Recipe

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• 1 1/2 lbs chicken thighs, on the bone (750 g, or use drumsticks and thighs, but don'tsp remove the skin)
• salt and pepper, to taste, for the dish
• 3/4 cup buttermilk (180 ml)
• 2 tbsp cilantro, fresh, chopped
• 1/2 tbsp cinnamon, ground (7 ml)
• 1 tsp turmeric (5 ml)
• 1 tbsp cumin, ground (15 ml)
• 1 tbsp coriander seed, ground (15 ml)
• 1 tbsp masala (15 ml)
• 1 hot pepper, chopped (1 chilli)
• 3/4 cup basmati rice (180 ml)
• 4 oz lentils, brown, rinsed (125 g)
• oil (for frying )
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 -3 large potatoes, peeled, chopped into chunks
• 2 cinnamon
• 1 tbsp coriander seed, ground (extra to amount mentioned above)
• 3 cardamom pods, slit and seeds removed to use
• 1 tbsp cumin, ground (extra to amount already mentioned)
• 1 pinch saffron , soaked in a little water ( sub
• 3 eggs, hard-boiled
• chopped cilantro, to garnish

• 1 Preheat oven to 325 deg F/160 deg Celsius.
• 2 Season chicken with salt and pepper. Mix together the buttermilk, cilantro, cinnamon, turmeric, cumin, ground coriander, masala and hot pepper. Pour over chicken pieces and marinate 3 hours or overnight.
• 3 Parboil rice in 2 cups water for 20 minutes, and drain well.
• 4 Simmer lentils in 2 cups water water for 20 minutes, and drain well.
• 5 Heat a fair amount of oil in a saucepan, and fry onion and potatoes until softened. Add the cinnamon, ground coriander, cardamom seeds, cumin and saffron (or sub with a good pinch turmeric) and cook, stirring, for a minute. Set aside.
• 6 Layer half the rice, followed by half each of of the lentils, and the spiced potatoes and onion in an ovenproof dish. Top with the chicken.
• 7 Repeat the layers with the remaining ingredients, top with saffron/turmeric water, and cover it all with tinfoil and a tight-fitting lid.
• 8 Bake for 1 1/2 - 2 hours or until chicken and rice are cooked through.
• 9 Garnish with quarters of hardboiled eggs and sprinkle with cilantro/coriander leaves.