Qabuli pulao is the most popular dish in Afghanistan, and is considered the national dish. It is a made by cooking basmati or long grained rice in a brothy sauce (which makes the rice brown). This dish may be made with lamb, chicken, or beef. Qabili Palau is baked in the oven and topped with fried sliced carrots and raisins. Chopped nuts like pistachios or almonds may be added as well. The meat is covered by the rice or buried in the middle of the dish.

Ingredients

• 1kg lamb leg or shoulder, on the bone, chopped into 6 cm pieces
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 garlic
• 1 cup water

• 4 carrots, peeled
• 1 cup raisins
• 6 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp sugar

• 1 kg sella basmati rice, soaked in cold water for 4 hours or overnight
• 10 cup water
• 3 tbsp salt
• ½ cup oil
• 4 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 cup meat broth

Method

Step 1

Soak rice in water in a bowl and keep aside.

Step 2

Heat oil in a pressure cooker and fry onions with garlic until golden brown. Add meat pieces to the fried onion and cook until light brown on both sides. Add water (boiled) and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer covered until meat is tender. Add more water if required.

Step 3

In a separate pan, sauté carrots, in a small quantity of oil, add sugar and ¼ cup water and and fry until softened. Remove from pan and keep aside. Add a little oil to the pan and sauté raisins until they swell up. Add carrots and mix it with raisin. Remove from pan and set aside.

Step 4

Place 4 tbsp sugar in a hot, dry saucepan over medium heat. Cook, shaking pan, for 5–6 minutes or until sugar has caramelised. Carefully add ½ cup oil, 1 tbsp salt, meat broth and cumin. Bring to the boil, then remove from heat and set aside.

Step 5

Drain the soaked rice. Cook in a large saucepan of boiling water with 2 tbsp salt for 10 minutes, or until almost cooked. Drain and return to pan. Pour over the caramelised sugar mixture and stir until rice is evenly coated. Mix rise will and sing the end of a large spoon, make holes all over rice to allow it to steam evenly.

Step 6

Top with spiced carrot and reserved lamb. Cover and seal pan with a tea towel, then a lid. Place over low heat and cook for 5 minutes, or until you hear a ticking sound. Reduce the heat to low and cook for another 30 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Step 7

Remove lamb and spiced carrots, and mix rice well. To serve, cover base of a platter with a little rice, spoon over the lamb and then cover with remaining rice. Top with spiced carrot.