• Firstly wash the rice until the water runs clear and leave to soak in cold water. Soak for at least 30 minutes. The longer you leave the rice to soak, the quicker it will cook. I ideally let my rice soak two hours.

Method for the Yakhni/ Chicken Broth

• Secondly start to make the yakhni. Put the water in a large sauce pan and add all the yakhni ingredients. Next, bring the water to boil, then turn the heat to low and let it simmer for half an hour, until the chicken is cooked. As a result, the water will be flavoured with the spices and chicken.
  

Method for the pilau base

• Whilst the yakhni is simmering, you can start to make the rice. In another large saucepan, heat 6 tablespoons of rapeseed oil. Next add the onions and then turn the heat down to low. You will need to brown the onions. Constantly stir to ensure that the onions do not burn.
  
• You will need to brown the onions until they are a very dark brown, the colour of the browned onions dictates the colour of the pilau rice. The darker the onions, the richer the colour of the rice.
  
• As you are browning the onions, you will see that the onions will start to stick to the pan, therefore you will need to add small splashes of water (100ml approximately) and keep browning the onions. The onions will as a result start to dissolve. This will take around 20 minutes, but don't be scared of browning the onions for longer if you haven't got that dark brown colour.
• Once you have browned the onions sufficiently, add the spices. Stir for around 3 minutes. Turn the oven on at 90C.

Method for combining the yakhni and pilau base

• Next add the cooked chicken from the yakhni saucepan to the onion saucepan. I tend to do this using tongs. You can use whatever you find easier.
  
• Add the chicken into the onions and brown the chicken in the onions. This gives the chicken pieces a lovely golden colour which it will keep when cooked in the rice. Next, add the drained rice and stir through.
  
• Then you will need to add 5 mugs of the yakhni to the rice pan (or 1750ml of yakhni). Make sure you use the same mug that you measured the rice with to measure the yakhni.

  You will notice that some of the yakhni will have evaporated as you have been simmering it, which is why I say start with around 2 litres of water to make sure you have 1750ml to add to the rice. My mum taught me for 3 mugs of rice, you need 5 mugs of water!
  
• When I pour the yakhni into the onion pan, I use a sieve to take out any additional spices/onion pieces.
  

Cooking the rice

• Once you have added the yakhni, stir through and cover with the pan lid. Make sure the heat is on medium.
  
• Once the water has nearly dried out. Turn the heat off. The next step is to do dham (steam) the rice. Put the lid back on the saucepan and put the saucepan in the oven for 35 minutes.

  You can also do the dham on the hob by covering with saucepan with a thin tea towel, putting the saucepan lid on top and turning the heat down to very low. However I quite like having my gas hobs free for making other bits.

  The rice strands should be separate and not soggy or stuck together, then you know the rice has been cooked properly.
  

Serving the Pilau rice

• Serve your rice with boondi raita or vegetable raita (yoghurt based with finely chopped tomatoes, cucumber and red onion, seasoned with salt, red chilli powder and cumin seeds) and kachumber (red onions and tomatoes marinated with lemon juice and salt). Perfect side condiments to accompany your pilau rice.