I developed an interest in cooking not by choice initially. My mother took it upon herself to teach me cooking in high school because she said “no one would marry you otherwise” 😂 Fast forward many years and I can cook many different types of cuisine specifically Pakistani food. Cooking is a way to relieve stress, to connect with my roots, and to share the love through food. I think my mother would be proud of me today 💕💕💕 Today’s dish is beef yakhni pulao. This is a fairly simple yet delicious way to cook rice and preserve all the beef flavours.

Ingredients:

For Yakhni (Beef Broth):

• 3 lbs beef with bone
• 2.5 cup water
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp whole coriander
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 onion
• 4 garlic cloves

For Pulao (Rice):

• 3 cups Basmati rice
• 4 tbsp ghee or vegetable oil
• 2 onions
• 2 bay leaves
• 3-4 whole cardamom
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• Salt to taste
• 3 tbsp of ginger and garlic paste
• 4 tbsp of 3.2% yogurt
• 2 whole green chili
• 1/2 tsp red chili powder
• 2 tbsp coriander powder
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/4 tsp garam masala
• 1 inch cinnamon stick

Preparation:

For Yakhni (Beef Broth):

• Put the beef in a stoneware/cast iron pot
• Add the 2.5 cups of water or until the meat is covered by 1 inch of water
• Add salt, bay leaves, cumin seeds, whole coriander, and fennel seeds
• Cut the onion into 4 pieces and add to pot
• Add 4 whole garlic cloves
• Bring to boil then reduce heat to low and cook for 45 minutes or until meat is tender

For Pulao (Rice):

• Meanwhile, wash and soak the rice for 30 minutes in cold water
• In a separate pan on high heat, add the ghee or oil
• Add sliced onions, bay leaves, cumin seeds, cinnamon stick ,salt and stir
• Fry until onions are golden brown
• Remove meat, onions and garlic only from the Yakhni pot and add to the fried onions pot
• Add ginger and garlic paste and fry for 2-3 minutes
• Then add yogurt, red chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, and whole cardamom
• Stir and cook on high heat for 10 minutes

• Add Yakhni or Broth from the other pot
• (Since there are 3 cups of rice), you need to add 4.5 cups of Yakhni or Broth, if not enough Yakhni, you can add water (a ratio of 1 cup rice to 1 1/2 cup water)
• Bring to boil
• Add the rice and mix gently
• Check to see if more salt is needed, the liquid should be salty
• When the liquid is reduced and rice is visible at the top, add the 2 whole green chili and reduce heat to medium and cover and cook for 10 minutes

• After 10 minutes, reduce heat to low and cook for 15 minutes until rice is cooked
• Leave the rice to stand for 5 minutes then serve with sliced onions and raita (yogurt dip)!

Optional:

Serve with onions:

• Slice onion into onion rings
• Add 1 tsp salt and soak in cold water for 10 minutes
• After 10 minutes remove the water and add 1 tsp olive oil and mix

Serve with raita:

• Whisk 1 cup yogurt and add 3-4 tbsp of cold water, into thick consistency
• Add 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp ground black pepper, 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
• Mix all ingredients

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Comment below if you have made this or a variation of this.