National Dishes of the World

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main dish

Kabuli palaw

قابلی پلو (qabili palaw)

Fragrant rice baked with lamb in broth and topped with caramelised carrot, raisins and almonds.

Eaten in: Afghanistan

Prep
30 min
Cooking
2 h
Total
2 h 30 min
Servings
6

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About the dish

Kabuli palaw is regarded as Afghanistan's national dish and is a must at weddings, holidays and when guests come. Long-grain rice is cooked in lamb or mutton broth tinted golden brown by caramelised onions and seasoned with cumin and a blend of warm spices, then finished in the oven under a lid until every grain is separate. The top is scattered with matchsticks of carrot and raisins fried with a little sugar, and often with almonds or pistachios. The meat is hidden under the rice or arranged on top of the platter. The sweet notes gently balance the savoury, meaty dish.

Main ingredients

  • basmati rice
  • lamb
  • onions
  • carrots
  • raisins
  • almonds
  • cumin

More: Wikipedia (en)

Recipe

Kabuli palaw

https://foodmap.ominuvo.com/dish/kabuli-palaw

Ingredients

6 servings

6 servings

Method

  1. Rinse the rice several times and soak it in cold water for at least 30 minutes.

  2. Chop the onions and fry them in 70 ml of the oil until deep golden. Add the meat and brown it on all sides.

  3. Pour in the water, add the salt and simmer, covered, for about 1 hour until tender. Lift out the meat and measure the broth – you need about 800 ml.

  4. Fry the carrots, cut into thin matchsticks, in the remaining oil for 5 minutes, then add the raisins and sugar and fry until the raisins plump up. Set aside.

  5. Add the spices to the broth, bring to the boil and add the drained rice. Cook uncovered until the liquid is absorbed and small holes appear on the surface.

  6. Push the meat into the rice and spread the carrots and raisins on top. Seal tightly with foil and a lid and bake at 160°C for 35–40 minutes.

  7. Turn the rice out onto a platter, arrange the meat, carrots and raisins on top and scatter with the almonds.

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