Morog Polao (মোরগ পোলাও) — Bangladeshi Chicken Pilaf

• 1.2 kgbone-in chicken, skin removed (cut into 8 to 10 serving pieces)
• 180 gplain whole-milk yogurt
• 2 tbspfresh ginger paste
• 1.5 tbspgarlic paste
• 10 gfine sea salt
• 1 tspground white pepper
• 1 tspground cumin
• 500 gchinigura aromatic rice
• 700 mlwater
• 120 mlfull-fat milk
• 20 strandsaffron
• 1 tspkewra water
• 1 tsprose water
• 30 mlmustard oil
• 75 gghee
• 3large onion (thinly sliced, about 450 g total)
• 8 podgreen cardamom
• 2 stickcinnamon (each about 5 cm long)
• 2 leafbay leaves
• 6cloves
• 6green chiles (slit lengthwise)
• 12 ggranulated sugar
• 30 ggolden raisins
• 40 gcashews (split if large)

Instructions

1. 1

   Rinse the chinigura rice in several changes of cool water until the water is almost clear, then soak it in fresh water for 20 minutes. Drain it in a sieve for at least 10 minutes so the grains are moist but not dripping, which helps the polao cook fluffy rather than gummy.

2. 2

   Warm the milk gently until just steaming, then stir in the saffron strands, kewra water, and rose water. Set this scented milk aside while you cook, giving the saffron enough time to release color and aroma without boiling away the delicate floral notes.

3. 3

   Mix the chicken with yogurt, ginger paste, garlic paste, 10 g salt, white pepper, and ground cumin in a wide bowl. Cover and marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature, or refrigerate for up to 6 hours and bring it back toward room temperature before cooking.

4. 4

   Heat the mustard oil in a heavy 5 to 6 liter pot until it shimmers and smells mellow, then add 50 g of the ghee. Fry the sliced onions over medium heat for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring often, until deep golden; remove about one-third of the onions for garnish and leave the rest in the pot.

5. 5

   Add the cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, and cloves to the onions left in the pot, and stir for 45 seconds. Add the marinated chicken and bhuna the mixture over medium-high heat for 10 to 12 minutes, turning the pieces until the yogurt thickens, the oil separates at the edges, and the chicken loses its raw look.

6. 6

   Lower the heat to medium, add the slit green chiles, and cook the chicken covered for 10 minutes so it becomes about three-quarters done. Lift the chicken pieces and thick gravy into a bowl, leaving as much spiced fat as possible in the pot for coating the rice.

7. 7

   Add the drained rice to the pot with the remaining 25 g ghee, and fold it gently through the spiced fat for 3 minutes. Pour in 700 ml water, the saffron milk mixture, 6 g salt, and the sugar, then bring it to a steady simmer without stirring aggressively.

8. 8

   Return the chicken pieces and their thick gravy to the pot, nestling them among the rice without crushing the grains. Cover tightly, reduce the heat to very low, and cook for 18 minutes, then turn off the heat and let the Morog Polao rest covered for 15 minutes.

9. 9

   While the rice rests, warm a small skillet and lightly toast the cashews and raisins for 2 to 3 minutes, using a teaspoon of fat from the top of the polao if desired. Fluff the rice from the sides inward with a wide spoon, transfer to a platter, and scatter over the reserved fried onions, cashews, and raisins.