EGG POLAO

Name: EGG POLAO
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 900 g (approx. 1 seer) Rice (Use long-grain or basmati rice; rinse well before use); 20 eggs Eggs (Whole eggs; boiled and peeled as part of the recipe); 900 g (approx. 1 seer) Potato (Peel and cut into large chunks); 120 g (approx. 1/2 powa) Pure cow's ghee (High-quality clarified butter from cow's milk); 360 g (approx. 1 1/2 powa) Ordinary ghee (Standard clarified butter); 35 g (approx. 3–4 tolas) Salt (Divided across the akhni water and the main dish); 1 tablespoon Milk (Used to dissolve saffron); 0.3 g (approx. 1/4 tola) Saffron (A pinch of high-quality saffron strands); 3 g (approx. 1/4 tola) Cloves (Half to be ground for akhni water; half kept whole); 3 g (approx. 1/4 tola) Cardamom (Half to be ground for akhni water; half kept whole); 3 g (approx. 1/4 tola) Cinnamon (All to be ground for akhni water); 3 g (approx. 1/4 tola) Cassia leaves (Bay-like leaves; a few are used in the akhni water, the rest reserved); 7 g (approx. 1/2 chhatak) Turmeric (All to be ground for akhni water); 7 g (approx. 1/2 chhatak) Ginger (All to be ground for akhni water; use dried ginger if available, or fresh); 23 g (approx. 2 tolas) Coriander seeds (All to be ground for akhni water); 6 g (approx. 1/2 tola) Cumin seeds (All to be ground for akhni water); 6 g (approx. 1/2 tola) Pepper (All to be ground for akhni water; black peppercorns); 7 g (approx. 1/2 chhatak) Pistachios (For garnish); 14 g (approx. 1 chhatak) Almonds (For garnish); 14 g (approx. 1 chhatak) Raisins (For garnish)

A fragrant Bengali rice dish (polao) cooked with spiced broth (akhni water), eggs, and potatoes, finished with saffron-infused milk, ghee, and garnished with pistachios, almonds, and raisins. This colonial-era recipe layers aromatic whole and ground spices for a richly perfumed one-pot meal.

⏱ Prep: 20m

🍳 Cook: 1h

⏰ Total: 1h 20m

🍽 Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients

900 g (approx. 1 seer) Rice (Use long-grain or basmati rice; rinse well before use)
20 eggs Eggs (Whole eggs; boiled and peeled as part of the recipe)
900 g (approx. 1 seer) Potato (Peel and cut into large chunks)
120 g (approx. 1/2 powa) Pure cow's ghee (High-quality clarified butter from cow's milk)
360 g (approx. 1 1/2 powa) Ordinary ghee (Standard clarified butter)
35 g (approx. 3–4 tolas) Salt (Divided across the akhni water and the main dish)
1 tablespoon Milk (Used to dissolve saffron)
0.3 g (approx. 1/4 tola) Saffron (A pinch of high-quality saffron strands)
3 g (approx. 1/4 tola) Cloves (Half to be ground for akhni water; half kept whole)
3 g (approx. 1/4 tola) Cardamom (Half to be ground for akhni water; half kept whole)
3 g (approx. 1/4 tola) Cinnamon (All to be ground for akhni water)
3 g (approx. 1/4 tola) Cassia leaves (Bay-like leaves; a few are used in the akhni water, the rest reserved)
7 g (approx. 1/2 chhatak) Turmeric (All to be ground for akhni water)
7 g (approx. 1/2 chhatak) Ginger (All to be ground for akhni water; use dried ginger if available, or fresh)
23 g (approx. 2 tolas) Coriander seeds (All to be ground for akhni water)
6 g (approx. 1/2 tola) Cumin seeds (All to be ground for akhni water)
6 g (approx. 1/2 tola) Pepper (All to be ground for akhni water; black peppercorns)
7 g (approx. 1/2 chhatak) Pistachios (For garnish)
14 g (approx. 1 chhatak) Almonds (For garnish)
14 g (approx. 1 chhatak) Raisins (For garnish)

Instructions

1Using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, grind together: half your cloves (approx. 1.5 g), half your cardamom (approx. 1.5 g), all of the cinnamon (approx. 3 g), all of the turmeric (approx. 7 g), all of the ginger (approx. 7 g), all of the coriander seeds (approx. 23 g), all of the cumin seeds (approx. 6 g), and all of the pepper (approx. 6 g) into a coarse powder. Set aside. Reserve the remaining whole cloves and cardamom for later use in the main dish.
2Pour approximately 3.6 litres (about 4 seers) of water into a large pot. Add all the ground spices from Step 1, a few cassia leaves (reserve the rest), and approximately 9 g (1 tola) of salt. Stir briefly to combine. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a steady simmer. Place the lid on the pot and continue simmering until the water has reduced to roughly half — approximately 1.8 litres. This will take around 30–40 minutes. Watch the pot occasionally to ensure it does not boil dry.
3Remove the pot from the heat. Place a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth over a clean pot or large heatproof bowl. Carefully pour the spiced liquid through the strainer, collecting the clear, coloured broth (the akhni water) in the second pot. Discard all the solid spice residue left in the strainer. Place a lid over the akhni water to keep it warm and covered until needed.
4In a small bowl or cup, combine the saffron strands (approx. 0.3 g) with 1 tablespoon of milk. Stir gently and set aside to allow the saffron colour and fragrance to infuse into the milk. This saffron milk will be used later to colour and perfume the polao.