During a short trip to Meghalaya (Northeast India), I learned about some local foods, and Jadoh or Khasi Pulao is one of them. In the Khasi language “Ja” means rice and “Doh” means meat. Jadoh is a rice dish traditionally slow-cooked with pork and its blood infused with some mild spices. But it can also be prepared with chicken, beef, or fish as an alternative. You can see the street-side vendors selling Jadoh during the morning hours that serve as breakfast at a very reasonable cost. So, I gave it a try and experimented with this version of Jadoh inspired rice dish cooked in a classic chicken broth, a bunch of handpicked spices, and paired with a zesty grill chicken to finish it off. Check this out.

Ingredients:
Chicken breast: 2 pieces
Jeera (Joha) rice: 1 cup (wash and soak in water for half an hour)
Ginger: 1-inch size
Garlic: 6-8 cloves
Coriander leaves: Half a cup
Bay leaves: 2
Black pepper: 1 teaspoon
Sesame seeds (black): 1 tablespoon
Cumin seeds: Half teaspoon
Turmeric powder: 1 teaspoon
Cinnamon stick: Half inch
Star anise: 1
Salt: As per taste
Mustard oil: 2-3 tablespoons
Chicken stock: 2 cups

Preparation: 45 minutes to an hour, serves two persons.

Step 1: Add ginger, garlic, coriander leaves, black peppercorns, and sesame seeds in a blender. Add a little water and make a fine paste.

Step 2: Take a little portion of the above spice paste and marinate the chicken pieces along with a pinch of turmeric powder and salt for 15-20 minutes. Keep remaining paste for later.

Step 3: Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan or a dutch oven kind of utensil would be better where you can cook the rice. Once the oil is hot enough add the marinated chicken pieces and fry both sides evenly in low flame until the chicken is cooked and tender. Once done take the chicken out and keep it aside.

Step 4: Into the same hot utensil add some more oil. Add cumin seeds and bay leaves followed by the remaining spice paste. Fry for a couple of minutes and sprinkle some water to avoid burning. Drain the water from the soaked rice and add it to the pan. Add turmeric powder, salt as per taste and mix it well. Please note that the chicken stock will also have salt in it that has to be added later, so be careful while adding the salt. Stir-fry the rice along with the spices for about two minutes.

Step 5: Now add two cups of chicken stock into the rice and bring it to boil. Throw the cinnamon stick, star anise, and cover it. Let it simmer on low flame until the rice is cooked. After 10-15 minutes stir the rice carefully and check the tenderness of the grains. Once it is 90% done turn off the heat and cover it again and let the steam do its work to make the rice perfectly cooked.

After 10-15 minutes the rice will be ready to serve. Place the chicken pieces over the rice platter and serve it hot along with some salads.