I could have been making pilau (or pulao, palao) in a kitchen or even a tent or yurt anywhere from here in Bath to Mongolia. In Saira Shah’s haunting book,The Storyteller’s Daughter. a pilau is always prepared for any significant celebration.

The ingredients for the Kabul pilau, Qabali Palau, include chicken (or lamb), onions, raisins, almonds and carrots. As with all pilaus, the spices are important as is the preparation of the rice which must be soaked to give it its fluffiness. No herbs are included in this pilau and the dish is served in the cooking pan, built up in layers with the rice at the bottom, chicken above and topped by the carrots, raisins and almonds. Crucially, the sauce will be dark from the caramelising of the onions which never leave the pan during the whole process of cooking.

The spices can be varied; cumin and cardamon appear in most recipes. The quantities for every ingredient are approximate – you will know how many you are cooking for and their appetites.

200g Basmati rice
2 medium sized onions, peeled and finely chopped
1 chicken, cut into pieces (or 4 chicken thighs and 4 chicken legs)
Sunflower oil
Knob of butter
300ml chicken stock (or water)
2 large carrots, cut into fine julien strips
3 tbsp raisins
2 tbsp roughly chopped blanched almonds
Salt
1 tsp garam masala (optional)
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground cardamom (or black cardamon seeds)
1tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp chilli powder (optional)

Soak the rice in cold water for about an hour.

In a large frying pan with a lid, cook the onion in a little oil and a knob of butter. Fry on a medium heat until the onion is coloured. Add a generous pinch of salt. Turn up the heat and, in batches, cook the chicken pieces with the onions for 10 minutes, turning occasionally.

Place all the chicken pieces in a bowl and put to one side.

Add half of the chicken stock to the onions and stir around. Cook for five minutes. The onions will now be deep brown.

Remove any skin from the chicken and return the pieces to the pan with the juices that will have collected. Cover and cook gently for 20 minutes. Remove just the chicken from the pan. Take the pan off the heat and leave to cool.

In a separate frying pan, cook the julienned carrots in a little water for about five minutes or until they start to soften but still have some bite. Drain the water from the pan, add a little oil and increase the heat. Add the almonds and raisins and cook for about three minutes or until the almonds start to brown. Take the pan off the heat.

Now it is time to start the rice. Drain and put it into a saucepan with boiling water. Add a pinch of salt. Let it boil gently for eight minutes or until the rice is almost cooked. Rinse and drain well.

Add the spices to the original pan which still holds the caramelised onion and juices from the chicken. Cook for a minute and then add the rest of the chicken stock and stir. Add the drained rice. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, stir the rice around until it is coated in the sauce. Taste and add more salt if necessary.

Place the chicken pieces on top. Cover and cook in an oven at 180°C for 20 minutes and then turn down the heat to 150°C and cook for a further 15 minutes.

Just before the end of this cooking time, reheat the carrots, raisins and almonds. Place these on top of the pilau before serving.

Greek yoghurt can be served in a bowl. I like to add a sprinkling of pomegranate seeds as a final garnish to the pilau.