4 cups and bring to a boil. Add a small bay leaf, a cinnamon stick, a good pinch of saffron filaments, and 2 cups of rice.  Simmer gently until the rice is cooked. add 1-2 tsp of butter and stir.  

Serve half the rice in a Pyrex dish, add the meat cubes evenly over, and cover with the remaining rice. Sprinkle with toasted nuts and raisins and garnish with a cinnamon stick.

TODAY IN GREECE IS FATHER'S DAY. MAY THEY ALWAYS BE HEALTHY, HAPPY AND SUCCESSFUL