Best 5 Afghani Kabli Pulao Recipes

KABULI PULAO (SPICED LAMB PILAF)

Steps:

• Heat 2 tbps ghee or olive oil in a deep, heavy-based saucepan.
• Add 2 chopped yellow onions and fry over medium heat for 15 minutes, or until translucent and golden brown. Remove and set aside.
• Add 1 lb 2 oz cubed boneless lamb to the pan with the remaining ghee and fry over high heat until browned, stirring often. Sprinkle with spices (1/2 tsp garam masala, 1/4 tsp ground cardamom, 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper) and 1 tsp of salt.
• Stir over heat for 1 minute, add 1 1/2 cups water, then return onion to the pan. Cover and simmer for one hour.
• While the meat is cooking, add 1/4 cup ghee to a frying pan and lightly brown/toast 1/3 cup sliced almonds. Remove from pan, leaving ghee behind.
• Add 1 1/2 cups carrots to the frying pan and fry over medium heat until lightly colored, stirring often.
• Add 1 cup raisins and continue to fry, stirring until raisins become plump. Sprinkle carrot and raisin mixture with 2 tsp granulated sugar and set aside.
• Wash and strain rice. Bring 6 cups water(1.5 litres, 51 oz) to a boil with 1 tbsp salt. Add rice, return to a boil, and boil for 6 minutes. Strain.
• Remove the cooked lamb and 1/2 cup (4 fl oz. or 125 ml) of liquid. Stir the rice and the remaining 1 tsp salt into the juices still remaining in the pan.
• Make 3 or 4 holes in the rice with the end of a wooden spoon. Place lamb mixture over half of rice and carrots/raisin mixture over the other half of rice. Pour reserved meat juices over the top.
• Place two paper towels over pan and cover tightly with a lid. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to low and cook for 25 minutes more. Remove from heat and keep covered for 5 minutes.
• Pile the lamb into the center of a platter and top with carrots and raisin mixture. Fluff up rice grains with a fork and mound the rice around the meat in the middle. Sprinkle with reserved almonds and serve.

CHICKEN KABULI PULAO (AFGHANISTAN)

Steps:

• Place chicken pieces, onions and hot water in a large pot.
• Cover and simmer for about 1 hour.
• Add salt to taste.
• Remove chicken, reserving stock & discard cooked onions.
• Preheat oven to 325°F.
• Heat 2 tbs of the butter over medium high heat and fry chicken pieces containing bones, salting as needed.
• Boil a large amount of water with sea salt and cook the rice in it for exactly 8 minutes. Set aside in a pot until ready to assemble.
• Make stock sauce:
• Brown onions in butter and remove from heat.
• Add cardamom cumin, freshly ground black pepper & saffron liquid and mash with onion to form a paste.
• Add about 1/2 pt of the chicken stock; simmer for 5 minutes and taste for seasoning.
• Combine cooked rice, stock sauce as needed (I don't find it became a sauce so I added the onion paste with some broth as needed to finish cooking the rice) and chicken; place in a buttered casserole. Cover.
• Fry carrot matchsticks in 1/2 tbs butter and add dark raisins to them at the very end.
• Sprinkle partially cooked carrot matchsticks and raisins on top of chicken and rice and cover tightly with aluminum foil or cover.
• Place in oven for 35 minutes.
• Chopped toasted pistachios or slivered almonds may be added over the dish just before serving if so wished.
• There most probably will be left over stock that is very good even as a soup on it's own and probably served that way in an Afghani household.
• Enjoy!

AFGHANISTAN: KABULI PULAO

Steps:

• Saute the carrots and raisins in butter. Set them aside.
• Heat about a tablespoon of oil in a medium sized pan and cook the onions until translucent. Then add the rice and broth, bring to a boil, cover and cook for 20 minutes until the rice is tender.
• Add the spices to hot oil and cook for a few seconds, until fragrant. Then add the meat and saute until just done.
• Place the meat in an oven-safe dish, then cover it with the rice and bake at 250 degrees for 20 minutes.

AFGHAN KABULI PULAO

Steps:

• Earlier in the day: Place the rice in a large colander and run cold water over it to rinse it well.
• Now pour the rice in a large bowl and cover it with cold water to soak for 4 to 5 hours.
• Pour 1/6 cup of sugar into a large, hot saucepan over medium heat and keep shaking the pan until the sugar caramelizes.
• Add 1 cup of the reserved lamb stock, the RawSpiceBar's Afghan Pulao Spices, salt and pepper to taste, if needed. Bring to a boil, remove from heat and set aside.
• Drain the soaked rice. Then, following the cooking directions on the package, boil it until just soft. Drain again and pour the rice over the caramelized sugar mixture and stir until the rice is well coated.
• Using a frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Add the carrots and the remaining sugar and stir for 5 minutes or until caramelized and glossy. Add the raisins and cook for another minute. Remove from heat and set aside.
• With the underside of a large wooden spoon punch holes all over the rice allowing the steam to escape. Drizzle rice with olive oil.
• Now, top the rice with the carrot mixture and the prepared lamb.
• Cover with a tea towel and the lid of the pan. Make sure the towel is under the lid so it doesn't burn. Now turn the heat to high and cook the rice mixture for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and cook for another 10 minutes. Remove from heat and keep it covered for 10 more minutes.
• To serve, cover a large platter with a layer of the rice, spoon the lamb over it, and then all the remaining rice. Top with the carrot mixture and finally with the almonds and pistachios. This serves a large family, as is traditional with Afghan communities.

AFGHANI (KABLI) PULAO

Steps:

• Soak the rice in cool water and rinse a few times till the water runs clear.
• Add 1 whole onion skin removed and cut in half to pressure cooker, add 1 whole garlic head most layers of skin removed, add cinnamon stick, 4 cardamom pods lightly crushes in mortal and pestle, add 4 cloves, coriander seeds, 1 tsp black pepper, paprika, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, salt and sugar. Seal lid on pressure cooker and turn heat to high. Cook till pressure cooker whistles once then turn heat to medium. Wait for 2 more whistles then turn off the heat.
• While broth is cooking chop the other onion. Julienne the carrots. Rinse the rice a few more times.
• Once pressure has released open the pressure cooker and strain the broth into a bowl and set aside. Clean out the pressure cooker then add 1 tablespoon canola oil And sauté the chopped onion in it till carmelized. Add the carrots and sautéed till soft. Add the raisins, almonds and the strained rice. Add the remaining teaspoon of cumin seeds and black pepper. Add the remaining 1 clove and 1 cardamom crushed to a powder. Mix all together in the pressure cooker then add the broth. If the rice is soft to taste at this point then only add enough water to just cover the rice, if the rice is still hard the Add enough water to go 1 centimetre above the rice. Turn on high. Seal the pressure cooker then wait for the first whistle. Once it whistles turn the heat down to medium and cook 5 minutes then remove from heat. Wait 7 minutes then release the pressure. Remove rice from pot to stop from over cooking.