Vegetarian Kabuli Pulao (Afghan Rice)

Vegetarian Kabuli Palaw piled up on a large grey plate.

Vegetarian Kabuli Pulao (Afghan Rice)

5 from 4 votes

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Afghan

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 1

Total Time: 1 15

Servings: 4 very large servings or 6 smaller servings

Calories: 785kcal

Author: Kelly

Kabuli Pulao is the Afghan celebration dish. This is a vegan and vegetarian version of Afghanistan’s spice-infused, complex, and richly fragrant rice pilaf. Stovetop and Instant Pot instructions included.

Print Recipe

US Imperial (Cups) - Metric (Grams)

Equipment

Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed stock pot (for making the pulao rice; a 4-quart pot is the perfect size for 1 batch of this recipe)
Small skillet (for making the toppings; I use a Lodge 6.5-inch cast iron pan)
Wooden spatula

Ingredients

Pulao

¼ cup oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 cups dry basmati rice
2 tsp fine sea salt or 3 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp ground cumin (see Note 1)
1 tsp ground black cardamom (see Note 2)
3 to 4 cups water (use 3 cups (720g) for Instant Pot, or 4 cups (960g) for stovetop method)
2 cups vegan "lamb" or "beef" chunks (*optional; see Note 3)

Toppings

3 tbsp oil
1 carrot
½ cup sultanas or raisins
1 tbsp slivered almonds
1 tbsp slivered pistachios
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp ground green cardamom

Instructions

For the Pulao Rice

Rinse and drain the basmati rice.
Heat 1/4 cup of oil in a large Dutch oven or stockpot on medium-high heat. Add diced onions and sauté, stirring occasionally. (Instant Pot: Use the Sauté setting and set it to More mode. Once the display reads HOT, add 1/4 cup oil followed by the diced onions.)
When the onion turns translucent (5–10 minutes), add rice, 2 tsp salt, 2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp cardamom, and 4 cups water, in that order. (Instant Pot: Use just 3 cups of water and also add vegan lamb at this stage, if using.)
Cover the pot and let it come to a boil. (Instant Pot: Use the Pressure Cook setting on High Pressure for 3 minutes.)
Once boiling, give everything a stir to ensure no rice grains have stuck to the bottom. Add the vegan lamb to the center of the pot. Cover again, turn the heat down to low, and continue to cook for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, remove from heat and set aside, covered, for another 10 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the toppings by following the steps below. (Instant Pot: Once the Instant Pot turns off, allow the pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes.)

For the Toppings

Julienne the carrots into fine matchsticks and slice the almonds and pistachios into slivers.
In a small saucepan on medium-high heat, fry the carrots, sultanas, almonds, and pistachios in 3 tbsp of oil until most of the oil is absorbed (3–5 minutes).
Mix in the sugar and cardamom, then pour the mixture (including excess oil) evenly over the rice.

Notes

Cumin: You can adjust the amount to your liking. If you’re looking for something a bit lighter tasting, use as little as 1/2 tsp cumin. For a more heavily-spiced rice, use up to 1 tbsp.
Black Cardamom: 1 tsp of ground black cardamom is about 3 whole black cardamom pods. You can also substitute with ground green cardamom.
Vegan Lamb: You might be able to find this at your local vegetarian specialty store. But feel free to leave it out entirely or use a meaty alternative like Beyond Steak or Chick’n Chunks.

Nutrition