Kabuli pulao

 This is one of Afghanistan’s most popular dishes. Rice is one of the staples in Asian countries and it is usually one of the main entrees in a meal. The first time I had this pulao was at my best friend's house. Her mom had made me a vegetarian version of the pulao and it was very tasty. I especially loved the mild spices in it and the fact that it wasn’t too spicy. I loved the addition of the sweet raisins to this dish. 

I searched the web for recipes without meat and I got inspiration from a few websites/ videos. I adapted their recipes without meat.

The cooking tree: https://youtu.be/Q8mJOZXJcWc

Sam in kitchen : https://youtu.be/VHgf7SjSA_s

Afghan mazadar cooking ( pulao spice mix)  : https://youtu.be/ddn-vdO0BiU

Ingredients:

Basmati rice - 1 cup ( when cooked comes out to 3 cups )

2 cups water 

For the brown color: 

Sugar - 3 tbsp

Oil - 2 tbsp 

Water- 1 cup

Spice mix: ( grind all the whole spices and set aside)

Cumin seeds- 1 tbsp

Green Cardamom - 1 tbsp

Cinnamon sticks - 1 tbsp

Cloves - 1 tsp

Black peppercorns  - 1/2 tbsp

Salt to taste 

Pepper powder - 1 tbsp

Toppings:

Carrots - 3 large julienned ( or you can buy a bag of the thicker cut shredded carrot that is typically used for salads and get 2 cups)

Black raisins - 1 cup

Optional - slivered almonds dry roasted to golden brown 

Oil for frying - 1/2 cup 

Instructions 

1. First place a pan on the stove and Add 3-4 tbsp of oil to it and heat it up. This is what we are going to use to fry the carrots and raisins 
2. Now fry the carrots in the oil for 3-4 minutes. Drain the oil with a slotted spoon and place On paper towel to drain the excess oil.
   
   
   
   
   
3. Now use the same oil to fry the raisins. These take 30s - 45 sec. fry them until they change color to a lighter brown and plump up. Then take them out with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel to drain 
   
   
   
   
   
4. Now add a little more Oil to the pan and let it heat up . Add the sugar to the oil and stir it and let it caramelize and turn dark brown/ almost burnt. 
   
   
   
   
5. Put the ground spices in the oil and stir it in to get the raw taste out for just a few seconds. Now add 1 cup of water to the pot and mix well.
   
   
6. Cook the rice ahead of time and let it cool. For this dish first you would cook the rice until it is partly cooked and eventually we will cook further with the spices. 
7. To cook rice for this dish : Wash the rice well in water until the water is clear. Then put it in a  bowl and add a little oil and mix it so the rice is coated in oil . Now soak the rice in water for 1-2 hours. Then drain the water. In a pot add 2 cups of water and some salt to taste. Now add the rice to it and let it cook for about 15 minutes.
8. Put the rice in a large mixing bowl and let it cool
9. Now we will add the caramelized sugar and spice mix that we made in step 5 to the rice and mix it in until the rice is brown. Add salt and pepper powder and mix it as well.
   
   
   
   
10. Put the fried carrots and raisins separately in aluminum foil and make little packets
    
    
    
    
11. Now place the rice in a heavy bottomed pot. Place the two foil packets on top of the rice. Then cover the pot with aluminum foil on top to seal the moisture in when the rice cooks and place a lid on top of the foil. 
    
    
    
    
12. Cook this on medium heat for 15 minutes. Once you do that the rice will be fully cooked ( but not mushy) . Then place the rice on a plate. Open the foil packets  and take out the carrots and raisins and place these on the rice. You can add toasted nuts ( optional ). Kabuli pulao is now ready to serve.