Afghan Kabuli Pulao

About This Recipe

Kabuli Pulao is Afghanistan's national dish and one of the great rice preparations of the world. Long-grain rice is cooked in rich lamb broth, then topped with caramelized carrot matchsticks, plump raisins, and often pistachios or slivered almonds. The whole spices — cardamom, cloves, cinnamon — perfume the rice from within, creating layers of sweet, savory, and aromatic complexity that define Afghan festive cooking.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 3 cupslong-grain basmati rice, soaked 30 minutes
• 800 gbone-in lamb shoulder
• 2 largeonions, sliced
• 1/2 cupvegetable oil
• 1 tspcardamom seeds
• 4 wholecloves
• 1 cinnamonstick
• 1 tspcumin seeds
• 1 tspblack pepper
• 1 tspsalt
• 3 mediumcarrots, julienned
• 1/2 cupraisins
• 1/4 cupsugar
• 1/4 cuppistachios or slivered almonds

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the lamb

   Brown lamb in half the oil. Add onions and cook until golden. Add cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, cumin, pepper, and salt. Add water to cover and simmer 60 minutes until lamb is very tender. Reserve the broth.

2. 2

   Caramelize the carrots

   Fry julienned carrots in remaining oil until soft and golden. Add raisins, sugar, and a pinch of salt. Cook until caramelized. Set aside.

3. 3

   Cook the rice

   Par-boil rice in salted water for 6 minutes. Drain. Place in a pot with 2.5 cups of the warm lamb broth. Cover tightly and cook on the lowest heat for 25 minutes.

4. 4

   Assemble

   Remove lamb from bones. Layer the bottom of a large dish with rice, then lamb pieces, then more rice. Top with caramelized carrots and raisins. Steam covered for 10 more minutes.

5. 5

   Serve

   Invert onto a serving platter or serve from the dish. Garnish with pistachios.

Variations

• •

  Add saffron to the broth for color and aroma

• •

  Include quince with the carrots

• •

  Make with chicken instead of lamb for a lighter version

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 4 days. Reheat with a little water to restore moisture.

Frequently Asked Questions