Fatty Fatty Boom Boom: A Memoir of Food, Fat, and Family

by Rabia Chaudry

Punjabi yakhni pulao. Here’s how I make it: 2 cups basmati rice 1 whole chicken, bone in; skinned and cut into small parts 1 large white onion 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1 tablespoon minced ginger 2 tablespoons salt 2 sticks cinnamon 6 whole cloves 4 green cardamom pods, slightly crushed 1/4 teaspoon black peppercorn 2 black cardamom pods 1 whole green chili 1 teaspoon black pepper 1 teaspoon garam masala 1 tablespoon roasted cumin seeds 1 teaspoon fennel seeds (optional) 1 teaspoon roasted coriander seeds, slightly crushed 1/3 cup whole milk yogurt 1/2 cup plus extra 2 tablespoons ghee 1/2 cup cooking oil 3 cups of water Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Heat 1/2 cup of ghee and 1/2 cup oil together in a heavy-bottomed pot. One of the things my ex-mother-in-law taught me was that rice is best cooked in a pot that is wide as opposed to high. You want to give the rice space to “grow” and fluff, and it’s more prone to get sticky and gummy in a narrow pot. Basmati has a remarkable ability to grow, so using a large, wide pot will give the rice kernels room to expand, and you’ll get the best result. Add thinly sliced onion to the ghee and sauté on medium low flame until the onions are deeply caramelized. The darker the onions, the browner the pulao will be. You want it colored like rich dark caramel, but be careful with the onions—a few extra seconds could end up burning them. Add chicken, garlic, and ginger and bhoon the chicken on a medium flame in the onions, stirring frequentl...