My Cookbook: Souk to Table 
Kabuli Pulao (Slow-Cooked Afghan Lamb & Rice)
Kabuli Pulau is Afghanistan’s national dish, and once you make it, you’ll understand why. Tender lamb slow-cooked until it falls off the bone, rice simmered in the rich broth it leaves behind, and a buttery topping of caramelized carrots, plump raisins and toasted almonds. Sweet, savoury, fragrant – it’s a dish worth serving! The key is building flavour in layers, and this recipe walks you through each one.
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Simple but with a few game changing tips!
At its heart, Kabuli Pulau is a simple dish. Much of the prep work happens while the lamb is simmering away so no time is wasted. Because of it’s simplicity, each component needs to be done well, and a few things make all the difference.
Grind your own spices. A homemade garam masala anchors the whole dish. You can use store-bought in a pinch (I have), but freshly ground spices can’t be beat for the best Kabuli pulao of your life.
Cook the rice in the lamb broth. This is the technique that makes the dish. As an Arab, it’s deeply familiar to me – it’s the same method behind my lamb kabsa and lamb mandi, and it’s what gives the rice that deep, savoury flavour.
If you’ve made my Afghan aush or borani banjan before, you already know how much I love Afghan food. Kabuli Pulao is the crown jewel – and I just had to share it with you.
With the lamb and rice being the stars of the dish, I highly recommend using bone-in for the lamb and sella basmati rice. The bones will add so much flavour to the stock that the rice is simmered in, and the sella rice is a parboiled variety of basmati, which is always foolproof!
Did you know? Sella rice is more forgiving and therefore harder to overcook. The parboiling process hardens the starch, meaning the grains stay separate and fluffy after cooking.
Make Ahead and Storage Tips
If you plan to make this dish ahead, you can easily make the carrot and raisin topping ahead of time and store in the fridge, but toast the almonds fresh (they lose their crunch in the fridge). You may also prepare the lamb store in the fridge with its broth. Bring it back to room temperature before continuing with the recipe and adding the rice. Once fully cooked, store any leftovers in an air tight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Serve with a simple a simple salad on the side, this dish does not need much else!
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Kabuli Pulao (Slow-Cooked Afghan Lamb & Rice)
Ingredients
For the Spice Mix (Garam Masala)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon black caraway seeds, shahi jeera
- 6 green cardamom pods
- 1 black cardamom pod, optional
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 6 garlic cloves
- 1/8th teaspoon ground nutmeg
For the Topping
- 1/4 cup salted butter
- 1/2 cup almonds, slivered or sliced
- 2 cups carrot, cut into matchsticks
- 3/4 cup raisins, black, soaked in hot water for 5 minutes and then drained
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
For the Pulau
- 1/4 cup neutral oil, plus 2 tablespoons
- 2 yellow onions, medium to large, thinly sliced
- 2 lbs bone-in lamb shoulder, or leg, see notes
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 6 cups water
- 3 cups basmati rice , Sella, washed and soaked for 30 minutes, see note
Instructions
For the Spice Mix (Garam Masala)
- In a spice grinder, combine together the 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon black caraway seeds, 6 green cardamom pods, 1 black cardamom pod, 2 cinnamon sticks, 6 garlic cloves, and 1/8th teaspoon ground nutmeg. Grind until a powder forms and set aside.
For the Topping
- In a medium sauté pan, heat up the 1/4 cup salted butter over low heat. Add in the 1/2 cup almonds and cook and stir until golden, 3-4 minutes. Immediately remove and set aside in a medium sized bowl. Add in the 2 cups carrot and cook and stir for 15 minutes until softened. Add in soaked and drained 3/4 cup raisins along with the 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Cook and stir for an additional 2 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with almonds and immediately cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
For the Pulao
- In a large pot, heat up the 1/4 cup neutral oil over medium heat. Add in the sliced 2 yellow onions and sauté until golden and browning on the edges, 8 minutes. The colour of your final dish will largely be due to how deeply golden the onions get. With a slotted spoon, remove the fried onions to a dish and set aside.
- Increase the heat to medium high and add an additional 2 tablespoons of neutral oil. Add in the 2 lbs bone-in lamb shoulder and cook, browning on each side for 4 minutes. Do this step in batches if needed to prevent overcrowding. Reduce the heat to medium and add in the 4 garlic cloves, 3 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, and the spice mix that was set aside earlier. Stir and fry for an additional 1-2 minutes.
- Pour in the 6 cups water, and add in the fried onions, increase the heat to medium high and bring to a simmer. Once it is at a simmer, cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 1 1/2 hours. At the 1 hour mark, check on the meat and see if the liquid needs to be replenished, add 1/2 to 1 cup of water as needed. You will need a total of 4 1/2 cups of broth for the rice.
- Once the lamb is perfectly tender, turn off the heat and remove the lamb carefully to a plate or bowl. Measure out the broth, you will need 4 1/2 cups. If you do not have enough, add some additional water as needed. Pour the broth back into the pot and turn on the heat to medium high. Add in the soaked and drained 3 cups basmati rice and taste the broth for salt and adjust as needed. Place the lamb back on top of the rice and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes then cover with a piece of foil and place the lid on top. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 20 minutes.
- Once cooked, remove the lid and gently fluff the rice. Transfer to a serving platter and garnish with the carrot topping and serve.
Notes
- Although I highly recommend grinding your own spices for the spice mix for the best results, you can in a pinch use a store bought garam masala. In that case you would need 2 tablespoons of garam masala for the recipe.
- Bone-in is best in any type of recipe where you need a rich flavourful stock. However, in some cases you may prefer boneless meat, in that case you can reduce the amount of lamb to 1 or 1 1/2 lbs.
- Sella basmati rice is a type of basmati rice that has been parboiled. It is generally more forgiving and easier to work with. You may use a regular basmati rice if you would like, just be gentle when mixing and plating so as not to break the grains of rice.