Heather let me make Chicken Pulao yesterday. It was good, but it was not what I expected. I'm not sure what I expected, but that wasn't quite it. I guess I was expecting something spicier, but its flavor was very delicate.
We served it with cucumber raita. I wished we'd had naan or chapatis to serve with it, but it was good nonetheless.
I was very enthused that Heather let me make it.
I'm trying to find more information on Pulao's and what their origin is, but I can't find anything online, and my book "The Indian Grocery Store Demystified" doesn't list anything either.
If anyone knows anything, give me a holler.
Pulao is pilaf, but way better. Try this recipe--yummers! http://www.daawat.com/recipes/indian/rice/chickenpulao.htm
Pulao is deformed and modern word for 'Palanna' which in Sanskrit means kind of food in which meat is an item. Pal + anna = palanna, where pal means meat and anna means food.
But I don't know how the modern pulao emerged, I can guess, it is another example of the fusion of ancient Indian and Islamic cultures. This fusion defines the modern Indian/subcontinental culture.