No Afghan dinner is complete without a rice dishes. Some of these are surprisingly easy to prepare. For more facts and information, read our guide…
Rice is a staple to the Afghan diet. It is most important for the Afghan women who prepare the meals to have a wide variety of rice recipes and to cook it right. It should not be sticky, but remain with the grains being individual
Many Ingredients
There are many rice recipes from all corners of Afghanistan. May of these recipes have so many ingredients (sometimes 30 or more) that American and European cooks simply throw up their hands in surrender. The two recipes below will alleviate that feeling.
Kabuli Palow Ingredients
3 pounds chicken
2 cups basmati rice (Rinse the rice several times in cold water until water remains clear.Boil in 6 cups of water – add the rinsed rice and boil rice for 6 minutes Drain the rice in a large strainer.)
1 sliced yellow onion
1/4 cup ghee
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
3 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon gram masala
Garnish
2 shredded or shaved carrots
3 tablespoons ghee
1/2 cup raisins
1/3 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup water
Heat 1/4 cup ghee in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook sliced onion until dark brown. Pick onions out from the ghee and set aside. Leave most of the ghee in the pan. Add washed skinless chicken to the frying pan the onions had been in, and brown well on all sides. When browned, drain excess oil. Put chicken, 2 teaspoons salt, garlic and 3 1/2 cups water into large cooking pot. Bring to a boil, cover and cook over medium heat for approximately 30 minutes or until chicken is tender.Remove the chicken and put in a warm place (retain liquid in pan). Grind the fried onion in a blender with 1/2 cup water, 2 tablespoons tomato paste and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix into the meat broth and boil for 10 minutes. Add rice and gram masala to meat broth, and simmer until liquid is reduced.
While rice is cooking, wash and peel the carrots and shred or shave into match sized pieces. Heat 3 tablespoons ghee over the medium heat in a frying pan, add the carrots and cook gently until lightly browned and tender. Drain ghee from pan. Add the raisins, slivered almonds and 1/2 cup water to the carrots and cook until all the water is reduced.
Afghan Fried Brown Rice Ingredients
2 cups rice
5 tablespoons oil
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon ras al hanout
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon salt
Directions
Soak the rice for 15 minutes. Wash well and drain.
Heat the oil in a pot and fry the onions until light brown.
Add the ras al hanout and bay leaf, and sauté 5 minutes.
Add the sugar and let it caramelize.
Add the rice and sauté for 2 minutes.
Add salt to taste and 4 cups boiling water
Cook for 9-10 minutes until the rice is perfectly cooked.
