Kabuli Pulao is considered an ancestor of the Yakhi Pulao and is best described by Arminius Vambery, a Hungarian Professor of oriental languages. Vambury widely traveled central Asia, Afghanistan and the subcontinent in the 19th century learning and researching his study of oriental languages and observing the lifestyle and eating habits of the people of the region.
A few teaspoons of fat are melted (…the fat of the tail is usually taken) in a vessel, and as soon as it is quite hot, the meat, cut up into small pieces, is thrown in. When these are in part fried, water is poured upon it to the depth of about three fingers, and it is left slowly boiling until the meat is soft; pepper and thinly sliced carrots are then added, and on top of these ingredients is put a layer of rice, after it has been freed from its mucilaginous parts. Some more water is added, and as soon as it has been absorbed by the rice, the fire is lessened, and the pot, well closed, is left over the red hot coals until the rice, meat, carrots and sweet dry fruit are thoroughly cooked in the steam.
After half an hour, the lid is opened, and the food served in such a way that the different layers lie separately in the dish, first the rice, floating in the fat then the carrots and the meat and the raisins at the top with which the meal is begun.
Vambery having tasted this delight with an Afridi tribe on several occasions deemed it flavourful and highly aromatic.
In central Asia and Afghanistan meat was thought to enhance the essence of a man, his valour, strength and virility; hence it was considered the most potent of foods. Hunting was a way of keeping fit, agile and an effective way of training for battle, therefore rice cooked in meat stock promised a very agreeable mental and physical constitution to the warriors of the region.
