Kabuli Pulao | Make Delicious Afghan National Pilaf

The famous Kabuli pulao, as the name states, is a traditional dish that belongs to Afghanistan. This dish is delicious and highly demanded in Afghan cuisine. 

Kabuli pulao was usually made by the higher classes of society in Afghanistan who had the opportunity to afford the materials and prepare this mouthwatering dish. 

By the passage of time, Kabuli pulao was spread all over Afghanistan. It is also called Qabali pulao. The word Qabali came from the Dari language, which means to be able to. Later, it was considered that only those who had extraordinary skills as a chef could make the best Afghan-style pulao or pilaf.

This unique national Afghan dish has steamed long-grained rice in it. Caramelized carrots, raisins, almonds, and last but not least chunk of lamb or chicken, which is highly optional, can also be added. 

Kabuli pulao has a unique taste and fragrance, which comes from special spices Like cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and even turmeric.

Kabuli pulao is also known to be the ancestor of the Yaki Pulao. If you desire to read further about Kabuli pulao, you should never miss the description of Arminius Vambery, a Hungarian professor who traveled a lot to central Asia especially Afghanistan. 

He learned a lot and did a lot of research about the oriental languages and at the same time observed the lifestyle and also the eating habits of the people. 

The Words of Arminius Vambery Related to Kabuli Pulao

According to Arminius Vambery:

Kabuli pulao is delicious and has a fantastic taste of savory and sweet. It has crunchiness from fried carrots and raisins that add sweetness. The taste is heavenly.

For decorating, you can add pistachios along with chopped cashews on top as well. He added that people of Afghanistan love Kabuli pulao mainly due to the fact that it has a perfect combination of available materials with sophisticated taste.

Arminius Vambery

Kabuli Pulao ingredient

For preparing Kabuli pulao, you do not need a lot of ingredients. All you need are stated as below such as:

• Chicken, meat, lamb (these ingredients are optional, and you can choose either one. 
• Rice
• Carrot
• Onion chopped
• Almond chopped
• Oil 
• Garlic (paste will be better) 
• Garam masala powder
• Ground cardamom
• Raisins
• Sugar
• Ground cinnamon
• Ground black pepper
• And salt to taste

How to cook Kabuli Pulao? 

For making Kabuli pulao, first, wash two cups of rice. Add water to the rice, stir, and drain the water. Repeat these steps till the water is clear after stirring. Add a tablespoon of salt and let the rice soak for an hour.

Heat 4 tablespoons of oil in a pan, chop an onion, and add them into the pan. Heat the onion till making it golden. Add four ground cloves of garlic and heat for about 3 minutes. Then add 500 gr sliced meat to the onions. Stir and saute them till making them brown. If you want to cook chicken Kabuli Pulao, use chicken slices instead of meat. Now it is time to add spices. Add ½ teaspoon garam masala, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom, one teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon. Stir over the heat for about 2 minutes, and then add 1 ½ cups of water. Cover the pan and let it cook for one hour.

Bring a frying pan, and toast 1/3 cup sliced almond with 4 tablespoons of oil. Remove toasted almonds from the pan. Saute 1 ½ sliced carrots in the frying pan on medium heat. Stir the carrots till making them slightly colored. Add 1 cup of raisins to the frying pan and stir till the raisins become plump. Sprinkle two teaspoons of sugar and stir till making them caramelized.

Heat a pot of water with one tablespoon of salt till boiling. Drain the soaked rice and pour them into the boiling water. Let it boil for 6 minutes until the rice is almost soft.

Remove the cooked meat with ½ cup of broth. Add parboiled rice to the existing broth. Make 3 or 4 holes in the rice with the end of a fork to release the steam better. Place lamb on half of the rice, then pour the rest of the rice on the lamb. Place carrots and raisins on the rice. At last, pour the reserved broth on them.

Place a paper towel over the pan. Cover the pan on medium heat for 5 minutes, then cook it on low heat for 25 minutes.

How to serve Kabuli Pulao?

Serve the rice on a platter. Place the meat in the middle of the rice. Place raisins and carrots on the rice and sprinkle toasted almonds on them.

Bonne appetite, your tasty Kabuli pulao is ready.

We hope you try and prepare your Kabuli pulao at home and enjoy it. Tell us what all you added for decorations on top of your dish and how it tasted. We would be glad to hear more from you. 

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