Kabuli Pulao is an Afghan Pilaf Recipe made by cooking lamb with a delightful blend of spices. The lamb is then piled high on the rice and served with carrots, raisins, and toasted almonds. This Afghan National Dish is one you don’t want to miss!
Hello Reader! I try my hardest to research recipes as best as I can before posting to ensure I am representing each culture correctly. If this recipe is from your country and I have made a mistake or you have suggestions for how to make it more authentic, I would love to hear! Please leave a comment below letting me know what should be different, and I will rework the recipe. It is always my intention to pay homage and respect to each cultural dish that I cook. Thanks for reading!
This Kabuli Pulao Recipe was the very first recipe I ever published on my blog back in 2018 and it remains my favorite recipe to this day. This dish is warm and homey, flavorful and exciting, and I’ll never forget the first time I tried it.
The sugar and raisins make for a sweet base, while the lamb and onions add the perfect savory elements on top. The rice is soft and pillowy, but the almonds and carrots add a delightful crunch.
This recipe is everything you could want in a dinner: fun textures, delicious flavors, indulgent, and fun to learn about. It is the national dish of Afghanistan and is also commonly served in Afghan restaurants around the United States.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s certainly a time-consuming dish and a labor of love. In fact, this Kabuli Pulao Recipe is usually only made and enjoyed during special occasions in Afghanistan. But if you’re at home right now wanting to get a taste of the world, this recipe is perfect for that, no special event required. And I promise, it is so worth the effort.
Recipe Origins
Kabuli Pulao (also known as Qabuli Palow and Kabuli Palaw) is a traditional Afghan dish said to test the cooking skills of those who make it. It is so tricky, and also so important to cultural celebrations, that it is said a woman’s marriage prospects rely on her ability to make an Authentic Kabuli Pulao Recipe (seems like it could even be considered the most important thing a woman in Afghanistan could learn how to cook!).
This Afghan Pilaf was developed by the wealthy families of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, who could afford to use ingredients like almonds and meat in their rice. These cooks also had the luxury of time to caramelize the carrots to perfection and the skill to balance the flavors of cumin, cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon. Carrots and grapes (or raisins) are commonly grown in the area, which is why they are included in the rice dish.
As ingredients have become more widely available, the recipe has spread to all the people in Afghanistan and Northern Pakistan as well. The special dish is prepared for every celebration, and it is tradition for the women of the family to learn to make it at an early age.
This dish is also called Qabili Pulao, which is a Dari word for “learned” or “well-accomplished”. This references the fact that only a learned chef could make it correctly.
Don’t worry, readers– After making the recipe in this book, you’ll be the perfect marriage prospect for any partner 😉
Why Make this Recipe?
- Delicious: As I said above, this is one of the BEST dishes in the world… I truly, truly mean that. Try experimenting with it at home!
- “Travel” to Afghanistan: Afghanistan has kind people, interesting culture, and delicious food. But unfortunately, it is a difficult time to visit or experience the country at all. For now, I’m going to have to settle for cooking Afghan food at home. This dish is also commonly eaten in Pakistan alongside this Pakistani Chicken Karahi Recipe.
- New Flavors: Some of the flavors in this dish likely aren’t ones that you have tried before. But it’s so fun to experiment with new things, so mix up your Char Masala and get cooking!
What Ingredients Do I Need to Make this Recipe?
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.
- Lamb: Lamb can be tough to find. Try calling ahead to your local middle eastern store to see if they carry it. I put in a call to my local butcher, and they were able to debone a lamb leg for me and turn it into cubed pieces, which worked perfectly. You can also use lamb shanks if desired but I recommend leg of lamb.
- Char Masala: You can buy this spice blend at the store in your spice aisle or make it at home. I highly recommend making your spice blend at home because freshly crushed, whole spices make a huge difference in the flavor, especially cardamom! If you can’t find char masala and want an easy replacement, Garam Masala will do in a pinch!
- Rice: This recipe calls for Basmati rice, which is very easy to find in the United States. Traditionally in Afghanistan, a lot of cooks will use Sella rice, which is parboiled. Sella rice has a great aroma and it also soaks up other flavors very easily which makes it great for Palaw. Either will work for this dish.
- Carrots: I cheated and bought a bag of matchstick-cut carrots. You can cut them by hand if you prefer, but using the store bought bag cuts SO much time off of the recipe.
- Raisins: I would recommend normal-sized raisins as opposed to jumbo. You can use golden raisins or regular raisins.
- Spices: Green cardamom pods, cinnamon bark, cloves, cumin seeds, and salt. You can add black pepper if desired.
Do I Have to Add Raisins?
Many Afghans will tell you that adding raisins and sweet carrots is absolutely paramount to this dish, and I agree! Kabuli Pulao is not Kabuli Pulao without raisins!
The good thing about the sweet raisins in this dish is that they camouflage so well into the rice. Instead of sticking out, they complement the dish without calling too much attention to themselves. If you’re on the edge, I’d encourage you to add them.
If you have a picky eater, I’d recommend cooking the raisins and carrots on the side but not adding them to the serving platter. That way, each eater can scoop carrots and rice into their bowls if desired.
Some Afghans will tell you that they don’t eat the raisins when making this dish, so don’t feel TOO bad if you choose not to eat them.
Love raisins in savory dishes? Try this Cuban Picadillo Recipe which also has raisins. If you love rice recipes, check out this Chicken Machboos from Bahrain or this Baghali Polo from Iran.
Do I Have to Use Lamb?
Lamb is definitely the most popular meat choice for this recipe. While I’ll admit that it’s an expensive cut, if you can afford it, I would encourage you to splurge.
The lamb is so tender and delicious when cooked this way, and, in my opinion, it is totally worth the investment!
If you’d prefer a more affordable option, some Kabuli Pulao recipes are made with chicken instead.
How to Make Kabuli Pulao
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”iomORUiT” upload-date=”2021-10-09T20:48:20.000Z” name=”Kabuli Pulao” description=”This Kabuli Pulao is a perfect way to experience the flavors of Afghanistan. This Rice Pilaf dish is made with basmati rice, raisins, lamb, and the delicious Garam Masala seasoning. You are going to love the tender lamb and flavorful rice!” player-type=”default” override-embed=”default”]
Step 1: Make the Char Masala
Toast the char masala ingredients until fragrant, then grind them up into a powder.
Step 2: Cook the Onion
Heat 2 Tbsp of ghee in a large pan.
Add the onions and cook over medium heat for 5-10 minutes, until translucent. Set aside.
Step 3: Cook the Lamb
Add the lamb to the pan and allow the outside of the meat to brown, stirring often. Add the spices (char masala, cardamom, cinnamon) and 1 tsp of salt.
Stir the meat for 1 minute to coat with spices. Then add 1 ½ cups of water and the reserved onion into the pan. Cover and simmer for one hour.
Step 4: Prep the Toppings
While the meat is cooking, add ¼ cup of ghee to a small pan over medium high heat. Add the almonds and stir until golden brown and toasty. Use a slotted spoon to remove the almonds from the pan, leaving the ghee behind.
Add the carrots to the frying pan and fry over medium heat until brightly colored, stirring often.
Add the raisins and continue to fry, stirring until the raisins become plump. Sprinkle the carrot and raisin mixture with 2 tsp sugar and set aside.
Step 5: Cook the Rice + Steam
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add rice, return to a boil, and boil for 6 minutes. Strain.
Remove the lamb and ½ cup of liquid from the large pan. Add the cooked rice and 1 tsp salt into the pan.
Use the end of a wooden spoon to poke 3-4 holes in the rice. Place the lamb over half of the rice and the carrots/raisin mixture over the other half.
Place two paper towels (or a clean dish towel) over the pan and cover tightly with a lid. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, then reduce to low heat and cook for 25 more minutes.
Remove from heat and keep covered for 5 minutes.
Step 6: Serve and Enjoy
To serve, place the meat in the center of a large platter. Arrange the rice in a mound around the meat in the middle.
Top the lamb with the carrots and raisins. Sprinkle with almonds and serve!
Qabuli Palow Variations
As with any recipe, each Afghan family has their own twist on how to make an Authentic Kabuli Pulao Recipe. This recipe is a great representation of the famous Kabuli Rice, but there are plenty of changes you could make to it while still having a delicious dish. Try out these changes and see what you think:
- Extra Additions: Carrots, raisins, and almonds are the traditional choices for toppings on a good Kabuli Pulao Recipe. But I have also seen variations that include sesame oil instead of ghee or chickpeas on top of the rice. You can also add saffron to the rice for an extra kick of flavor.
- Change Up the Meat: This recipe uses lamb, but you can also substitute chicken (bone-in or boneless). You can also try mutton, which is similar to lamb but is just from an older sheep.
- Nuts: Instead of slivered and blanched almonds, try substituting pistachios! Or omit the nuts altogether.
- Make it Vegetarian or Vegan: If you want to make this Kabuli Rice vegetarian, simply omit the boneless lamb. If you want to make it vegan, omit the lamb and also cook the dish using oil instead of ghee.
Expert Tips
- I made this recipe according to the recipe instructions, but sometimes I wish that it had more meat. Feel free to use another pound of meat for a higher meat to rice ratio.
- You don’t have to rinse your rice before cooking, but I’d recommend it.
- To serve, you typically pile the meat into the center of the mound of rice. You can even cover it up with another layer of rice on top so that you can’t see it from the serving platter before serving.
Recipe FAQs
You may also see this recipe referred to as Kabuli Pulao, Kabuli Pulaw or Qabuli Pulao, Qabuli Palow, or Kabuli Palaw. Because of translations, there are many ways to write the name of this dish, but they all mean the same thing!
This dish is almost always served with salad! You can also serve it alongside garlic yogurt sauce or naan bread! Serve this with Boolawnee (Fried Leek Pastries) as an appetizer, Borani Banjan as a side dish, and Halwau-E Aurd-E Sujee for dessert.
Leftovers can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. You can simply reheat your Kabuli Rice in the microwave!
You can also freeze your rice pilaf, but keep in mind that the texture of the rice might be altered by the freezing and thawing process. Make sure to freeze it in an airtight container. It will stay good in the fridge for 2-3 months.
PS: You may not know this, but this was actually the first recipe I EVER made on my site. With all other updated recipes, I remove old photos and the old article, but in this case, I feel like it’s wrong to do so. I want to keep my old work around just so I can see how far I’ve come. For a trip down memory lane, scroll below the recipe card for a silly article and old photos 🙂
Did you like this traditional recipe showcasing Afghan cuisine? Don’t forget to check out these other traditional recipes I picked out just for you:
Kabuli Pulao Recipe
Equipment
- Saucepan
- Wooden Spoon
- Platter
- Frying Pan
- Paper Towel
Ingredients
- ¼ cup + 2 tbsp ghee or vegetable oil , (or 2 oz)
- 2 sweet, yellow onions, chopped
- 1 lb 2 oz boneless lamb, cut into 2 cm cubes, (or 500 grams)
- ½ tsp garam masala
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper to Taste (Use code FF20 for 20% off)
- 1 tbsp + 2 tsp salt
- ⅓ cup slivered almonds, not roasted or salted, (or 40 grams or 1 ½ oz)
- 1 ½ cup carrots, cut into matchsticks
- 1 cup seedless raisins, (4 oz or 125 g)
- 2 tsp granulated sugar
- 2 cups basmati rice, (or 14 oz or 400g)
Instructions
- Heat 2 tbps ghee or olive oil in a deep, heavy-based saucepan.
- Add 2 chopped yellow onions and fry over medium heat for 15 minutes, or until translucent and golden brown. Remove and set aside.
- Add 1 lb 2 oz cubed boneless lamb to the pan with the remaining ghee and fry over high heat until browned, stirring often. Sprinkle with spices (½ tsp garam masala, ¼ tsp ground cardamom, ¼ tsp ground cinnamon, ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper) and 1 tsp of salt.
- Stir over heat for 1 minute, add 1 ½ cups water, then return onion to the pan. Cover and simmer for one hour.
- While the meat is cooking, add ¼ cup ghee to a frying pan and lightly brown/toast ⅓ cup sliced almonds. Remove from pan, leaving ghee behind.
- Add 1 ½ cups carrots to the frying pan and fry over medium heat until lightly colored, stirring often.
- Add 1 cup raisins and continue to fry, stirring until raisins become plump. Sprinkle carrot and raisin mixture with 2 tsp granulated sugar and set aside.
- Wash and strain rice. Bring 6 cups water(1.5 litres, 51 oz) to a boil with 1 tbsp salt. Add rice, return to a boil, and boil for 6 minutes. Strain.
- Remove the cooked lamb and ½ cup (4 fl oz. or 125 ml) of liquid. Stir the rice and the remaining 1 tsp salt into the juices still remaining in the pan.
- Make 3 or 4 holes in the rice with the end of a wooden spoon. Place lamb mixture over half of rice and carrots/raisin mixture over the other half of rice. Pour reserved meat juices over the top.
- Place two paper towels over pan and cover tightly with a lid. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to low and cook for 25 minutes more. Remove from heat and keep covered for 5 minutes.
- Pile the lamb into the center of a platter and top with carrots and raisin mixture. Fluff up rice grains with a fork and mound the rice around the meat in the middle. Sprinkle with reserved almonds and serve.
Notes
- Lamb: Lamb can be tough to find. Try calling ahead to your local middle eastern store to see if they carry it. I also put in a call to my local butcher, and they were able to debone a lamb leg for me and turn it into cubed pieces, which worked perfectly.
- Garam Masala: You can buy this spice blend at the store in your spice aisle or make it at home.
- Carrots: I cheat and buy a back of matchstick-cut carrots. You can cut them by hand if you prefer, but using the store bought bag cuts SO much time off of the recipe.
- Raisins: I would recommend normal-sized raisins as opposed to jumbo.
- I made this recipe according to the recipe instructions, but sometimes I wish that it had more meat. Feel free to use another pound of meat for a higher meat to rice ratio.
- You don’t have to rinse your rice before cooking, but I’d recommend it.
- To serve, you typically pile the meat into the center of the mound of rice. You can even cover it up with another layer of rice on top so that you can’t see it from the serving platter before serving.
- Serve this with Boolawnee as an appetizer and Halwau-E Aurd-E Sujee for dessert.
Nutrition
I’ve been planning on and dreaming about this kabuli pulao for at least two months, and it did NOT disappoint.
When I conceived the idea for The Foreign Fork, I was in the middle of a 5 month trip to Europe. Taking 13 hour bus rides across Eastern Europe and living in the cheapest hostels you can find on HostelWorld doesn’t really allow for much money/space/time to be cooking 5 course meals from other countries.
But I was still so excited about my idea, so before I went to bed every night, I would plan the menus for my first couple of countries. Would you believe that I’ve been planning on and dreaming about this Kabuli Pulao for at least two months? The thought of putting raisins in my rice was so out of my comfort zone that I couldn’t wait to try it.
It did NOT disappoint.
Marian says
Thank you for your website! I made this today and the flavor is really great! I will definitely make this again, but I might do things a little differently: I like the idea of cooking the rice in the meat broth (I noticed that one of the people who commented said the rice could be cooked in the broth). There was so much broth after removing the meat, and the effect of precooking the rice (I even cooked it for only 4 mins) and then cooking it further for 25 mins seemed to make the rice a bit over-done. Also, even though I REALLY like salt – more than most people – I think there might be a bit too much salt in the recipe. I used the initial 1 teaspoon with the spices for sprinkling over the meat after browning it, then only 1 teaspoon in the water for precooking the rice, and I didn’t use the last teaspoon of salt because the meat seemed salty enough. I did sprinkle some salt into the unsalted butter when I browned the almonds, though. Also I used about 750 grams of meat (you said you wished there was more meat), and it could have had even more meat, but that was all I had, and it was a good amount. So many good flavors in this recipe! LAMB! Onions! Raisins! Almonds! I even liked the carrots! I will definitely make this again!
Alexandria Drzazgowski says
So glad you loved the recipe Marian! And thank you for your detailed thoughts on changes you made and substitutions! 🙂
Naz says
This came out so good! I put the lamb and onions in the IP for twenty min (and natural release) and then transferred it to another pot for the combined rice/meat. Yes, extra pots to wash but I feel like lamb takes forever to cook😅. This recipe was amazing💜
The Foreign Fork says
I am so happy you like it Naz! This is one of my favorite recipes as well 🙂
Lucy Williams says
If you want the lamb to get done quicker, you could use an instant pot or a pressure cooker. Happy cooking 😆
The Foreign Fork says
Great tip, thank you!
Farshod says
Hello, ma’am. I am from Panjshir and Wakhan. I have a few suggestions for you to change in your recipe.
1. In Kabuli Pulao, we tend to use Chahar Masala instead of Garam Masala. The “Garam Masala” that is used in Afghani cooking is different from the one that js used in Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Nepali, Śri Lankan and other South Asian cooking. When an Afghan recipe calls for “Garam Masala” they mean Chahar Masala, but the name “Garam Masala” can mean both the Afghan, and the South Asian spice blend. 🥰
Here is the ingredients for authentic Chahar Masala/Afghani Garam Masala:
-Cloves
-Cinnamon
-Cardamom
-Cumin (zeera)
-Black Pepper
There are also multiple variations of Chahar Masala/Char Masala, there is Peshawari, Kabuli, Panjshiri, Mazari and Herati Chahar Masala. For Kabuli Pulao, Kabuli Chahar Masala is the best, here are what make it unique: Badyaan (Star Aniseed), More Cardamom, More Cumin and Also Bay Leaves are added. Here’s the best and most authentic Kabuli Chahar Masala Recipe:
-5% Badyaan
-15% Cinnamon
-15% Cloves
– 20% Black Pepper
-25% Zeera
-25% Cardamom
Also, we don’t use Badam (Almond) very often in Kabuli Pulao, and you shoul fry the almonds first, then add them to the dish.
And if you want to make it more authentic, you should boil the rice in meat broth, and use yellow carrots, as that is what is traditionally used in Northern Afghanistan for Kabuli Pulao. Let me know if you want more tips (i know a lot more)🥰
Khodaa Haafez
Myra says
I made this recipe for a birthday celebration with an Afghan family. Everyone seemed to enjoy it. It is on the sweet side, but I loved it and so did everyone else. I did use chicken as the lamb at the halal market was just too expensive, but the chicken turned out nice too.
The Foreign Fork says
I’m so glad you liked it Myra! Yes it is definitely a sweet rice dish 🙂 I will have to try it with chicken one day! Thanks for leaving a review 🙂
Kanyi says
Nice job rephotographing the images. My mouth is watering right now 😆
The Foreign Fork says
Thank you!! Glad you like them! <3
D.U. says
Yes. It’s delicious. I make the Buharian version. This is almost identical to Uzbekistan’s plov. The Uzbek dish has no raisins nor cinnamon. And it cooks much faster. I think mine is cooks in about 2 hours. And the meat, onions, and spices go on the bottom, then carrots, and then rice on top. After 20 minutes, the rice is flipped over, spoon full by spoonful, and you check the water level with the wooden spoon. The longest labor is cutting matchstick carrots by hand. However, real Uzbeks use a mandolin slicer these days and large Asian carrots. Instead of paper towels, they use a tea towel to trap in moisture, but you have to wrap it upwards or it would catch fire.
Alexandria Drzazgowski says
Oh this sounds interesting! I would definitely like if this one cooked a little bit faster too; The hardest part about making this recipe is just waiting for it to be done already! Haha. I’m lucky because in my grocery store they sell matchstick carrots pre-cut… But a mandolin slicer is a great work-around as well.