The rice dice from Afghanistan known as “kabuli pulao” are prepared under pressure. A flavorful handmade broth adds flavor to the properly cooked rice. The cooktop is another option for preparation.
| Prep Time: | 25 mins |
| Cook Time: | 42 mins |
| Additional Time: | 32 mins |
| Total Time: | 1 hr 39 mins |
| Servings: | 6 |
| Yield: | 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 onion, peeled and halved
- 1 whole head garlic, loose skins removed
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 cardamom pods, crushed
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cumin seed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 4 whole cloves
- 3 ½ cups water, or as needed to cover
- 2 cups sella basmati rice
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup matchstick carrots
- ½ cup raisins
- ½ cup slivered almonds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seed
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cardamom pod, shell removed and seeds crushed into a powder
- 1 whole clove
Instructions
- Make the broth: Place halved onion, garlic head, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, pepper, cumin seed, salt, sugar, paprika, coriander seeds, and cloves into a pressure cooker. Pour in water to cover.
- Close the cooker securely and place the pressure regulator over the vent according to manufacturer’s instructions. Set to high and heat until steam escapes in a steady flow and makes a whistling sound, about 5 minutes. Reduce to medium and cook for 20 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally, about 10 minutes. Unlock the lid and remove.
- When the broth is almost finished, start the rice: Soak rice in cool water for 5 minutes, then rinse until water runs clear.
- Strain cooled broth into a bowl. Clean out the pressure cooker, then place over medium heat and add oil.
- Add onion and garlic to the cooker; cook and stir until softened and browned, 7 to 10 minutes. Stir in carrots and cook until soft, about 3 minutes more. Add strained rice, raisins, almonds, cumin seed, pepper, cardamom powder, and clove. Stir to combine, then pour in enough broth to cover.
- Close the cooker securely and seal the vent; set to high and heat until the first whistle, 5 to 7 minutes. Reduce to medium and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let rest for 7 minutes, then let pressure release naturally, about 10 minutes. Immediately transfer cooked rice to a serving dish to prevent overcooking.
- When soaking the rice, you can add chicken or beef bouillon cubes to the water to add flavor, or use broth for soaking instead of water.
- The rice should be soft after soaking; so in Step 5, you only need to add enough broth to cover the rice. If the rice is still hard after soaking, add about 3/8 inch more broth.
- Boil broth ingredients for 1 hour. After soaking the rice, combine all rice ingredients and all broth (if broth doesn’t measure 3 1/2 cups, add water to get that amount of liquid) and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and place a paper towel over the pot. Cover with a lid and cook until rice is tender, about 25 minutes.
Reviews
It was absolutely delicious. My friend served in Afghanistan and ate this dish many times. We cooked it in the pressure cooker which was a bit different. The only thing we left out was the carrots.
Used stove top method and it was amazing! Used it to make Garlic Chicken Bowls so left out carrot and raisins.
I made this with my instant pot. I did the broth on high for 20mins and finally the rice on high for 9 mins Turned out perfect!!
I will make this again. I did it on the stove top.
Used the stove top method, came out great
I made this without a pressure cooker, the taste is spot-on! I used both regular raisins and golden raisins. Also soaked my basmati overnight and reduced cook time. Thank you so much for sharing one of my favorite Afghani dishes!