Kabuli Pulao / Rice (GF, DF, Veg)
An afghani dish this is a great one pot rice dish, or a sweet and savoury side. Rice topped with subtly sweet carrots, raisins and nuts, very popular in afghani cuisine.
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 2 cups basmati rice I prefer sella basmati
- 3-4 Tbsp oil
- 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 2 medium carrots, coarsely grated
- 1/2 cup whole raw cashews or substitute any mix of nuts you like
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1-2 tsp salt or to taste
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp brown sugar or to taste
- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (about 540ml)
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock or substitute for 4 cups water and 1 bullion cube
- 2-3 whole black peppercorns
- 1/4 cup slivered almonds for garnish
- fresh cilantro for garnish
Instructions
Wash and Soak the Rice
- In a large bowl, wash the rice well: fill up the bowl with water to cover the rice, mixing the rice well with your hands and draining the water, repeat a few (3-4) times until the water is almost clear. Cover the rice with more clean water and allow to soak while you prepare the other ingredients.
Make the Carrot Raisin Topping
- In a large sauce pan with a well fitting lid, heat the oil on medium heat and add the onions. Cook the onions, stirring often until they start to caramelize and turn brown.
- Add the grated carrots and stir fry for a few minutes till the carrots start to soften.
- Add the raisins, cashews, 1/2 tsp garam masala, black pepper, 1 Tbsp brown sugar, 1/2 tsp salt. Mix well to combine and cook for a few minutes to heat through. The raisins should start to swell up and the sugar will start to caramelize. Remove the carrot mixture from the pan into a bowl and set aside. Return the pan to the stove and move on to the rice.
Cook the Rice
- Drain and discard the water the rice was soaking in and place the rice into the pan.
- Add a splash of oil (about 1 tbsp), 4 cups broth, chickpeas, 1 tsp salt, 3 whole black peppercorns and bring to a boil until the water has almost evaporated.
- Once the water has almost disappeared, add the carrot mixture in a layer on top of the rice. Cover and turn the heat down to low to allow the rice to steam for 10 minutes. Do not lift the lid while the steam is building. This will allow the flavours to really come together and the rice to cook through.
- Just before serving the rice, sprinkle with slivered almonds, and chopped fresh cilantro. Best served warm with BBQ kebabs or a curry! Enjoy!
Notes
This is a pretty forgiving recipe. Feel free to adjust the salt & sweet flavour to your liking.