Experience the taste of traditional Afghan cuisine with my mom’s classic Afghan White Rice recipe. This dish is a staple in Afghan households and has been for generations. Making the perfect batch of this rice dish may take some practice, but the results are worth the effort. You will get fluffy and fragrant grains that are sure to impress.
If you are looking for the PERFECT way to cook Afghan White Rice, try our method!
Afghan White Rice is a staple dish in Afghan cuisine and a favorite in our household. This simple yet delicious dish can be paired with a variety of meats, vegetables, and sauces. We love pairing it with our Beef Korma and Afghan Potatoes! However, getting the perfect texture can be quite challenging. We can’t wait to share my mom’s recipe and methods for perfectly cooked rice that sets it apart from the rest.
We can never get enough of this Afghan White Rice dish and it is always served at every family gathering. There is not a single family member of mine that makes it as well as my mom does. She just has this special touch that sets her rice apart from the rest. We’re always reminded of the love and care that went into making this rice, and the memories we’ve shared as a family because of it. With our family recipe, we know you’re going to enjoy this Afghan White Rice as much as we do.
Tips for Making Perfect Afghan White Rice
- Use high-quality basmati rice, like Aahu Barah Extra Clean brand, to ensure the grains are long and separate after cooking.
- If you are not using Aahu Barah’s brand, then rinse the rice thoroughly until the water runs clear to remove the excess starch. Use this brand here!
- You want to soak the rice thoroughly for at least one hour prior to cooking to ensure the grains are moistened.
- Add any additional amounts of oil or salt to enhance the natural flavor of the basmati rice.
- Let the rice cook while stirring occasionally and keep an eye on the grains of rice by picking a grain out and testing to see if you are able to smush it with your finger and thumb. You can also taste the rice to test the texture as well.
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Basmati Rice
- 1/4 Cup Oil
- 1/4 Cup Water
- 1 tsp Salt
Instructions
For best results, we highly recommend going to your local international supermarket and grabbing a bag of premium Basmati rice.
Begin by soaking the rice in warm water for an hour, and then rinsing it until the water runs clear to remove excess starch. Move the oven rack to the lowest slot, and preheat the to 400°F.
Boil water in a Dutch Oven, and after straining the soaked rice, cook it in the boiling water for 5-7 minutes, before draining completely. Mix together oil, water, and salt, pouring it over the rice, and carefully stirring.
Create holes in the rice and place it in the oven for 10 minutes, then remove, stir again, cover with paper towels, and put the lid back on. Lower the oven temperature to 200°F and let it sit for an additional 5 minutes.
Take it out of the oven and enjoy your perfectly cooked rice!
The beauty of a perfectly cooked rice lies not only in its delightful taste but also in its adaptability.
Feel free to customize this with anything you’d like. Add any veggies or any sort of toppings over it as this will quite literally taste great with anything you can think of! You can also adjust the salt and oil that you add in to make it a bit healthier or add more to increase that flavor! Furthermore, add some extra spices and seasonings if you desire. There’s no limit to what you can do with this rice recipe.
Storage Recommendations
Cool Completely Before Storing
Let the Challow cool to room temperature before storing it in a container or bag. This will avoid condensation within the container. We don’t want the rice to be soggy!
Use airtight containers
We highly recommend using airtight containers such as Skroam’s 10 Pack Glass Containers because glass is best!
Length of time in refrigerator
Typically the rice can last about 4-6 days in an airtight container, provided you use clean utensils when grabbing some to eat.
Reheat properly
You may microwave the rice or pop it back into a pot and add a bit of water to it, then reheat on the stove top for a few minutes on medium heat.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Challow is an Afghan dish that uses Basmati rice.
It is recommended to use a sela basmati rice brand such as Aahu Barah Extra Clean brand. Any other type of rice may have a different consistency as well as cook differently.
Rinse the rice in cold water, to avoid it cooking, until water runs very clear. It usually takes about 3-4 cycles depending on the rice, of course. Removing excess starch prevents the rice from sticking together.
Absolutely! We recommend soaking for at least 1 hour for best results. This will allow the rice to be fluffier.
Any heavy bottomed pot that has a tight fitting lid will work. We use a dutch oven or a large turkey pot.
This helps absorb excess moisture to give you the fluffiest rice grains
Want More Great Recipes like this? Here are some of our Go-To Recipes to pair with this white rice or just eat by itself
Kabuli Palaw, Afghan Brown Rice
Love Our Afghan White Rice? Please Provide Us Feedback!
If you make our Afghan White Rice “Challow”, please leave a comment and/or rate the recipe! We’d love to hear your feedback. Also, don’t forget to tag us on Instagram! We love seeing our family’s favorite recipes being enjoyed by others!
Halfghan Kitchen Instagram
Afghan White Rice “Challow”
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Basmati Rice
- 1/4 Cup Oil
- 1/4 Cup Water
- 1 tsp Salt
Instructions
- Soak the rice in a large pot of warm water for about 1 hour. If you are not using extra clean rice, then prior to this, rinse the rice off with cold water until the water runs clean. This allows for you to clean off any excess starch from the rice.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and make sure to have the rack on the lowest slot. In the Dutch oven, bring some water to a boil. Just make sure to fill the pot enough to cover all of the rice that is currently soaking.
- Strain the soaked rice and carefully place it inside the pot of boiling water and cook for 5 – 7 minutes making sure to stir occasionally. Rice is done if you can take a grain and smush it with your finger and thumb.
- Drain the water from the boiling pot completely to avoid any extra cooking.
- Mix the oil, water, and salt into a measuring cup then pour evenly over the rice. Stir it all together, make some holes within the rice (see picture below as a reference) and place into the oven on the low set rack.
- Leave the pot in the oven to bake for about 10 minutes at the 400 degrees.
- Pull the pot out and stir the rice a bit more, making sure to scrape any rice off the sides and then place paper towels over it to cover completely (see picture below for reference). Place the lid back on and put back into the oven.
- Lower the temperature to 200 degrees and let it sit for another 5 minutes.
- Take the rice out and enjoy!
Amazing!!!
This is exactly like moms! Thanks for the recipe!
Took a few attempts to get it perfect, but now I can’t make rice any other way!