logo
Nadiya Hussain's kabuli pulao with qorma-e-sabzi: ‘Joy in every single mouthful'

Nadiya Hussain's kabuli pulao with qorma-e-sabzi: ‘Joy in every single mouthful'

Independent30-01-2025

'I had this very dish at a tiny restaurant that serves authentic Afghani food,' says Nadiya Hussain, whose new cookbook Rooza, explores recipes for Ramadan from 30 different countries.
'When I go to a restaurant that I have never eaten at before and where the cuisine is new to me, I always ask the waiting staff what they recommend, and this was it. I love rice in all its forms and this recipe perfectly captures the essence of the Kabuli pulao from what I can remember. Lightly scented rice served with spinach and a sweet and savoury carrot topping. Joy in every single mouthful.'
Nadiya Hussain's kabuli pulao with qorma-e-sabzi
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
For the pulao:
150g ghee
4 cloves
3 bay leaves
1 large cinnamon stick
2 onions, thinly sliced
2 tbsp garlic paste
2 tbsp salt
500g diced boneless lamb
3 tbsp garam masala
100ml hot water
500g basmati rice
650ml boiling water
For the qorma-e-sabzi:
3 tbsp oil
1 bunch of spring onions, thinly sliced
1 tsp salt
1 lemon, juice only
1kg frozen spinach
2tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground black pepper
Small handful of fresh coriander
Small handful of fresh dill
For the carrot topping:
2 carrots, grated
50g raisins
40g almonds, toasted
3 tbsp vinegar
2 tsp honey
Method:
1. Start by making the pulao. To a large pan add all the ghee and, over a high heat, allow the ghee to melt. Add the cloves, bay leaves and stick of cinnamon and let the whole spices sizzle in the melting ghee.
2. Add the sliced onions and cook till they are really soft and golden. Now add your garlic paste and salt and cook through for a few minutes.
3. Get the lamb cubes in with the garam masala and cook till the meat is brown. Pour in the 100 millilitres hot water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat slightly and cook till there is no more liquid left and there is a golden-brown mixture coating the meat. Wash the basmati rice till the water runs clear. This will take a few washes, but it's important to remove as much starch as possible. Drain the rice and add to the meat. On a high heat, mix the rice with the meat and onions, mixing and scraping the base for about five minutes to remove any rice that may be sticking.
4. Pour in the boiling water and, over a high heat, mix and allow the whole thing to come to a boil till almost all the liquid has dried off and you can see every grain of rice. As soon as you get to that point, lower the heat completely and put the lid on. Leave to steam for about 30 minutes.
5. While the pulao cooks, let's make the qorma-e-sabzi. Pour the oil into a medium non-stick pan and bring to a high heat. Add the sliced spring onions with the salt and cook for a few minutes.
6. As soon as the spring onions are soft, add the lemon juice and the frozen spinach. Water should release from the frozen spinach – keep cooking till most of the liquid has evaporated. Add the ground coriander and black pepper and cook till completely dry and there is no excess liquid in the base when you are stirring. Take it off the heat as soon as it is ready and stir in the fresh coriander and dill.
7. Make the quick carrot topping by putting the grated carrots in a bowl with the raisins and toasted almonds. Mix well. Put the vinegar and honey in a bowl and mix. Drizzle all over the carrots and stir through.
8. Take the rice off the heat and serve on a platter or in the pan with the carrot mixture sprinkled over and the qorma–e–sabzi alongside.
'Rooza' by Nadiya Hussain (Penguin Michael Joseph, £25).

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Jersey's first imam to leave the island as family couldn't join him
Jersey's first imam to leave the island as family couldn't join him

BBC News

time24-05-2025

  • BBC News

Jersey's first imam to leave the island as family couldn't join him

Jersey's first Muslim prayer leader is leaving the island because he has had problems bringing his wife and children over to live with Abdul Samad has been in Jersey for 18 months, living in a flat that the Muslim community had bought for anyone taking on the he has not been able to bring his family to the island and has decided to return to said living in Jersey had been "one of the most heartwarming and spiritually fulfilling periods of my life" but being separated from his family had been hard. "I have family commitments," he said. "I have a wife and children and I'm living in a studio flat."There is no doubt he has enjoyed his time in Jersey and he spoke warmly about the island's beautiful coastline and its welcoming had hoped his wife would have been able to work in Jersey because she is a maths teacher but said that "unfortunately things did not work out as I expected".Mr Samad said he had to be practical and return to London, where he will continue to work as an imam. 'Memorable Ramadan' In Jersey, other members of the Muslim community will step in to lead the Samad said he has had opportunities to meet different communities on the island and some from other faiths had even joined for Friday prayers. He said the Muslim community had also raised money for people who have been struggling across the island."I would say one of the most memorable parts of my chair was the month of Ramadan, which is a month of mercy, unity, and spiritual growth," he said. It was announced at Friday congressional prayers that Mr Samad would be leaving Sarfraz Jamali, a well-known member of Jersey's Muslim community, said: "When I announced that imam is leaving and thanked him on behalf of the whole community, a couple of members said he will be missed."Imam has an important role because he leads all five daily prayers. He also plays an important role in engaging with the people, giving sermons and teaching sessions to adults and children."Dr Jamali said he was now looking for another imam.

I saw a child in Gaza digging through rubble – the reason broke my heart
I saw a child in Gaza digging through rubble – the reason broke my heart

Metro

time22-05-2025

  • Metro

I saw a child in Gaza digging through rubble – the reason broke my heart

Since I returned from Gaza, the disorientation hasn't faded. Coming back to the UK in April after eight weeks as part of Save the Children's response in documenting the impact of the war on children and their families, felt like stepping into another world. One that runs smoothly and quietly – while the place I left behind struggles to survive each passing hour. What I witnessed wasn't just war. It was the steady collapse of human life. At one point, I stood beside a mother who had survived countless nights of airstrikes. Her voice didn't waver when she said, 'Our children are just waiting for their turn to die.' That sentence hasn't stopped echoing in my head. Not just because it was shocking, but because it was true. And it's made worse by my belief that my own government has been complicit in one of the most devastating humanitarian catastrophes of our time. When I arrived in February, Gaza was already in ruins from 16 relentless months of war. Entire neighbourhoods were reduced to rubble. Children were visibly malnourished, their eyes hollow with exhaustion and grief. I still don't know how some of them found the strength to smile and play. I watched tiny bodies carrying jugs of water and younger siblings on their backs — their movements shaped by war, their words aged far beyond their years. Fear had stolen their childhoods. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video During Ramadan, when aid was abruptly cut off by the Israeli government, families who had been clinging to hope were left utterly abandoned. Many lived in makeshift tents cobbled together from sticks and plastic sheeting, pitched over the ruins of their homes. I once asked some teenagers what they feared most. One girl looked at me and said, 'I'm scared of losing a limb'. In Gaza, that fear is not abstract — it's daily reality. Blast injuries among children are so common that our local partners listed wheelchairs as one of the top three urgent needs. Homes, hospitals, schools, water systems — the very fabric of life — have been destroyed. And yet, led by local teams risking their lives to work among the chaos, charities like Save the Children carved out spaces of hope. We built health clinics in tents. We gave out shoes to children whose feet were bleeding. We created spaces of relative safety where none existed. But since March 18 – when Israel launched a surprise attack, effectively ending the ceasefire – even that fragile lifeline has collapsed. Nowhere is safe. I remember the night a bomb landed so close to where we were staying that the building shook. I couldn't stop trembling for 30 minutes. That kind of terror is constant for people in Gaza. I will never forget the small boy I saw standing on a pile of rubble, using his small hands to move concrete. I wondered what he was looking for, only to be shocked when he said: 'My mum.' This cannot, and must not, ever be accepted as normal. The reality I witnessed was so heartbreaking, that collecting the body parts of loved ones has become part of what it means to be a child in Gaza. We cannot sanitise what's happening to innocent children. It is a relentless, suffocating horror that few can truly grasp. Families are now being forced to eat donkeys because the world has failed to save them from hunger. Gaza is disappearing — not just under bombs, but from a lack of political will and moral responsibility. In one of the most haunting acts of parental desperation, some families are writing emergency contact details directly on their children's bodies — in case they are killed. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Two million people need a permanent and definitive ceasefire. Aid workers need unrestricted access to critical supplies and the people who need them. The UK's decision to step up its action against the Government of Israel this week was the right thing to do. But the UK Government continues to supply arms, including components for F-35 fighter jets used to rain terror on civilians. Every bomb dropped, every child buried in rubble, deepens our moral responsibility. Gaza is not a war zone — it is a graveyard for humanity's conscience. More Trending The UK can help change that by immediately halting all arms transfers to Israel and demanding accountability for every life lost and every family torn apart. I still carry a bracelet given to me by children who, despite being surrounded by death, told me they love life. It's a small thread around my wrist — but it holds the weight of everything I saw. Their voices stay with me, a quiet reminder that even in the face of unthinkable loss, their hearts still reach for joy – for a life worth living. And now, even that is fading. By the time I left Gaza a few weeks ago, the desperation was so deep that all the children could tell me was, 'we want to eat'. Do you have a story you'd like to share? Get in touch by emailing Share your views in the comments below. MORE: Everything we know so far about Washington DC shooting suspect Elias Rodriguez MORE: Eurovision winner JJ leads calls for Israel to be banned from song contest MORE: Israeli couple killed in Washington DC shooting named and pictured

Explained: Why Eid Al Adha changes date every year
Explained: Why Eid Al Adha changes date every year

Time Out Dubai

time21-05-2025

  • Time Out Dubai

Explained: Why Eid Al Adha changes date every year

In Dubai, public holidays such as Eid Al Adha move around the calendar and start on a different day every year. The upcoming four-day long weekend is one of four public holidays in the UAE that rely on the Islamic calendar to determine when it begins. Also known as the Hijri calendar, the Islamic calendar is based on the cycles of the moon, unlike the more widely used Gregorian calendar, which is based on the sun. The lunar calendar is used predominantly by Muslims around the world to determine the dates of religious events and observances. And this fundamental difference impacts how the calendar operates and why Islamic dates shift annually in relation to the Gregorian calendar. Credit: Pexels How long is each Islamic month? Each Islamic month lasts either 29 or 30 days, depending on the moon's visibility. Consequently, a lunar year is approximately 354 or 355 days long, which is about 10 to 12 days shorter than the solar year used in the Gregorian calendar. Because of the shorter year, Islamic months drift through the Gregorian calendar. You might also like: Eid Al Adha break will fall over the weekend this year: Here's why this public holiday won't shift This discrepancy causes Islamic months to shift backwards through the seasons over a 33-year cycle. Which is why 2024 was the first time in 24 years that Ramadan took place during the winter time. It will keep shifting and eventually take place in the summer again. In the Islamic calendar, a new month begins with the sighting of the new crescent moon. This can sometimes lead to slight variations in the start of months between different regions due to differences in moon sighting. (This also explains why Ramadan and Eid start on different days in different countries). You might also like: The UAE public holidays law explained Key Islamic celebrations such as Eid Al Fitr, Eid Al Adha, and the Hajj pilgrimage are all determined by the Islamic calendar, making them 'movable feasts' relative to the Gregorian calendar. What are the Islamic calendar months? The Islamic calendar is also made up of 12 months, each beginning with the sighting of the new moon. These months are: Muharram Safar Rabi' Al Awwal Rabi' Al Thani Jumada Al Awwal Jumada Al Thani Rajab Sha'ban Ramadan Shawwal Dhu Al-Qa'dah Dhu Al-Hijjah So… when is Eid Al Adha in 2025? Officially, we get four days off to mark Eid Al Adha in the UAE. Eid Al Adha is one of two major festivals for Muslims (the first one being Eid Al Fitr). The Muslim festival of Eid Al Adha marks the conclusion of the pilgrimage to Mecca. The holiday gives Muslims the chance to come together with their community and celebrate with feasts and family time. The holidays begins with Arafat Day on Dhu Al Hijjah 9 followed by Eid Al Adha on Dhu Al Hijjah 10, 11 and 12. Current predictions show that the holiday dates will begin on Thursday June 5 with Arafat Day followed by Eid Al Adha on Friday June 6, Saturday June 7 and Sunday June 8. More news in Dubai There will be two Ramadans in 2030 – here's why This won't happen again until 2063 When you can expect three Eid holidays in one year (yes, three) Eid, sleep, repeat UAE public holidays 2026: All the predicted days off next year revealed Including when we can expect a six-day weekend

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store