Qabili Murg Palau (Rice dish with chicken)

Qabili Murg Palau is a made by cooking basmati or long grained rice in a brothy sauce (which makes the rice brown). This dish is made with chicken. Qabili palau is baked in the oven and topped with fried sliced carrots and raisins. The chicken is covered by the rice or buried in the middle of the dish.

Ingredients

• 4-5 cups of long grain rice / basmati rice (preferably afghani and needs to be soaked in water for at least 4-6 hours)
• chicken- half kg (or preferred amount)
• 5-6 large carrots
• 2 spoons of sugar
• Kishmish
• Oil
• Salt
• Garam masla

Directions

1. Peel and slice large carrots and cut the carrots into matchstick size pieces (khilal). 
2. Wash the seedless raisins.
3. Fry the carrots in a pan with half cup of oil and 2-3 spoons of sugar. 
4. Cover the lid for 3-4 minutes, now remove the lid and let it cook for a few minutes. 
5. When the carrot is tender, add the raisins and let it cook again until the raisins swell up. 
6. Make sure you do not break the matchstick sized carrot pieces when you are stirring, so stir gently. And don’t fry it too long, you do not want burned carrots. 
7. Remove the raisins and carrots from the oil. And fry 2 spoon sugar in remaining oil over a medium heat until it melt, and turns a dark golden brown. 
8. Remove the pan from the heat and carefully add water (1 cup or half cup) and then bring the water back to boil.
9. Brown 2 medium diced onion in oil. Fry until fairly dark, add meat and brown lightly. 
10. Add 2 cups of water, salt and garam masala (cumin, black pepper, black cardamom, cloves, and sometimes green cardamom- grind these).
11. Cover and simmer until meat is tender, about an hour.
12. Meat from the juice and set juice aside. 6 hours later, bring enough water to a boil in a big pot, add rice and salt. 
13. The water should come about 4 inches above the rice. 
14. Now add 2 cardamoms, this is to give the rice a nice smell. 
15. Do not let the rice boil too long, it should be tender but not mushy. 
16. As soon as it is tender, drain the rice in a large sieve.
17. Return the rice back to the pot, add sugar syrup made earlier and mix gently. 
18. Also add the meat juice and mix gently. 
19. Bury the meat in rice or put it to one side, also put the carrots to one side. 
20. Foil the pot, and put the lid on or you could use one of those lid "covers".
21. Finally, place the pot either in oven or over a low heat for 30 - 40 minutes.

When serving, put rice in a large platter and sprinkle carrots over the top.