AFGHANISTAN'S NATIONAL DISH - KABULI PALAU

A delicious plate of Qabili Palau

By Humaira

An Afghan woman's marriage prospects hinges on her ability to make Palau. So, you can imagine how much thought and effort goes into perfecting the Afghan rice dish. To this day my children and husband tell me that my Palau is not as good as my mom's. Thank goodness Jim didn't test my Palau making skills before he proposed to me over 17 years ago.

Jeja, my mom, makes the best Kabuli Palau in our family.  My cousins request this dish when they visit her. Kabuli Palau was created by the upper class families of Kabul who could afford to include caramalized carrots, plump raisins and coveted nuts in their rice.

Over time as people in Afghanistan became wealthier this dish became more common. So, the name was changed from Kabuli Palau to Qabili Palau. The Dari word Qabil - means well accomplished, indicating that only a skilled chef can truely balance the various flavors of this dish. 

The most important part of making Qabili Palaus is to keep the rice from breaking while it develops a deep rich brown color in the multi step cooking process. Most people think we use brown rice, let me tell you folks, I had not seen brown rice until I was well into my 20's when I started cooking for myself. The white, long grain rice takes on a rich brown color from the caramalized onions and chicken sauce.

Using unprocessed, long grain white rice is key in having success with this dish.  I buy rice from the Afghan grocery market which passes muster with Jeja.  I soak the rice in water for at least an hour to plump up the grains but most store bought Basmati rice can't handle the soaking and the two step cooking technique. That is why I left out the soaking in my recipe.

This dish takes me around 1:45 minutes from start to finish. I have integrated short cuts to help save time. I know Jeja would frown upon some of my techniques but I have made sure that the Palau retains the rich flavors of the original recipe.

I hope you too can make the best Kabuli/Qabili Palau from this this updated recipe.

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Uncooked raisins, carrots & almonds 

Kabuli/Qabili Palau - Afghanistan’s National Dish

4 cups basmati rice

5 skinless chicken legs

5 skinless chicken thighs

3 medium  yellow onions, peeled and quartered

½ c plus 2 tbsp.  olive oil or vegetable oil, divided

5 tsp. salt

1 cup chicken broth

3 large carrots, peeled

1 cup black raisins

½ cup slivered almonds

3 tbsp. sugar

¾ cup water

2 tsp. ground cumin

1 ½ tsp. ground cardamom

½ tsp. ground black pepper

12 cups water

2 tbsp. browning sauce such at Kitchen Bouquet (optional)*

Instructions:  

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

Immerse rice in a bowl of water and drain in a colander.  Repeat this step 3 times. 

Wash and dry the chicken.  Set aside.

Chop the onions in a food processor using the pulse button.  Don't puree the onions.  You can do this by hand if you prefer. 

Choose a sauté pan that is at least a couple inches deep and large enough to fit all the chicken.  Pour ½ cup of the oil in the pan and sauté the onions over high heat, stirring quickly, until brown (5-10 minutes). Don't burn them. 

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The onions take on a deep rich brown color

Add the chicken to the pan and sprinkle with 3 tsp. of the salt.  Cook the chicken over medium-high heat for 6 minutes, turning from time to time so all sides turn golden brown.  The onion will start to caramelize and turn into a thick sauce. 

Add 1/4 cup of the chicken broth, and continue stirring to keep the chicken from burning.  Once the liquid has been absorbed, add another 1/4 cup of chicken broth, bring it to a boil, cover with a lid or aluminum foil, and simmer for 10 minutes.  The sauce should turn a dark brown.  If your sauce does not take on a dark color you can add the Kitchen Bouquet to give it color.

While the chicken is cooking, cut the carrots into long think matchsticks, about 4 inches long and 1/8-inch thick.  Make sure that they are not too thin.  In a large frying pan add ¾ cups of water and bring to a boil, add the carrots and cook until tender and a deep orange hue, 5 to 7 minutes. 

Keep a close eye on this to make sure you do not overcook them.   Once the carrots are done, drain any leftover liquid out of the pan.   Add the remaining 2 tbsp of oil, raisins, almonds and sugar to the carrots.   Stir quickly over medium-high heat and keep stirring for about 3 minutes.  The raisins will look plump; the carrots will take on a nice sweet flavor.  Remove from heat and package the carrots into a sealed aluminum foil pouch about the size of a small paperback novel. 

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Cooked carrot, raisins and almond in a pouch

Remove the chicken pieces from the broth and set aside.  Stir the cumin, cardamom and black pepper into the broth.  Continue to cook on low for 5 minutes to allow it to thicken.  

Meanwhile, measure 12 cups of water and the remaining 2 tsp. of salt into a large Dutch oven or pot (see our Palau post for photos) with a fitted lid.  Bring it to a boil.  Add the rice to the water and boil until it is al dente (nearly cooked, though still slightly crunchy).  This will take just a few minutes depending on the rice you use. You will have to taste it to check for doneness.  Do not overcook it. 

Immediately strain the rice through a colander.  Put the rice back into the cooking pot and add the sauce from the chicken.  Mix well.  Arrange the chicken pieces on top of the rice.  Set the aluminum package of carrots on top of the rice.  This will keep the carrots warm and deepen the flavors without mixing with the rice yet.

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Qabili Palau pot ready to go into the oven

Bake the rice for 15 minutes in 500 degrees then drop the temperature down to 250 degrees.  Cook for another 20 minutes. 

Arrange the chicken pieces on a large platter, cover with the rice.  Sprinkle the carrots, raisins, and almonds on the rice.  Serve with a simple salata.

 Serves 6-8

Except where otherwise noted, all content on this blog is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported license.

A PEEK IN THE AFGHAN PANTRY

By Humaira

People always ask me if  ingredients for Afghan recipes are hard to find. The answer to this is always a resounding “no”. While there are a small handful of unusual ingredients in Afghan cooking, the great majority of what’s needed can be found in your neighborhood supermarket such as Safeway, Ralph’s, or Whole Foods. Living in the San Francisco Bay Area has many advantages (house prices are not one of them) including accessibility to ethnic grocery stores. However, you can access a large selection of more exotic ingredients online at www.sadaf.com.I have not used this site since I purchase Sadaf brands in my local ethnic market, but I have friends who rely on it for specialty ingredients.

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Here is a peek into our pantry with a breakdown of the ingredients most commonly used in Afghan cooking. We hope this will make it fun and easy for you to try our Afghan recipes.

• Herbs and Spices

In Afghanistan spices are typically bought in bulk and ground as needed.But as busy moms and home cooks, we buy most spices already ground and packaged.Below is the list of the most commonly used herbs and spices:

Coriander

Cardamom

Paprika

Cumin

Cinnamon

Turmeric

Black pepper

Sea Salt

Ginger, fresh and dried

Dill

Dried garlic

Fresh cilantro

Mint, fresh and dried

Chilies, fresh and dried

Nigella seeds (tiny black, slightly bitter seeds; available in specialty markets/mail order businesses)

Sesame seeds

Fenugreek

Beans and Peas

Legumes are used as an extender for kebabs and other meat dishes since they are far less expensive than meat. You will find them fried and salted as a snack or coated with sugar to have with tea.

Chick peas

Kidney Beans

Mung Beans

Split Peas

Lentils

The Onion Family

Practically every savory Afghan dish is made with onions in some form. Most common is something called piaz e surkh kada, which is finely minced onion cooked in plenty of oil until deeply browned, lending a rich and mellow flavor to meats and vegetables. Afghans also use the “juice” of the onion, squeezing out the liquid and distributing it in ground meat for kebabs.

Yellow onions

Red onions

Gandana (similar in appearance to leeks; available in specialty markets.Leeks and/or green onions can be substituted)

Leeks

Scallions

Rice

Afghans are very particular about their rice; it is the centerpiece of nearly every meal. Using the right rice and cooking it properly are considered essentials for a good Afghan cook. We recommend the least processed Basmati rice you are able to find.

Long grain rice

Short grain rice

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AFGHAN QORMA e KHAWAR – NOT YOU’RE MOTHER’S CAPER RECIPE

By Humaira

You are never too old or too knowledgeable to learn something news. Recently, I learned about an Afghan dish called Qorma e khawar. Qorma is the common name for all Afghan meat or vegetable dishes that are slow cooked in a sauce. However, I had never heard of khawar. I called my mom, Jeja, my Afghan food encyclopedia.

This is how our conversation went in Farsi.

“What is khawar?”

“The tiny green things.” Jeja responds.

“Oh, you mean mawsh (mung beans)?”

“No, the other thing. 

It ‘s small, green, and soft. I don’t know what its called in English.”

“Do you mean karam (Brussels sprout)?”

“No.”

I spent sleepless nights, as this mystery loomed unsolved.  Finally, I got a call from Jeja that she found a jar of khawar in Trader Joe’s, which turned out to be capers. I always associated capers with smoked salmon, that is where my knowledge of capers ended. I had no idea that capers are native to

Afghanistan and that they are used in Qorma. Fresh capers are bitter but once they are dried and pickled, the bitterness dissipates. It turns out that my aunt makes the best Qorma e khawar. She lives in Orange County so I got a rudimentary recipe from her and then went to work on creating this dish. After a few tests and tweaks I settled on the best combination of ingredients and techniques. If you love capers, try this recipe.

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Afghan Qorma e Khawar

Creamy Chicken, Caper and Yogurt Stew

3 ½ cups jarred capers (four jars of Trader Joe’s capers)

3 tbsp. olive oil

2 large yellow onions diced

1 tbsp. chopped garlic

1 1/2 lbs. skinless boneless chicken breast cut in thin strips

½ cup chicken broth

½ tbsp. ground coriander

½ tbsp. ground turmeric

½ tsp. ground black pepper

1-cup full fat Greek yogurt at room temprature

Rinse capers in fresh water and soak for an hour in warm water to remove the vinegar and salt taste. Heat olive oil in a sauté’ pan on medium-high heat.  Add diced onions to the oil, sauté on high or 10 minutes until they are lightly brown.  Add garlic, chicken strips, coriander, turmeric, and pepper to the pan.  Stir well, cook for five minutes until the chicken is slightly brown.  Add the chicken broth, stir well, cover pan with a lid, and simmer for fifteen minutes until the sauce thickens. Add 2 tbsp. of the chicken sauce to the yogurt; stir until creamy smooth.  The warm sauce will neutralize the yogurt so it won’t curdle when it is added to the pot.  Add strained capers and yogurt to the sauté pan; stir well so the yogurt is distributed evenly. 

Simmer for five minutes without the lid until the sauce is fully heated. Even after rinsing and soaking, the capers retain much of it’s salt. I felt the dish was seasoned perfectly without additional salt.  You may add some salt to your taste.

Serves 4-6

Serve with challaw rice and a freshly made Afghan salata.

Except where otherwise noted, all content on this blog is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported license.