Description
The national dish of Afghanistan!
Ingredients
Scale
For the rice:
- 2 cups extra-long grain basmati rice
- 1 tsp cumin
For the sugar sauce:
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup cooking oil or sesame oil
- ¼ cup water
For the carrot and raisin mixture:
- 3 medium carrots, cut into matchsticks or shredded
- 1 to 2 tsp cooking oil
- ½ tsp granulated sugar
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 tsp crushed or freshly grated green cardamom pods
Instructions
- Rinse rice thoroughly until water runs clear. Soak it in warm water for 2 hours
- Fill a large, heavy pot with water and bring to a boil. Add salt to taste. Cook rice according to package instructions.
- Cover with a heavy lid and cook on low boil for 5 to 10 minutes. Then remove lid and low boil until rice is fully cooked (but not too soft) for 15 minutes.
- When rice starts to soften, drain in a colander. Return to pot to keep warm.
- Prepare the caramel sauce by adding 1 tablespoon granulated sugar and 1/3 cup of cooking oil to a pan to brown. When sugar begins to brown, add ¼ cup of water. Stir and set aside.
- Cook matchstick carrots in in 1 teaspoon oil and ½ tsp sugar until they start to soften. Set aside.
- Fry the raisins just to soften in the same pan, adding more oil if needed.
- Wrap the carrots and raisins together in a foil packet.
- Using a spatula or spoon, make about 15-20 holes in the cooked rice, from the top all the way to the bottom of the pan.
- Pour the oil and sugar mixture over the rice.
- Sprinkle 1 tsp cumin over the rice.
- Place the foil packet of carrots and raisins on top of the rice. Cover with heavy lid. Cook on low heat for 15 minutes
- Remove the lid. Unwrap the carrots and raisins and add 1 teaspoon crushed or freshly grated green cardamom pods to the carrots and raisins and reserve some of this mixture for garnishing. Then mix the rest through the rice with a large spoon.
- Garnish with reserved carrot and raisin mixture and serve.