Traditional kabuli pulao: Afghan lamb rice with caramelized carrot, raisins and cardamom

Kabuli pulao, or qabili palaw, is the dish Afghanistan serves to those it wants to honor. Kabul gives it its name, but the whole country makes it, and the word qabil, worthy, says the rest: it is the rice of worthy people, the dish of weddings, of Eid and of important guests. The lamb hides underneath, and the surface is a tapestry of glossy carrot, raisins and nuts.

The brown color of the rice comes from a sugar caramel dissolved in the meat broth, a trick that gives subtle sweetness without tasting sweet. The basmati is partly cooked in water, drained and finished in steam with the broth, which leaves each grain long, separate and fragrant with cardamom and cumin. The carrot, in thin matchsticks, is sautéed with sugar until caramelized, and the raisins plump up in the same pan.

It is a two-hour, several-pot dish, and worth every one. It is served on a large platter, with the meat in the center under the rice and the topping spread over, with a tomato, cucumber and onion salad on the side and yogurt for those who want it.

Recipe card

• Origin: Kabul, Afghanistan
• Category: Main course, rice pilaf
• Difficulty: Medium
• Preparation time: 40 minutes
• Cooking time: 2 hours
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 1 kg bone-in lamb (shoulder or leg) in large pieces
• 4 cups basmati rice, rinsed and soaked for 1 hour
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup oil
• 4 large carrots in thin matchsticks
• 1 cup dark raisins
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 1/4 cup unsalted pistachios, chopped
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 4 whole green cardamom pods
• Salt to taste

Method

1. Heat half the oil in a large pot and fry the onion on high for 10 minutes, until dark brown; this is what colors the broth.
2. Add the lamb and brown. Cover with 6 cups of water, season with salt, the whole cardamom pods and half the cumin and simmer on low for 1 hour 15 minutes, until the meat is tender. Remove the meat, strain and reserve the broth.
3. In a frying pan, heat the rest of the oil and sauté the carrot with 2 tablespoons of sugar on medium for 8 minutes, until lightly caramelized. Add the raisins for 1 minute, until plump, and set aside. Quickly brown the almonds and set aside.
4. In a small pan, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar on medium, without stirring, until it becomes a dark amber caramel. Carefully pour in 1 cup of the hot broth and stir until dissolved.
5. Boil a large pot of salted water, drain the soaked rice and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, until half cooked. Drain.
6. Return the rice to the pot, drizzle with the caramelized broth plus 1 cup of broth, sprinkle the rest of the cumin, the ground cardamom and the garam masala and mix lightly.
7. Bury the meat in the middle of the rice, spread the carrot with raisins on top, cover with a cloth and the lid and cook on the lowest heat for 30 minutes, until the rice is dry and fluffy.
8. Assemble the platter: rice underneath, the meat in the center, the carrot, raisins, almonds and pistachios on top.

Tips and variations

• The rice must stay half raw in the water: it finishes in the steam with the broth, and that is what makes it long and fluffy.
• Good-quality aged basmati makes all the difference.
• Caramel taken too far turns bitter: remove from the heat as soon as it is dark amber.
• Chicken instead of lamb cooks in 40 minutes.
• A pinch of saffron in the broth is the festive version from Herat.
• Leftovers reheat in a steamer or in a covered pan with a little water.
• Plain yogurt whisked with cucumber and mint is the table accompaniment.

Kabuli pulao is Afghanistan at the table: fragrant rice, tender lamb and a crown of carrot, raisins and nuts. Make it for an occasion, and the occasion becomes special.