Kabuli Pallau - Qabuli Palao
Kabuli Pallau
Qabully Polau
This rice
dish is typical of the region in and around Afghanistan. It is served on its
own or with a dish of yoghurt on the side. The flavour of this dish comes from
the bone broth made from your lamb shanks, which is subtle. The richer and
deeper the flavour of the broth, the bolder the rice. Left over rice can be
eaten with fried fish or kebabs.
I have often eaten this in London, where one gets the most
authentic restaurants from every region of the world. This is a recreation—my
version of what we have been enjoying for the past decade in restaurants.
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A rice and meat dish with lots of subtle flavour. |
Serves 6
4 lamb shanks
4 small to medium onions
12 each of cloves, pepper corn,
cracked cardamom pods
1 stick of cinnamon
2 tsp salt
2 whole pods of garlic
12 cups water
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp garam masalo
1 tsp salt or to taste
2 cups rice -washed and
rinsed
A simple syrup of 1/2 cup sugar
and 1 cup water
Juice of 1 large lemon
1 tbsp candied orange peel
2
peeled and ribboned or julliened carrots
Optional
to decorate: a handful of raisins and almonds You can also add a few dried
apricots (jardaloo) to this dish.
In a pan, heat a knob of butter and oil. Brown the lamb shanks all
over until completely caramelised. Add the onions and allow them to sauté for a
couple of minutes. Add the spices and then the water. Bring it to a boil and
cover. Lower the heat to a simmer and continue to cook this for 3 hours, or
until the meat is tender.
Remove and strain the broth. Keep aside
.
Wash the rice
at least ten times until the water runs clear.
Make a syrup with the sugar and
water and add to this the juice of one lemon, orange peel and carrots.
In the larger pot (now empty), sauté
the tomato paste, cumin, garam masalo salt and the cooked lamb. Use a
little of the 4 cups of broth to bring it all together.
Place the raw washed rice in the
pot. On high heat, pour the broth over and bring it to a boil. Let it cook
until the broth has almost evaporated, allowing you to see the rice surface to
the top. This will take 10 minutes. Pour the syrup with all the other
vegetables and fruit in it. Cover this with a damp piece of parchment and place
it all the way down to touch the rice. Cover the pot with a tight lid to
prevent the steam from escaping.
Reduce the heat to a simmer and
allow it to cook for another 30 minutes.
Turn the stove off and let it rest
for another ten minutes. Serve it sprinkled with raisins and almonds that have
been lightly toasted.
My published cookbooks are available for sale through myself and on amazon.
The World of Parsi Cooking: Food Across Borders is a 3 award winning book. It has been self published in July 2019 and will be going into its second print in 2022.
The Art of Parsi Cooking; reviving an ancient cuisine was published in 2016 by Austin Macauley and continues to be available through amazon book depot book depository and from the publishers.
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