Afghan Chicken Pulao with Vegetable Samosas

Welcome to my attempt to try a food from every country! This is my series “Around the World in 196 Plates” I am stepping out of my comfort zone a little and trying things I haven’t before for 2019, and encourage you to try these as well! I will cover every dish and give my honest thoughts as to if I would prepare or eat it again, I never want to steer you wrong! We are starting with Afghanistan, making a Chicken Pulao and Semi Homemade Vegetable Samosas.

Afghanistan

I honestly did not know too much about this country, other than what we hear in the news. There are roughly 35.53 million people living in this country that gained its independence from Great Britain on August 19, 1919. Afghanistan is a landlocked Asian country surrounded by Iran, Pakistan, India, Tajikstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan, and agriculture is their main source of income.

There were a number of dishes I could make from here, but I decided on the National dish, Chicken Pulao. Full of spices and flavor this is one dish I will be making again. I made semi-homemade vegetable samosas with this, and they were equally flavorful. Here is my simple Pulao recipe!

Ingredients

• 3-4 chicken legs (I used chicken leg quarters)

• 3-4 chicken thighs

• 1 ½ cups onions, diced

• 1/3 cup olive oil

• ¾ cup reduced sodium chicken broth

• 1 ½ tsp cumin

• 1 ½ tsp cardamom

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tsp Baharat blend spice

• 2 cups Basmati rice

Directions

Preheat oven to 400. Place oil in skillet and preheat. Remove any chicken skins and set chicken aside. Place onion (I did mine whole) in food processor and chop. Place onions in skillet and saute until brown (about 8 minutes). Blend spices together. Once onion is golden-brown add chicken and cook 10-12 minutes each side. Add in ¼ cup of broth and simmer 10 minutes, add remaining broth and seasonings and mix well. In separate pot prepare rice, drain, and return to pot. Remove chicken, add onion and spice mixture to the rice and blend well. Place rice in casserole dish if not using oven safe pot, top with chicken. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes. This would be delicious with some pistachios added in, however I forgot to buy them. But these would go on right before serving. This could also be served with a plain Greek yogurt.

Next up, my semi-homemade samosas;

Ingredients

• ½ bag of frozen southern hashbrowns (the cubes, not shreds)

• ½ bag of frozen peas

• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil

• 1 tsp curry powder

• ½ tsp cayenne pepper

• ½ tsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp black pepper

• ½ tsp salt

• 16 wonton wrappers

Directions

Heat oil in non-stick skillet. Once oil is hot add in potatoes and heat, without stirring about 3 minutes. Stir potatoes and add in peas, mixing well. Add in spices and coat well. Preheat oven to 400. Place 1-2 tsp in wonton and fold into a triangle, using water along edges to seal. Place on parchment paper on cookie sheet and lightly spray with olive oil. Bake 10-12 minutes until golden brown. These are so insanely easy! I hope you give this a try and join us on our journey around the world from the comfort of our home!

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