The Art of Afghan Rice

Rice is a staple of Afghan cuisine. Intricately flavoured, beautifully garnished and usually copiously piled onto large serving platters, rice is rarely eaten alone, but forms the centrepiece of most Afghan meal spreads. Because of the level of detail and care taken in making most Afghan rice dishes, how well rice can be made is usually interpreted as a measure of the cook’s overall talent and grasp of the cuisine. The type of rice prepared would traditionally depend on a person’s prosperity or on the significance of the occasion – with the more time-consuming and expensive rice dishes, such as kabuli palaw, considered a luxury reserved for special guests and events.