This is the queen of rice dishes, served by people who are going all out to show their wealth. Everyone thinks it is a difficult dish to make, but this recipe is simple.
1 quantity Yellow Rice
4 eggs, hard-boiled and halved coriander (cilantro) leaves, for garnish
Chicken curry
2 tablespoons oil
2 cardamom pods 1 bay leaf
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 teaspoon crushed ginger 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) chicken maryland (leg and thigh), skin and bones removed and cut into 3 cm (1 in) cubes
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon Roasted Curry Powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika or chilli powder
1 cup chopped or canned tomatoes
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup yoghurt
1/2 cup chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves
Onion mixture
4 tablespoons butter
2 onions, sliced into rings
1 cinnamon stick
10 curry leaves (or 2 bay leaves)
Variations
• You can deep-fry the eggs once you have removed the shell. Deep-fry for 2 minutes then cut the eggs in half. These eggs have a wonderful, festive look.
• You can also add a few drops of rose essence or rose water to the dish before cooking it, if you have any.
Chicken curry
Heat the oil in a heavy-based pan over medium heat. Bruise cardamom with the back of a spoon and add to pan with the bay leaf, onion, cloves, garlic, ginger and chicken. Sauté for 5 minutes until chicken is brown and onions are cooked. Add turmeric, curry powder and paprika or chilli and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and mix thoroughly. Taste and add pepper and salt as desired and cook until chicken is cooked through — about another 7 minutes. Remove pan from heat, add yoghun and coriander (cilantro) leaves and mix thoroughly.
Onion mixture
Heat the butter in a pan over medium heat and saute onion rings and cinnamon for about 2 minutes, then add the curry leaves and sauté for a further 30 seconds. Set aside.
To assemble
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). In the base of a baking dish place 2 tablespoons of water and a sprinkle of oil, to stop the rice sticking. Spread one-third of the rice over the base of the dish, then layer half the curry on top of the rice. Spread another third of the rice across the curry. Sprinkle half the onion and butter mixture over the rice. Cover with the remaining curry and then with a final layer of rice. Make a few holes in the layers with the handle of a spoon to allow the steam to escape from the bottom. Cover dish with a lid or aluminium foil and bake in oven for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve on a dish, garnished with the rest of the onion mixture, halved eggs and coriander (cilantro) leaves.
Courtesy – Sri Lankan Flavors by Channa Dassanayaka
