Stuffed Chargha

(For more photos, click here.)

Ingredients:

Chicken, one whole, giblets removed
Yogurt, 250 gms
Salt, 2 tsp
Chinese salt, 1/2 tsp
Red chili powder, 1 tsp
Cumin seeds, 2 tsp
Chaat masala, 1 tsp
Ginger-garlic paste, 1 tbsp
Black pepper, 1/2 tsp
Garam masala, 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder, 1/2 tsp
Potato, 1 small, chopped into small cubes
Peas, a handful
Carrot, chopped, 1 cup
Capsicum, chopped, 1/2 cup
Spring onions, chopped, 1/2 cup
Corn, 1/2 cup
Juice of two lemons
Oil
Rice, 4 cups, washed and soaked
Water/chicken stock

Method:

Clean the chicken well and pat dry; score it with a knife. Now apply lemon juice all over the chicken, inside out. Keep aside.
In a bowl, mix all the spices, ginger-garlic paste together with yogurt and apply the marinade on the chicken leaving a few tablespoons behind. In the remainder marinade, add the chopped potato, 1/2 cup carrots, peas, and corn. Mix well, stuff the chicken with the veggies and tie the chicken's legs. Let it marinate for about an hour or two.

Now take a big pot, and heat about a cup of oil. Then place the chicken in the center and lower the flame to simmer. Cover with a lid and let it cook for 30-40 minutes or till the chicken is cooked through (do not turn sides as the stuffing might spill out). Now carefully take it out and keep aside in a warm place (or if you want it to have a golden color on the outside, brush it with oil and bake for five minutes till it gets a nice brown color). Now thicken the gravy left over in the pot you cooked the chicken in. Take it out and keep aside. In the same pot, heat some oil again and stir fry capsicum, left over carrot, and spring onions. Now add the rice, and add 6 cups of water or chicken stock. Make sure it's seasoned well, you might want to taste it for salt. If you want you can also add half of the gravy of the chicken to give a special flavor to the rice. Now cover the pot tightly with a lid and let the rice cook on low heat for  about 10-15 minutes; stir occasionally and turn off the heat once the rice has been cooked.

Now take a platter, or a dish, and fill it with rice, leaving the center empty. Now place the Stuffed Chargha in the middle, garnish with coriander and serve warm with it's gravy!

*The chicken will not burn from one side as long as you make sure the flame is very very low. You will cover it with a tight lid for a straight 30 minutes (do not open the lid). If you think the chicken is burning, you might add a cup of water. I cooked it the exact same way.