Rice Box-style spiced rice with chicken

Ingredients

Rice

• 400 g basmati rice
• 2 tbsp ghee or vegetable oil
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
• 4 cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 600 ml hot chicken stock
• ½ tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp salt

Chicken

• 4 pieces of Original Recipe-style fried chicken (from a previous recipe — or use 4 leftover drumsticks)

Gravy (optional)

• 1 sachet brown gravy mix + 200 ml water

Method

1. Rinse rice. Wash basmati in cold water 3–4 times until clear. Drain.
2. Bloom spices. Heat ghee/oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, bay, and cumin. Fry 30 seconds until fragrant.
3. Sweat aromatics. Add onion. Cook 5 minutes until golden. Add garlic and ginger, cook 1 minute.
4. Add rice. Stir in rice to coat in the spices. Add turmeric, salt, and stock. Bring to a boil.
5. Simmer. Cover tightly, reduce heat to lowest. Cook 12 minutes. Don’t lift the lid.
6. Rest. Off the heat, keep covered, rest 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
7. Heat chicken. While rice rests, reheat the fried chicken in a 180°C oven for 5 minutes.
8. Assemble. Pack rice into takeaway boxes. Top with a piece of chicken. Serve with a small pot of gravy.

Tips

• Rinsing the rice is non-negotiable. Cloudy water = sticky rice.
• Don’t lift the lid during the 12-minute steam. Every peek releases steam and ruins the texture.
• Pilau keeps warm in the box for 20+ minutes — perfect for delivery-style eating.