Recipe

How about this detailed recipe from Yusuff, 3D.  A delightful Afghan dish that looks very tasty indeed.  Thank you so much for your effort.

Norinj Palau

This is a traditional Afghan dish and it has a lovely delicate flavour. This Palau is prepared with the peel of bitter (or Seville) oranges. It is quite a sweet dish.

Serves: 4

Prep time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 2 hours

Ingredients:

450 g long grain rice, preferably basmati             75 ml vegetable oil

2 medium chopped onions                                 570 ml water, plus 110 ml water  

The peel of 1 large orange                                 50 g sugar

50 g blanched and flaked almonds                     560 g blanched and flaked pistachios

salt and pepper                                                  25 ml rosewater (optional)

½ tsp of saffron or yellow food colouring  (optional)

1 tsp ground green or white cardamom seeds

1 medium chicken or 700-900 g Lamb off the bone, cut into pieces

Method:

*Measure out the rice and rinse several times until the water remains clear. Add fresh water and leave the rice to soak for at least half an hour.

*Heat the oil and add in the chopped onion. Stir and fry them over a medium to high heat until golden brown and soft.

*Add the meat and fry until brown, turning frequently.

*Add 570 ml water, salt and pepper and cook gently until the meat is tender.

*While the meat is cooking, wash and cut the zest of a large orange into matchstick sized pieces, removing as much pith as possible.

*To remove any bitter taste, put the orange strips into a strainer and dip first in boiling water then in cold. Repeat this several times.

*Make syrup by brining to the boil 110 ml of water and 50 g of sugar. Add the orange peel, flaked almonds and pistachios to the boiling syrup. Boil for 5 minutes, skimming off the thick froth when necessary. Strain and set aside. Add the saffron and rosewater and boil again for another 3 minutes.

*To cook the rice, strain the chicken stock (setting the meat to one side) and add the syrup. Make the syrup and stock up to 570 ml by adding the extra water. The oil on the surface of the stock should be included in the cooking of the rice. Bring the liquid to the boil in a large casserole dish. Drain the rice and add it to the boiling liquid. Add salt, nuts and peel, reserving 1/3 for garnishing. Bring back to the boil, cover with a tightly fitting lid, turn down the heat to medium and boil for about 10 minutes until the rice is tender and all of the water is absorbed.

*Add the meat and the remaining peel and nuts on top of the rice and cover with a tightly fitting lid. Put into a pre-heated oven 150 c (300 f, gas mark 2) for 20 to 30 minutes or cook over a very low heat.

*When serving place the meat in the centre of a large dish, mound the rice over the top and then garnish with the remaining peel and nuts.