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By Root 338 0

lunch, and there was the second group (to which I belonged), headed rather timidly by my mother, which preferred karhi and plain boiled rice. My mother, being very diplomatic, alternated these dishes. But also, being as awed by my father as the rest of us, she alternated the dishes in my father’s favor, so we ended up by eating more pullao than karhi. And if I complained and said, “But it was our turn to have karhi this Sunday,” my mother would say, “Oh, dear, I completely forgot. You can have it next week!” “Hmmm,” I would think, “cheated again!” But, strange as it may seem, as I have grown older, I have begun to love pullao. I don’t know why. The pleasures of one’s palate do change—or perhaps it’s the memory of my father, sitting at the head of the table, the pullao in front of him, surveying his wife and six children and feeling good and at peace.

Here is my mother’s recipe for pullao, a dish of rice and meat cooked in flavored broth. In India, the meat that is traditionally used for the dish is goat ribs, cut up in pieces about 1½ to 2 inches in length. The meat is a little fatty, more bone and less meat. Rib meat in America tends to be very fatty. So I would suggest you use one of two kinds of meat: if you like meat pieces with bone, ask the butcher to chop up 2½ pounds of shoulder or neck of lamb into 1½-inch cubes. If you are trying this recipe for the first time and don’t want to be bothered with bones, get 1½ pounds of meat off a leg of lamb and ask the butcher to cut it into 1-inch cubes. (I usually buy a whole leg of lamb and get some cut off into chops and some boned and cut into cubes. You can freeze what you don’t need.) I find that most Americans prefer the boned, cubed meat. However, remember that traditionally pullao uses meat with bone and that some day, if not today, you should try making it that way.

4 cups canned or homemade beef broth (not bouillon)

1½ pounds of meat from leg of lamb cut into 1-inch cubes, or 2½ pounds of meat and bone from neck and shoulder of lamb, cut into 1½-inch cubes

2 medium-sized onions, peeled

4 cloves garlic, peeled

A piece of fresh ginger, about 1-inch cube, peeled

20 black peppercorns

6 large black cardamom pods (if available), or 14 small or greenish-yellow pods

2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds

1 cinnamon stick, 2½–3 inches long

2 teaspoons whole coriander seeds

2 teaspoons whole fennel seeds

4 bay leaves

2 teaspoons salt

5 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 cups long-grain rice

To make the yakhni, or flavored broth: In a 4-quart pot, put the beef broth and the pieces of lamb. Tie up in a piece of cheesecloth 1 peeled onion, the garlic cloves, the piece of ginger, the peppercorns, 4 of the black cardamoms or 10 of the small cardamom pods, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, the cinnamon stick, the coriander seeds, fennel seeds, and bay leaves. Drop the cheesecloth into the pot with the beef broth. Add 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil. Skim off the surface scum. Cover, reduce heat to low, and allow to simmer slowly for 35 minutes.

While the broth is simmering, cut the other peeled onion in half lengthwise. Now slice it finely into half-circles.

In a 10-inch skillet heat the oil over a medium flame. Add the onion slices and fry until they are a crisp dark brown (about 10 minutes). Don’t burn them—adjust flame if necessary. Remove with a slotted spoon, draining the fat back into the skillet. Spread onions on paper towels and set aside for later use. Turn flame under skillet off, leaving its residue of fat.

When the broth is made, fish out the cheesecloth, squeeze it slightly so as not to lose any flavors, and discard. Strain the broth and set aside. Reserve the meat in the strainer.

Heat the onion skillet again over a medium-high flame. When hot, add remaining 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds and either 2 large black cardamom pods or 4 small green ones. Fry for about 20 seconds or until the spices begin to expand and change color. Now add the drained meat and fry for 3 to 5 minutes or until the meat is lightly browned on all sides.

In a 4–6-quart pot put 1 cup of the uncooked