Cooking with Colm O'Gorman: Lamb and rice with fresh herbs and pomegranate seeds

Kabuli Palao is the national dish of Afghanistan and it needs no side dishes except some yoghurt and flatbreads if you like

The national dish of Afghanistan, Kabuli Palao is a delicious mix of meat, nuts and rice.

I am becoming quite obsessed with Afghan food. You may recall a few weeks ago I shared my take on bolani, beautiful Afghan stuffed flatbreads, which I was inspired to cook for a group of new friends who recently arrived from Afghanistan. If you have not tried it yet, do. It is an absolute delight.

This week’s recipe is Afghanistan’s national dish, a stunningly delicious rice and lamb dish called Kabuli Palao. This layered rice dish is made with meat, rice and a fragrant sauce, and made even more special by the addition of dried fruit, caramelised carrots and topped off with fresh herbs, pomegranate seeds and toasted nuts. There are quite a few ingredients in this recipe, and it does take a little time to cook, but it is not difficult to do and very much worth the effort.