Kabuli Pulao

One of my all time favorite Afghan recipe is Kabuli Pulao.

Making a Pulao is so fun. It is like making a baby. There are steps involved. You have to make it in different places and then everything comes along.

This recipe is quite lengthy and has different stages but it is easy to make and the only hard work involved is cutting the DAMN CARROTS.

INGREDIENTS FOR MEAT:

1 kilogram lamb

1 large onion or 2 medium onions

6 garlic cloves

1 glass of water

INGREDIENTS FOR RICE:

10 cups water

4 cups rice

2 tablespoons salt

INGREDIENTS FOR RICE GRAVY:

4 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup oil

1 tablespoons Salt

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1 teaspoon garam masala powder

meat broth (from the cooked lamb)

INGREDIENTS FOR GARNISHING:

4 carrots

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 cup water

6 tablespoons oil

1 cup raisins

First of all we will boil the rice.

Cook it until is 3/4th done. Because we have to cover and cook it again.

If you cook it completely right now it will get softer and soggy afterwards.

The rice is done. Time to cook the lamb.

In a pressure cooker add the lamb meat, one onion (without cutting it) and garlic cloves.

Add one to two glass of water. Cook it on whistle for 15 minutes.

Separate the cooked lamb in a bowl.

With your wooden spatula mash and SMASH the cooked onion and garlic until they dissolve with the broth to some extent.

Take the meat broth out in a separate bowl.

Now it is time to caramelize the carrots and prepare the garnishing.

In a non  stick deep pan we will put carrots on low heat. Add 1 tablespoon sugar to it and 1/4 cup of water.

Cover it with a lid.

On a second burner we will add 6 tablespoons vegetable oil in a frying pan and cook the raisins on medium low flame until they become small fluffly balls. LOL.

Then we add the raisins to the carrots and mix them gently.

Place the carrots and raisins in an aluminum foil and wrap it properly just like in the pictures below.

Time to prepare the rice gravy. This will give the rice flavor and color as well.

Melt 4 tablespoons of sugar in a non stick pan on medium low heat and add 1/2 cup of oil.

Add the meat broth which was extracted from the pressure cooker to this mixture.

Add 1 teaspoon garam masala, 1 teaspoon cumin powder and 1 tablespoon of salt in this mixture.

Let everything combine and keep your utensil in movement during all this process or the sugar won't mix properly.

Time to move to the final stage of this recipe.

Put the cooked rice in a pan and drizzle all the gravy on them.

Mix the rice properly and place the carrot/raisin aluminum parcel on it.

Wrap the lid of this pan with kitchen cloth and cover the pan.

Cook for 5 minutes on high heat and 10 minutes more on low heat.

That is it. Kabuli pulao is ready to serve.

The traditional way to serve Kabuli Pulao is to put a layer of rice on the tray, put a layer of cooked lamb on the layer of rice and cover the layer of lamb with another layer of rice. On top of this savory mountain add the carrots and raisins for garnishing and flavor boost.

Mutton Rogan Josh

What I will tell you all today is Rogan Josh. A Persian dish made with mutton and rich in tomatoes and various spices.

Rogan Josh is a Persian dish inspired from Kashmiri and Mughal cultures.

This was also my very first recipe for this blog which I made again after a long time for some special guests today.

Stay tuned to my twitter and facebook page which is https://www.facebook.com/chefshamsher/ for a recap of Eid-ul-Azha

INGREDIENTS FOR BASE:

500 grams mutton

salt as per taste

1 tablespoon of crushed whole spice (pissa hua garam masala)

2 tablespoon milk cream (aise hee aap log whitening cream daal dein toh kon zimahdaar hai)

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 finely chopped onion

Juice of 1 lemon

INGREDIENTS FOR PASTE:

1 teaspoon fennel seeds (saunf)

8 green chilies

2 teaspoons ginger & garlic paste

1 1/2 teaspoons red chili powder

1 1/2 teaspoons coriander powder

1 onion

2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves

Start off with tenderizing your meat by adding 2-3 glasses of water in a pressure cooker. Add the meat to it and let the whistle blow for 12-15 minutes.

You can boil the meat if you feel like but I had guests at home so time was not to mess around with.

Meanwhile the meat tenderizes. Heat oil in a non-stick pan. Add the chopped onion and crushed garam masala. Fry till golden brown.

Meanwhile the onions are frying you can make the paste by adding onion, fennel seeds, coriander powder, red chili powder, ginger & garlic paste and chopped coriander leaves.

Add the paste you made and salt. Fry well for 4-5 minutes. FRY IT PROPERLY OKAY.

Now after 12-15 minutes the mutton is done tenderizing.

Add the tender mutton cover it well with the paste and then add tomato paste with water.

NOTE - If the mutton after tenderizing has water left in the pressure cooker then add it with the mutton and do not add water after adding tomato paste.

Cover the lid and cook the mutton until the gravy reduces and oil separates.

 

Take the lid off after 5 minutes or when the oil separates.

Add fresh cream and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. 

Mix it well and cook for 5 more minutes on high heat.

Mutton Rogan Josh is ready and let's dish it out now.

Here you go everyone. Try this and I bet you are going to love it more than you love your siblings. Eat it with naan, paratha and your hands.

Don't forget to comment.