Potli pulao is also called yakhni pulao. Potli pulao recipe is a very traditional recipe of pulao. Potli is actually an urdu/hindi word means making a bundle of all the spices in a cloth and then putting it in the skillet. Potli pulao or yakhni pulao is a famous one meal where long grain basmati rice are cooked with meat pieces and stock. Potli pulao is a traditional subcontinent recipe which is super easy to make. Yet the recipe requires skillful hands to cook the meat and rice together without making it sticky. Mutton yakhni pulao or mutton potli pulao is very light on stomach and less spicy as compared to biryani recipe.
In a large pan or pressure cooker add meat, garlic, ginger, coriander powder, salt, cumin seeds.
Cut the onion in large pieces, add it as well.
Take a muslin cloth or any disposable kitchen towel and put all the spices (black pepper, black cardamom, coriander seeds, dried red chili, cinnamon, cloves) into it.
Tie it up and put it into the meat.
Add 5 cups of water in the pot, cover the pot, let the meat cook on medium to high heat.
Wash and soak the rice for about 20 minutes.
Add oil in another pan/ pateela.
Thinly slice remaining onions and let them fry in the oil on medium heat until they changes their color to nice brown.
When the meat in the pressure cooker gets tender remove the potli/cloth with spices from the meat.
Take out the meat now and add it to the onions.
Fry it on a high heat for almost 10 minutes or until it turns to a nice dark red color.
Add the green chilies in it.
Measure the remaining water in which meat cooked and if it is less add simple water in it as we need about 7 cups of water for our quantity of rice.
Add this stock to the meat and let it boil.
Taste the salt at this stage and adjust it as per your taste. Remember the sauce at this stage should be a bit salty from your normal taste because after adding rice, the rice will soak the extra salt.
When the water starts boiling strain the rice and add in it. Let the rice cook on medium high flame till water remain half to 1 inch above the rice.
Take a kitchen towel, cover the lid with it and put the rice to steam cook (dam) for 20-25 minutes on very low flame.
After 20 minutes open the cover and serve the rice.
