After my first attempt at cooking Pish Pash / Phish Phash during Lockdown, when time had stopped and the fortunate ones, still not struck by the deadly virus , had the time and leisure to revisit nostalgia filled childhood, I had kept making Pish Pash many a times. ... with mutton, chicken, veggies, greens what not.
But always in a pressure cooker, in the true blue one pot meal style...just in 3 whistles.
Ingredients
Chicken...500gm
Gobindobhog rice...225-250gm
Onion...1 chopped
Garlic grated
Ginger grayed
Vegetables of choice cut in chunky pieces. I used carrots, potato, baby corn, cauliflower, peas.
Butter
Oil...I used Rice bran
Pepper corns
Pepper powder
Salt to taste
Sugar...a pinch
Bay leaf/Tej Pata...2-3
Whole spices...Green cardamom, cinnamon, cloves
Chopped green chilies
Garlic powder.
Procedure.
1. Marinate chicken (on bones) with salt, pepper, garlic powder.
2. Wash the rice and drain the rice in a Callander.
3. In a pressure cooker, add a tbsp of oil and 1 tbsp butter.
4. Throw in Tej Pata and whole spices and Pepper corns into the heated oil - butter mix.
5. Now add grated Garlic, chopped onion, grated ginger and fry them quickly with a pinch of sugar and salt.
6.Add the chicken and toss them around to brown the chicken pieces slightly.
7. Now add the vegetables except peas. Toss them around to saute. Add pepper powder and salt to taste.
8. Now add the washed and dried rice. Gently toss the rice around to coat with the oil /butter.
9. Add three times the water. I used 1.25 cups of rice. I used 4 cups of water. To make the end product more runny or porridge like, you may add another one or two cups of water. Adjust the salt. Should be a bit more salty than your optimum requirement. If no health concerns, may add a spoonful of butter.
10. Cover the pressure cooker lid and fix the whistle. Cook on medium to high heat for 3 whistles.
11. I boiled the peas separately to retain the colour. May be added into the cooker.
11. After naturally releasing the pressure, add the boiled peas. Stir the porridge like buttery, meaty concoction. Adjust the salt if necessary.
Serve with dollops of butter (as much as health permits) 😋.
