Ingredients
Lamb and stock
- 1.2 kglamb shoulder or shank on the bone, cut into 6 pieces
- 120 mlsunflower oil
- 3large onions (500 g), finely sliced
- 1 tbspsalt
- 1 tspblack pepper
- 1.5 litreswater
Rice
- 900 gaged sella or basmati rice, rinsed and soaked 2 hours
- 3 litreswater
- 3 tbspsalt
Char masala and garnish
- 1 tspground cumin
- 1 tspground cinnamon
- 1 tspground green cardamom
- ½ tspground cloves
- 3large carrots (350 g), cut into fine matchsticks
- 2 tbspsugar
- 150 gdark raisins or barberries
- 100 gblanched almonds, slivered
- 80 gpistachio slivers
- 60 mloil, for the garnish
Directions
- Fry the onions in the oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat for 20–25 minutes, stirring often, until genuinely dark brown, almost mahogany. This colour, not any spice, is what makes the rice brown.
- Add the lamb, salt and pepper, raise the heat and sear 8 minutes. Pour in the water, bring to a boil, skim, then simmer covered 1 hour 15 minutes until the meat pulls from the bone.
- Lift out the lamb. Strain the yakhni (stock) through a sieve, pressing the onions through; you want about 1 litre of dark, glossy broth. Season it hard, it must taste slightly too salty.
- Fry the carrot matchsticks in 60 ml oil over medium heat 4 minutes until limp but still bright, add the sugar and toss 2 minutes until glazed. Lift out, then in the same pan puff the raisins for 30 seconds until they swell. Toast the almonds and pistachios separately.
- Boil the drained rice in the 3 litres of heavily salted water for 4–6 minutes only, until a grain snaps with a hard white core still in the centre. Drain at once.
- Return the lamb to the pot, pile the rice over it in a dome, pour on the hot yakhni until it sits level with the rice surface, and scatter over the char masala.
- Cover the pot with a clean tea towel and a tight lid, and steam (dampokht) on the lowest heat for 30–35 minutes. The grains should be separate, elongated and dry, never sticky.
- Fold half the carrots and raisins gently through with a flat skimmer, mound the pulao on a platter with the lamb buried inside, and crown it with the rest of the carrots, raisins and nuts.
Technique
- Parboiling then steaming is non-negotiable: fully boiling the rice gives a soft, clumping pilaf that no Afghan cook would serve at a wedding.
- The rice must be an aged long grain. New-crop rice absorbs too fast and breaks into a porridge under the steam.
- Char masala is added late and in small quantity; Kabuli pulao is fragrant, not spicy, and there is no chilli in it at all.
Substitutions
- Cannot find sella rice? Use good basmati, soak it 3 hours and cut the parboil to 3–4 minutes.
- Beef shin works in place of lamb; simmer 2 hours and skim the stock twice, as it throws more scum.
Variations
- Qabili uzbeki, where the carrots and raisins are stirred right through the rice rather than heaped on top.
- A chicken version cooked for weeknights, with the yakhni made from thighs in 40 minutes.
History
Rice with lamb, carrots and raisins, treated as the national dish and served at weddings and Nowruz; the name refers to Kabul.
Frequently asked questions
What is Kabuli Pulao?
Kabuli Pulao is a main from Afghanistan: national rice pilaf with lamb, caramelized carrots, raisins and almonds. Rice with lamb, carrots and raisins, treated as the national dish and served at weddings and Nowruz; the name refers to Kabul.
How long does Kabuli Pulao take to make?
Kabuli Pulao takes 45 min of preparation and 2 hr of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated hard to make.
What can I substitute in Kabuli Pulao?
Yes, within limits. Cannot find sella rice? Use good basmati, soak it 3 hours and cut the parboil to 3–4 minutes. Beef shin works in place of lamb; simmer 2 hours and skim the stock twice, as it throws more scum.
What is the most important thing to get right in Kabuli Pulao?
Lift out the lamb. Strain the yakhni (stock) through a sieve, pressing the onions through; you want about 1 litre of dark, glossy broth. Season it hard, it must taste slightly too salty.
