Kabuli Pulao

This pulao comes from the beautiful lands of Afghanistan. I had it a friends place and instantly fell in love with it. That friend was generous enough to come at my place and teach me so the recipe credit should go to her. Its a bit long recipe as it involves quite a few ingredients but the end result is just so unbelievably good that I run short on words to describe it. Don't feel intimidated by looking at the recipe as it seems very long. I have tried to break all the ingredients in steps to make it easy for you to follow.
You can serve it with Afghani tomato chutney or any curry though I like to eat it just as is to enjoy its real flavors.

Ingredients

For Stock

Meat                                       2-3 lbs with bone(preferably shank)
Garlic                                      5 cloves
Star anise                                2 flowers
Black pepper corn                  1 tsp
Salt                                         3 tsp
Water                                     3 cups

Wash meat and put all the ingredients in a stock pot. After it starts boiling, lower the heat to simmer.
Cover and cook for about 90 mins or until meat is tender. Strain and keep the stock aside.
You would have around 2- 2 1/2 cups of stock at the end.

Toppings

Carrots                                 2-3 julienne
Oil                                        2 tbsp
Sugar                                    1 tbsp
Salt                                       1/4 tsp

Thinly slice the carrots in long strips.
In a frying pan, add oil and fry the carrots for 2 mins.
Add sugar and salt and fry for another 3-4 mins until you see carrots changing color to bright orange.
Drain on a paper towel. Wrap in a foil wrap and keep them warm.


Almonds                               1/2 cup
Oil                                        2 tbsp

Soak the almonds in hot water for 10 minutes and then remove the skin. Split  the almonds into to portions.
Fry the almonds on low heat until light golden about 10-15 mins.
Drain on a paper towel. Keep them warm.

Raisins                                 1 cup
Oil                                       2 tbsp

Fry the raisins till they are puffed up about 3-4 mins.
Drain on a paper towel. Keep them warm.

For the Rice

Sugar                                  1/2 cup
Water                                  2 tbsp
Sela Basmati rice                 2 cups
Green cardamom                4
Oil                                      1/4 cup
Garam masala                    1 tbsp
Salt                                    1/2 tsp


In a pan, add water and sugar and on medium heat, caramelize sugar till deep golden.
Add the stock to it and let caramel dissolve in it. Keep aside.
Wash rice really well till the water runs clear and soak in water for at least a couple of hours.
Boil 4 liters of water in a pot with 2 tsp of salt.
Cook the rice 3/4 way through like you would for biryani .
Drain and keep aside.
In a pot heat oil and add cracked cardamoms just for 30 seconds. Add the meat, salt and 1/2 tbsp garam masala and fry well. Take the meat out and add the stock.
Once stock comes to boil, add the cooked rice.
Mix rice well coating with all the stock using very gentle movements to prevent rice from breaking.
Sprinkle remaining half tbsp of garam masala on top.
Arrange meat on top and cover.
Let the rice steamed with a tight fitting lid for around 35-40 mins or until the rice becomes dry and the stock has been absorbed.
Take the meat out and fluff the rice with a fork.
There is a particular way to serve kabuli. In a large platter, spread rice at the bottom, topped with carrots then almonds and raisins and then meat.

Find the recipe of the Tomato Walnut chutney here.

Note:

You can use goat, lamb or beef according to your preference of meat.