Qabali Afghani Rice Food

QABALI - AFGHANI RICE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Place rice in a large bowl, rinse, and then soak in cold water for 30 minutes.
• In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add carrots and 1 teaspoon sugar; cook, stirring frequently, until tender. Stir in raisins, and continue cooking until the raisins are soft and plump. Remove from heat, and set aside to cool.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Strain rice, and then add to boiling water. Cook for about 5 minutes, then strain with a mesh strainer.
• In a small saucepan, heat 1/2 cup oil and 1 tablespoon sugar. Cook until sugar dissolves completely, making a syrup. Remove from heat , and cool. Once cool, add 1 cup water, and return to a boil.
• Return the rice to pan. Stir in carrots and raisins, and then mix in oil and sugar syrup. Season with saffron, cinnamon, cardamom, black pepper, and cumin. Poke some holes with a spoon all over the rice. Cover, and cook over high heat until you hear crackling noises. Remove from heat.
• Bake, covered, in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, and toss rice with a fork.

AFGHANI KABLI PULAO

Steps:

• Soak the rice in cool water for 5 minutes. Rinse until water runs clear.
• Place 4 cardamom pods on a cutting board and lightly crush using the flat side of a knife; transfer to a pressure cooker. Add halved onion, garlic head, 4 cloves, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon cumin seed, salt, sugar, cinnamon stick, paprika, and coriander seeds. Pour in water to cover.
• Seal pressure cooker lid and turn heat to high. Cook until pressure cooker whistles once, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Wait for 2 more whistles, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and allow pressure to release naturally, about 10 minutes.
• Strain broth into a bowl. Clean out the pressure cooker and heat it over medium heat. Add oil and chopped onion; cook and stir until softened and browned, about 7 to 10 minutes. Add carrots; cook until soft, about 3 minutes more. Add raisins, almonds, and strained rice. Add remaining 1 teaspoon black pepper, remaining 1 teaspoon cumin seed, and remaining clove.
• Crush remaining cardamom seed to a powder and add to the pressure cooker. Mix to combine; pour in enough broth to cover the rice.
• Increase heat to high and seal the pressure cooker. Cook until the first whistle, 5 to 7 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Cook for 5 minutes and remove from heat. Let rest for 7 minutes; release the pressure naturally, about 10 minutes. Transfer cooked rice to a serving dish immediately to prevent overcooking.

CHICKEN KABULI PULAO (AFGHANISTAN)

Steps:

• Place chicken pieces, onions and hot water in a large pot.
• Cover and simmer for about 1 hour.
• Add salt to taste.
• Remove chicken, reserving stock & discard cooked onions.
• Preheat oven to 325°F.
• Heat 2 tbs of the butter over medium high heat and fry chicken pieces containing bones, salting as needed.
• Boil a large amount of water with sea salt and cook the rice in it for exactly 8 minutes. Set aside in a pot until ready to assemble.
• Make stock sauce:
• Brown onions in butter and remove from heat.
• Add cardamom cumin, freshly ground black pepper & saffron liquid and mash with onion to form a paste.
• Add about 1/2 pt of the chicken stock; simmer for 5 minutes and taste for seasoning.
• Combine cooked rice, stock sauce as needed (I don't find it became a sauce so I added the onion paste with some broth as needed to finish cooking the rice) and chicken; place in a buttered casserole. Cover.
• Fry carrot matchsticks in 1/2 tbs butter and add dark raisins to them at the very end.
• Sprinkle partially cooked carrot matchsticks and raisins on top of chicken and rice and cover tightly with aluminum foil or cover.
• Place in oven for 35 minutes.
• Chopped toasted pistachios or slivered almonds may be added over the dish just before serving if so wished.
• There most probably will be left over stock that is very good even as a soup on it's own and probably served that way in an Afghani household.
• Enjoy!

SWEET AFGHANI RICE WITH LEMON & CHICKEN (ZARDA PALAU)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300F (yes that low).
• Boil shredded peel in 1 cup water for 5 minutes, drain & rinse.
• Desolve sugar in 1/2 cup water, add peel and boil gently for 5 minutes or until syrup is thick. Set aside.
• Heat 1 tbs ghee or oil in a frying pan and fry almonds gently until golden (Watch carefully they brown quick when you turn your head.) Remove from pan once done.
• Add remaining ghee or oil and brown chicken pieces on all sides, remove with a slotted spoon and season chicken with salt and pepper.
• Add onion to the pan and fry gently until soft and slightly browned.
• Add 1/2 cup water to the pan to lift browned juices, return chicken and simmer gently for 7 minutes.
• Bring 5 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Add washed rice and salt to taste.
• Return to a boil and boil for 8 minutes then drain in a colander or sieve.
• Turn rice into a bowl and pour syrup over rice. Toss rice and spread half into a greased casserole dish.
• Arrange chicken pieces on top with the onion and half the cooking liquid.
• Spread remaining rice on top, pour on remainder of chicken liquid evenly.
• Cover casserole and cook in oven for 40 minutes.
• Meanwhile steep pounded saffron threads in hot water. (An Arab coffee cup is the perfect size for this).
• When palau is cooked remove top layer of rice and arrange around edge of warm serving platter. put chicken pieces aside and place bottom layer of rice in center of platter. Top with chicken pieces and garnish with reserved almonds. Pour saffron liquid over the rice boarder and serve immediately with yogurt.