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Shola
شوله (shola): Afghan sticky rice cooked soft with mung beans and dill, served with garlic yoghurt
In Kabul and across northern Afghanistan, shola is the pot that comes out on cold evenings, for a family invalid, or when a household wants to share food with neighbours on a Thursday night. Short-grain rice and whole mung beans are simmered together until they collapse into a soft, porridge-like risotto, scented with dill, cumin and a little turmeric. It is spooned into bowls and topped with garlicky yoghurt, a trickle of hot oil and dried mint; in the villages crumbled qurut (dried yoghurt) goes on top instead. The usual mistake is adding the rice at the same time as the beans: mung beans need a head start, or the rice turns to glue before they are tender. Chef's tip: stir the last ten minutes with a wooden spoon and keep the heat low, because shola catches on the bottom just as it thickens.
- Total time
- 70 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 5 ½ oz whole mung beansrinsed
- 3 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 onionfinely chopped
- 2 cloves garliccrushed
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 6 ¼ cups water
- ⅔ oz fresh dillchopped
- 1 ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
To serve
- 9 oz plain yoghurt
- 1 clove garliccrushed to a paste
- 1 tsp dried mint
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil warmed with 0.5 tsp chilli flakes (optional)
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Heat 3 tbsp sunflower oil in a heavy pot over a medium heat and fry 1 onion for 8 minutes until soft and golden at the edges. Stir in 2 cloves garlic, ½ tsp ground turmeric and 1 tsp ground cumin for 30 seconds until fragrant.
9 minStep 2: Add 5 ½ oz whole mung beans and 6 ¼ cups water, bring to the boil, then cover and simmer gently for 25 minutes, until the beans are swollen and just starting to split.
25 minStep 3: Stir in 9 oz short-grain rice (such as pudding or sushi rice), 1 ¼ tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper. Simmer uncovered on a low heat for 20–25 minutes, stirring often, until the rice is very soft and the mixture is thick and creamy like a loose risotto. Add a splash of hot water if it gets stiff.
25 minStep 4: Stir in ⅔ oz fresh dill and take off the heat. Leave it covered for 5 minutes; it thickens more as it stands.
5 minStep 5: Mix 9 oz plain yoghurt with 1 clove garlic. Spoon the shola into bowls, add a dollop of garlic yoghurt, scatter with 1 tsp dried mint and drizzle with 2 tbsp sunflower oil warmed with 0.5 tsp chilli flakes if you like.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 430 kcal
- Protein
- 15 g
- Carbs
- 68 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does shola take?
- About 70 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 60 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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