Best Omani Chicken Kabuli Rice Recipes

AFGHANI KABLI PULAO

Steps:

• Soak the rice in cool water for 5 minutes. Rinse until water runs clear.
• Place 4 cardamom pods on a cutting board and lightly crush using the flat side of a knife; transfer to a pressure cooker. Add halved onion, garlic head, 4 cloves, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon cumin seed, salt, sugar, cinnamon stick, paprika, and coriander seeds. Pour in water to cover.
• Seal pressure cooker lid and turn heat to high. Cook until pressure cooker whistles once, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Wait for 2 more whistles, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and allow pressure to release naturally, about 10 minutes.
• Strain broth into a bowl. Clean out the pressure cooker and heat it over medium heat. Add oil and chopped onion; cook and stir until softened and browned, about 7 to 10 minutes. Add carrots; cook until soft, about 3 minutes more. Add raisins, almonds, and strained rice. Add remaining 1 teaspoon black pepper, remaining 1 teaspoon cumin seed, and remaining clove.
• Crush remaining cardamom seed to a powder and add to the pressure cooker. Mix to combine; pour in enough broth to cover the rice.
• Increase heat to high and seal the pressure cooker. Cook until the first whistle, 5 to 7 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Cook for 5 minutes and remove from heat. Let rest for 7 minutes; release the pressure naturally, about 10 minutes. Transfer cooked rice to a serving dish immediately to prevent overcooking.

OMANI CHICKEN KABULI RICE

Steps:

• Wash white basmati rice and soak 10 to more minutes depending on quality of rice.
• Wash whole chicken legs keeping the skin on. Add to pot.
• Cover chicken pieces with water and bring to the boil skimming off the scum.
• Add whole spices including loomi as well as sea salt and boil for a further 40 minutes.
• Drain the chicken pieces keeping the chicken stock and shallow fry in a bit of light tasting extra virgin olive oil until golden brown.
• Fry sliced onion in the same oil until golden brown then remove half of them and keep aside for garnishing.
• To the remaining onions in the pan, add tomato paste and baharat spice mix then add 6 cups of the chicken stock after straining. To that add the drained rice.
• Bring to a boil and reduce heat and cover for 10-20 minutes depending on amount, quality and quantity. (If it's a cheaper rice it will become softer faster so do 10 minutes and take off the heat 1 minute then check if done).
• Drain raisins then add to a pan with a bit of oil and fry along with the almonds until toasted. Then add garnish onions & loomi powder.
• Put the rice on a plate and arrange chicken pieces on top, garnish with raisins, almonds and onion mixture and a few cilantro leaves if wished.
• I serve it with a raita (yogurt salad) or daqoos (Gulf Arabian tomato sauce).
• Enjoy!

CHICKEN KABULI (MURGH KABULI)

Steps:

• Buzz the garlic, ginger, tomatoes and yogurt in a food processor until they are a fine purée.
• Combine the oil and the puréed mixture in a large heavy-bottomed pan, preferably one with a non-stick surface. Place the pan over medium-high heat, and cook -- stirring constantly to prevent sticking and burning -- until the mixture reduces to a thick sauce and the fat begins to separate (about 15 minutes). It splatters some toward the end, so stay alert.
• Add the chicken pieces and cook, stirring rapidly, until they lose their pink colour and begin to sear slightly (about 5 minutes), but do not let them brown.
• Add the mace, nutmeg, almonds, cardamon, cumin, coriander, fennel and salt, and mix well.
• Reduce heat, cover the pan and let the chicken cook in its own juices for 15 minutes.
• Uncover and continue cooking for another 15 minutes (or until the chicken is fork tender).
• Stir in the cream, black pepper and cilantro/coriander leaves, and turn off heat.
• Let the dish rest, covered, for at least 1 hour. When ready to serve, reheat thoroughly, check for salt and serve.

CHICKEN KABULI PULAO (AFGHANISTAN)

Steps:

• Place chicken pieces, onions and hot water in a large pot.
• Cover and simmer for about 1 hour.
• Add salt to taste.
• Remove chicken, reserving stock & discard cooked onions.
• Preheat oven to 325°F.
• Heat 2 tbs of the butter over medium high heat and fry chicken pieces containing bones, salting as needed.
• Boil a large amount of water with sea salt and cook the rice in it for exactly 8 minutes. Set aside in a pot until ready to assemble.
• Make stock sauce:
• Brown onions in butter and remove from heat.
• Add cardamom cumin, freshly ground black pepper & saffron liquid and mash with onion to form a paste.
• Add about 1/2 pt of the chicken stock; simmer for 5 minutes and taste for seasoning.
• Combine cooked rice, stock sauce as needed (I don't find it became a sauce so I added the onion paste with some broth as needed to finish cooking the rice) and chicken; place in a buttered casserole. Cover.
• Fry carrot matchsticks in 1/2 tbs butter and add dark raisins to them at the very end.
• Sprinkle partially cooked carrot matchsticks and raisins on top of chicken and rice and cover tightly with aluminum foil or cover.
• Place in oven for 35 minutes.
• Chopped toasted pistachios or slivered almonds may be added over the dish just before serving if so wished.
• There most probably will be left over stock that is very good even as a soup on it's own and probably served that way in an Afghani household.
• Enjoy!