Vegetarian Kabuli Pulao (Afghan Rice)

Kabuli Pulao is Afghanistan’s ultimate celebration dish. The spice-infused, richly fragrant rice is traditionally made with lamb and reserved for special occasions. This vegetarian and vegan-friendly version of Kabuli Pulao is so good, it’s a cause for celebration all on its own! Make it on the stove or in the Instant Pot.

History & Origins

I learned about Kabuli Pulao while reading Parwana, a cookbook of Afghan recipes. Also known as Qabili Palaw, it’s “Afghanistan’s national dish.” You can find it on the menu of just about any Afghan restaurant.

Originally, the recipe was named for Afghanistan’s capital city of Kabul. It used to be that only wealthy families could afford this dish. High quality carrots, raisins, and nuts made this an expensive luxury in earlier times, not to mention how time-consuming it is to julienne carrots and sliver nuts by hand. But as Kabuli pulao became accessible to more people, it took on a new name: Qabili, from the Dari Persian word for “well accomplished.” Indeed, the skill of an Afghan cook is assessed on the quality of their Qabili palaw.

Luckily, this vegan version is less time-consuming, and it comes together mostly in one pot!

Types of Afghan Rice

Like many Asian countries, Afghanistan loves its rice. Afghan rice dishes can be steamed on the stove or baked in the oven. There are three main types of rice dishes in Afghan cuisine:

• Challaw (aka chalow): White basmati rice, prepared quite simply with oil and minimal spices, usually served as a side.
• Pulao (aka pilau or palaw): An elaborate and complex dish, also made with basmati, but packed with more ingredients. Often the centerpiece of a big meal. Kabuli pilau is the most well-known, to the point where it’s simply called “Afghan rice” on some menus.
• Sholah (aka shola): A creamy, sticky rice made with short- or medium-grain rice, with a consistency closer to risotto.

Palaw’s Central Asian Cousins

The first time I tried Kabuli Palaw, I was struck by how similar it tasted to a dish I remembered from my childhood: Polo. Polo is one of the Uyghur recipes my mom learned in Xinjiang. She only made it a couple of times while I was growing up, but I remember it well because it was one of the few meals we got to eat with our hands.

It turns out, this similarity is not surprising because palaw and polo have the same Central Asian origins. In fact, neighbouring countries such as Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan have similar dishes too. They all use rice and lamb as the primary ingredients, along with carrots, onion, cumin, and raisins.

• To make Uzbek Plov first requires cooking of a zirvak, a rich stew of vegetables and meat, which is layered underneath the rice. Often contains red chili peppers and whole heads of garlic.
• Turkmen Palow uses less spices, giving it a simpler flavour. The carrots are cooked together with the rice instead of as a separate topping, making it a one-pot recipe. Like the Uzbek version, it may be served with whole garlic.
• Tajik Oshi Palav (палав) includes chickpeas in addition to the other usual ingredients.
• Uyghur Polo is from Xinjiang but is also popular in the rest of China. It’s known in Mandarin as Shouzhuafan (手抓饭), meaning “hand grab rice.” That’s the way it was consumed historically, though nowadays many Uyghurs eat it with a spoon. Because of how common it’s become throughout China, you may see versions of this recipe containing ginger, soy sauce, and even Sichuan pepper, though none of these are found in traditional polo. Instead of basmati, the Uyghur version uses short-grain or medium-grain rice.
• Pakistan’s northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is majority Pashtun, sharing the same culture and cuisine of their Afghan neighbours, so you’ll often see this dish in those parts of the country as well.
• A rather different version of this recipe has even made it to Saudi Arabia, where it is known as Bukhari Rice (رز بخاري or Ruz al Bukhari). It is more commonly made with chicken and has the addition of tomato sauce.

What You’ll Need

A few important notes on some of the ingredients used in this Vegan Kabuli Palaw recipe:

Oil: Okay, let’s face it, this recipe uses a lot of oil. It’s important for the dish’s distinctive rich flavour! If you are really health conscious though, you can reduce the oil by half for a lighter dish.

Onion: Important to use yellow onion or white onion here. Red onion has too strong of a taste and the flavour clashes with the rest of the spiced rice.

Basmati Rice: The traditional rice for Kabuli palaw is basmati rice. If you don’t have it, use another long-grain white rice.

Cumin: Double the cumin for a more heavily-spiced rice.

Cardamom: I use black cardamom in the rice and green cardamom in the topping. If you don’t have ground black cardamom, you can use green cardamom instead for both rice and topping.

Vegan “Lamb” Chunks: For a more authentic taste, I added a handful of vegan lamb chunks from my local vegetarian specialty store. But feel free to leave it out or use a meaty alternative like Beyond Steak or Chick’n Chunks.

Carrot: Carrots are julienned into matchsticks, then fried in oil for the rice topping. They become very sweet and slightly crispy. Even my boyfriend, who normally hates carrots, is happy to eat them when I make this palaw.

Sultanas or Raisins: Adds a juicy burst of sweet and tart flavour. It’s not uncommon to find raisins in rice throughout the Middle East and Asia. Trust me, it’s delicious!

Almonds and Pistachios: Almonds and pistachios are used in the topping for kabuli palaw. They’re slivered (peeled and sliced into thin strips). You can buy slivered almonds and slivered pistachios which are pretty convenient. But since you only need a little bit of each, it’s not too much work to peel and chop them up yourself. Here’s a video tutorial on how to make slivered almonds and pistachios.

For a full list of ingredients and quantities, refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

The Kafgeer

To make palaw, most Afghan households use a special tool called a kafgeer. It’s a large, shallow spoon that can be used to stir the rice while cooking and to serve it when done.

Unfortunately I don’t have a kafgeer at home. I use my old wooden spoon and a rice paddle, which work just fine!

Step-by-Step Process

Instructions below are for stovetop. For Instant Pot instructions, scroll down to the recipe card.

Start by making the pulao rice:

Next, prepare the toppings:

Make Ahead & Storage Tips

Fridge: Store kabuli pulao in the fridge in an airtight container for up to five days.

Freezer: Kabuli pulao freezes well. I portion it into individual-serving ziploc bags and lay them flat in the freezer. Super space efficient! When you want to eat, just take out a bag and thaw it in the fridge overnight. Or plop it out onto a microwave and hit the defrost button.

Reheat: Microwave until heated through.

More Flavourful Rice Recipes

• Vegetarian Ghormeh Sabzi
• Greek Lemon Rice Soup
• Wild Rice Blend
• Kimchi Fried Rice