Qabili Pilau

Total Time: 2 hrs 5 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 45 mins

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 lb basmati rice
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 lbs lamb or 1 chicken
• 1 cup water
• 2 large carrots
• 1 cup seedless raisin
• 2 teaspoons char masala or 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon saffron (optional)
• 2 1/2 pints water
• salt and pepper
• 1 -1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 -1 1/2 teaspoon cardamom

Recipe

• 1 brown 1 medium diced onion in oil. fry until the onion is fairly dark. add 1 lb lamb cut into 1"-2" cubes and brown lightly.
• 2 add 2 cups of water, 1 teaspoons salt and 1 to 1 ½ tsp each (cinnamon, ground cumin and ground cardamom) cover and simmer until meat is tender, about an hour.
• 3 remove meat from the juice and set juice aside. cut 3 carrots into match stick size pieces. sauté carrots and 1 tsp sugar in about 1/4 cup of oil. cook until they are lightly browned. remove from oil add 1 cup of raisins (i prefer golden sultanas) to the oil and cook until they swell up.
• 4 boil the meat juice and add 2 cups basmati (very long grained) rice, 1 ½ tsp salt and enough boiling water to come 2 inches over the rice. cook until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender, but not mushy.
• 5 mix the meat, carrots, raisins and rice together. place in a large oven-proof casserole, cover and bake at 300 degrees for about a half hour--or up to an hour. to serve--place on platter, making sure the carrots and raisins show on top.