Afghanistan: Kabuli Pulao

It was exciting to have this pilaf style dish be the first on my adventure because of the variety of ingredients, techniques, and flavours involved in it. This is a very sweet and aromatic dish that almost anyone will enjoy. This is not a quick meal to make but it also doesn't involve too much prep, just a lot of waiting. The recipe I have compiled should feed 2-3 people depending on how hungry they are but you can always double the amounts if you want to prepare this for a family affair. To make this you will need:

-1.5 cups of parboiled basmati,soaked

-1.5 cups water/stock

-1/4 cup coconut oil, split in half

-1 pound lamb shoulder, cut into ~1 inch cubes

-1 medium sweet onion, cut into thin pieces

-1 large carrot, julienne into match-stick size pieces

-2 tbs slivered almonds, toasted

-handful of raisins, soaked

-1 tbs pistachios, broken

-1 tbs white sugar

-10 green cardamom pods

-1 tsp ground cumin

-1/4 tsp mint

-3 tsp garam masala

-2-3 garlic cloves, crushed

-salt & pepper to taste (garlic/celeri salt optional)

Get all of your ingredients ready before you begin cooking.

1: Soaking the rice: Parboiled basmati rice is what's used traditionally, it it processed by partially boiling it while in it's husk thus lending it this beautiful golden colour. To avoid cooking it for many hours you can rinse and soak it in advance to allow it to soften. You will need a sieve and a bowl/large measuring cup. First rinse the rice under cold water until it starts to run clear and then set it in a bowl of cold water, changing the water every half an hour. You will need to do this 3 or 4 times. I like to do this in a large measuring cup because I will save the water from the last round for the stock.

2: Toppings:

-Set a handful of raisins into a bowl of water to soak.

-Peel your large carrot and then cut into matchstick size pieces, you will end up with around a cup.

-Break your pistachios into pieces by pressing the side of a knife down onto them.

-Use a mortar and pestle to break up 5 of the cardamom seeds, removing the husk and saving the seeds.

-drain the raisins and sprinkle the cardamom on top.

3: Meat and Onions:

-Remove the white fat from your lamb, saving a couple of large pieces. Cut your lamb into approximately 1 inch pieces.

-Slice your onion into quarters and then cut into thin pieces, about 1 cm.

Now it's time to get cooking. You will need a large stock pot, a deep high wall pan, and a sauce pan.

1: Stock:

-Take the pieces of fat that you saved and a portion of coconut oil and heat over low medium heat until rendered. Take each piece of lamb and cook each piece on all sides until browned, remove and set aside.

-Saute onions until softened, sprinkling with garam masala.

-Add the garlic, seeds of 5 cardamom pods, salt, and pepper to the onions.

-Add the lamb back into the pan, add your water, and simmer until lamb is tender and fully cooked (approx 1 hour). I add in garlic and celery salts for flavour.

-Once the lamb is cooked use a sieve and glass measuring cup to separate the onions and lamb from the stock. Save the stock for later steps.

2: Toppings:

-Add the remaining portion of coconut oil to a sauce pan and melt over medium heat

-Toast your almonds until brown, careful not to burn them. Mix with the pistachios and save for garnish

-Saute your carrots to soften. Add in your sugar to caramelize. Add the raisins and cardamom. Remove from heat and add about a 1/2 cup of your stock. Set aside for later.

3: Rice: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook your rice for about 4-5 minutes. Drain the rice and set aside for later, you don't save this water.

4: Pulao:

-Add the remaining stock to the rice.

-Oil the deep pan.

-Put an even layer of rice on the bottom of the pan. Set the meat throughout, then pour the carrot mixture over top and cover this with the remaining rice. There will be a fair amount of liquid.

-When making any pilaf dish you want to take care that it is not soggy, to do this you will make 6 holes, roughly 1cm in your rice layers to the bottom of the pan to allow the moisture to escape. Cover the pan with a tea towel to prevent this moisture from dripping and place the lid over the towel. Allow this to cook for 1-2 hours, or until the rice is fully cooked and the liquid is gone.

-Place in a pile on a deep dish and garnish with the pistachios and almonds, eat and enjoy. Yum!

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