Zafrani Pulao Recipe with step by step photos. Chicken is one of our favorite dish at home. Saffron means zaffran and the recipe consist of whole Indian garam masala, cream, milk, herbs, nuts and chicken. Zafrani Pulao Recipe is a classic dish from Hyderabad, so simple to make yet so classy and flavorful.
The best part of zafrani pulao is it’s a one pot dish and you are done with your meal. This pulao goes well with onion salad, yogurt raita or green salad. Unlike other pulao this is not dry it’s moist, aromatic and would crave you to eat more.
If you are a vegeterian then skip chicken and use paneer, potatoes or mushrooms. I bet the zafrani pulao would taste good with veg or non veg. It’s because of the aromatic spices, herbs and saffron the pulao goes to a different level.
Also you could make this when you are in a hurry. As this zafrani pulao recipe is convenient, made quickly and easily without too much preparation in advance.
I have a lot of mughlai food recipes on my blog as we love mughal cuisine very much. Try some of the mughal recipes like hyderabadi chicken biryani, mughlai chicken curry, mughlai chicken masala, chicken korma curry, egg mughlai curry and mughlai palak paneer posted on my blog.
Let’s make Zafrani Pulao Recipe step by step:
1. Marinate chicken with yogurt, ginger-garlic paste and some salt. Allow to marinate for 10-15 mins.
2. Combine cream, saffron infused milk, mint leaves, coriander leaves and kewra water.
3. Take a wide bottomed pan or vessel add white butter / ghee once hot saute caraway seed.
4. Once they crackle add the whole ground spices and saute until they leave aroma.
5. Now add chopped onion and saute until brown in color.
6. Time to add red chili powder and garam masala powder.
7. Put the saffron-milk mixture.
8. Add the marinated chicken mixture. Mix all nicely.
9. Now put the basmati rice and water. Spread the fried almonds or pistachios over the rice.
10. Cover or pressure cook until rice cooks.
11. Serve the zafrani pulao with fried eggs over it and salad as accompaniment.
If you are a rice lover then check some yummy rice dishes like prawns biryani, veg pulao, mushroom pilaf and garam masala rice.
Zafrani Pulao Recipe below:
- ¾th cup of clarified butter or white butter (ghee, loni)
- 1 kg chicken
- 2 and ½ cups basmati rice, washed and soaked in water for 15 mins (long grained rice used for biryani)
- 2 one inch cinnamon stick (dalchini)
- 15-17 peppercorn (kalimiri)
- 7-8 cloves (lavang)
- 1 star anise
- 2-3 bay leaves
- 2-3 nagkesar (optional)
- 1 tbsp caraway seed (shahi jeera)
- 1 mace blade
- 2 stone flower (dagadphool) optional
- 5-6 green cardamom
- 2 black cardamom
- 2 onion chopped into julienne
- 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 2 tbsp hung curd
- 2 t/s red chili powder
- 1½ t/s garam masala powder
- 8-9 saffron strands infused in hot milk
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup cream
- few mint leaves
- few coriander leaves
- few coriander leaves for garnish
- 1 t/s vetiver water or essence (kewra pani or essence)
- 2 cups of water or as required for cooking pulao
- 8-10 silvered almonds or pics
- 2-3 eggs boiled, peeled and deep fried in butter until brown in color
- salt as per taste
- Marinate chicken with yogurt, ginger-garlic paste and some salt. Allow to marinate for 10-15 mins.
- Combine cream, saffron infused milk, mint leaves, coriander leaves and kewra water.
- Take a wide bottomed pan or vessel add white butter / ghee once hot saute caraway seed.
- Once they crackle add the whole ground spices and saute until they leave aroma.
- Now add chopped onion and saute until brown in color.
- Time to add red chili powder and garam masala powder.
- Put the saffron-milk mixture.
- Add the marinated chicken mixture. Mix all nicely.
- Now put the basmati rice and water. Spread the fried almonds over the rice. Cover or pressure cook until rice cooks.
- Serve the zafrani pulao with fried eggs over it and salad.
Add chili powder as per your preference. If you like hot add more chili powder.
If you don't have nagkesar or spices like stone flower then just skip it.
Maryam says
How slow the heat should be if we make on a simple stove with a normal lid?
maria says
Keep on low-medium heat.
deepak khot says
Wow so easy recipes on this site thank you Maria.
maria says
welcome Deepak and thankyou 🙂
Palak says
Hey.. Nice recipe. But I am veg. As u suggest Paneer or potato can be used, so I want to know it should also be marinated.
maria says
Yes Palak you would have to marinate them and thankyou 🙂
Avra says
what is the taste of zafrani biryani ?? Is it a bit on sweeter side or spicy ?? how it is different from normal biriyani ??
maria says
Avra its a pulao and not a biryani. Secondly its medium spicy but if you wish to make it more spicy then add more spices or chilies. Hope this helps you 🙂
Eva says
Hi,
Thanks a lot for sharing wonderful recipe.
I understand that you added salt while marinating chicken, could you please let me know when should I add more salt for rice.
Thanks.
maria says
Eva thankyou for highlighting this point have rectified the same in the post. You add salt before you pressure cook the pulao. Hope this helps you let me know how was it??
namratapatra says
what curry goes well with pulao or biryani……plz suggest
maria says
Namrata hyderabadi mirchi ka salan generally served with Biryani. You could make dal tadka, thick gravy based with paneer or chicken also would go well. Hope this helps you.
Filonila says
must try this…seems very interesting. Did you cook the chicken before you added the Rice?
maria says
Thanks Filonila also I have just added marinated chicken it cooks with the rice. Hope this helps you and do share your views once you try them.
prabhakar shenoy says
wonderful zafarani pulao receipe. i believe that it should be delicious food. thank you for your show.
maria says
Thanks Prabhakar 🙂 do try it’s yum and don’t forget to share your views.