Afghani pilau/pilaf

Ingredients

• 1 kilo of basmati rice
• ½ kilo of mutton chops
• 3 tsp of ginger garlic paste
• ¾ cup of oil
• 1 tsp of whole mixed spices
• 3 onions finely chopped
• ½ cup of yogurt
• Salt to taste
• 2 tsp of almond sliced
• 2 tsp of walnuts (can use pistachios too)
• 2-3 dried bay leaves
• Browned onions (deep fried and crispy) ½ cup
• Raisin 5 tsp (soaked in water for ½ an hour)

Method

Step 1

In a pot take around 5 cups of boiling water, put meat, 1 tsp of ginger garlic paste whole spices, bay leaves, and pinch of salt, and let it cook till the meat is tender. Now remove the cooked meat and stock away from the flame, strain meat from stock remove all the spices just clear stock is to be used.

Step 2

Heat another pot, add oil and onions, cook onions till light golden then add remaining ginger garlic paste, stir it and add yogurt. Now put the cooked meat and fry add in the stock, till it starts to bubble. In the stock mixture put in the soaked rice (the rice is washed in cold water, until the water turns clear and then rice is allowed to remain soaked in water for 20 to 30 minutes. Rice is drained before putting it in the stock). The ratio of stock and rice should be 1 and ½ parts of stock and 1 part of rice. Now let it cook on a low to medium flame, when its andante put a tawa (metal disc) under the pot and cover the mouth of the pot with cotton cloth and put the lid. It should be on a very low flame for 10-15 minutes. All the rice grains should be separate and not gooey or mushy.

Step 3

Remove from heat take it on the serving dish and garnish it brown onions, dry fruits. Serve hot.

Tips for Rice

The quality of rice varies, some present better and cook better if soaked, these are the best quality rice, they are Basmati rice, some rice have thick grainy feel no matter how much you soak they look short and stubby, broken rice is used for Asian rice puddings, sticky rice is used in Chinese cooking.