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Kabuli Pulao (Afghani Pulao)

Kabuli Pulao also known as Qabili pulao is considered a Afghan national dish. It is named after the city Kabul, capital of Afghanistan. It is made with basmati rice or the long grain rice with chicken, lamb or beef  topped with fried sliced carrots, raisins, orange peel strips, and chopped nuts like pistachios or almonds. The meat is covered by the rice or buried in the rice mixture.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Resting Time 4 hours
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Cuisine: ASIA
Calories: 1234
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 600 g Chicken cut into medium sized pieces
  • 1 Tbsp Ginger garlic paste
  • 1 ½ medium Onion sliced
  • 1 tsp Cumin seeds
  • 2 tsp Garam masala powder For chicken
  • 2 Tbsp Fried Onions Readily available in stores
  • ½ Tbsp Sugar For caramelizing
  • 1 tsp Garam masala For rice
  • 1 tsp Cumin powder
  • 1 tsp Black cumin seeds Shahi jeera
  • 1 tsp Black pepper
  • ½ Carrot Cut into very thin strips
  • 1 Tbsp Raisins
  • 1 Tbsp Almonds Peeled and cut into thin slices
  • Salt as required
  • 1 Tbsp Oil For frying chicken
  • Oil for deep frying
  • Water as required For cooking rice
  • 2 Cups Basmati rice

Method
 

  1. Boil a pot of water and add rice to it. Cook the rice until it is 75% cooked. Wash it under cold water immediately and set it aside.
  2. In a pan, heat the oil (For the chicken). Add the sliced onions, ginger garlic paste, salt and chicken and fry on medium flame until the chicken is cooked and the onions become soft.
  3. Add cumin seeds and garam masala powder (For the chicken) and mix. Switch off the flame.
  4. In a separate pan, caramelise sugar until very dark but not burning it. Pour it over the chicken mixture.
  5. In a deep bottomed vessel, first layer the half of 75% cooked rice. Then, layer it with the fried onion.
  6. Next layer it with just the cooked chicken pieces, garam masala, cumin powder, black cumin seeds and black pepper.
  7. Again layer it with the rest of the rice and the gravy left after cooking the chicken pieces.
  8. Place this vessel on a flat pan and put it on a very low flame (This layered rice should not be cooked on a direct flame). Put on a tight lid, so that no steam escapes (If possible put a heavy weight on the lid to make sure no steam escapes).
  9. Cook on this very low flame for 30 min or until the rice is fully cooked.
  10. Deep fry the thinly cut carrot slices and set aside.
  11. Deep fry the raisins too (Raisins take very less time) until they balloon up. Set then aside.
  12. When the rice is cooked, garnish it with the carrot, raisins and the almonds.