Version from Jakarta, Indonesia
nasi kebuli — Jakarta, Indonesia
A Jakarta Betawi rice dish of spiced rice cooked in goat broth, milk and ghee, shaped by Arab and South Asian cooking, served at festive Muslim meals.
- 30 min
- Prep
- 75 min
- Cook
- 6
- Servings
- Medium
- Difficulty
Nasi kebuli is an Indonesian rice dish in which rice is cooked directly in a broth of goat meat, milk and ghee rather than steamed plain and topped with a separate curry. The name is reported to come from kabuli palaw, a rice dish from Kabul, and the dish is generally traced to a mix of Middle Eastern and South Asian cooking that reached the archipelago through trade and migration.
It is popular within the Arab community in Indonesia and among the Betawi people native to Jakarta, and this entry follows the Jakarta version of the dish. Nasi kebuli is also found in other cities with sizeable communities of Arab descent, such as Surabaya, Surakarta and Gresik, and it is closely linked to Islamic festive meals, served at hari raya lebaran, kurban and the celebration of the birth of Muhammad.
Rice is browned briefly in ghee with a spice mix built on cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and pepper, along with ginger, garlic and onion, then goat meat is added and everything is covered with goat broth and milk and left to cook until the rice has absorbed the liquid and turned fragrant. Raisins and fried onion are common additions folded in or scattered over the finished rice.
Compared with plain steamed rice curries served alongside a separate sauce, nasi kebuli keeps its spicing and its protein cooked together in one pot, closer in method to mandi rice from Yemen or to biryani from South Asia than to most other Indonesian rice dishes. It is served with the goat meat on top, often alongside a side of pickled vegetables, sliced cucumber and a fried egg.
Preparation
Brown the goat meat in ghee, then set aside.
In the same pot, sauté the onion, garlic and ginger until soft.
Add cumin, cardamom and cinnamon and stir until fragrant.
Return the goat meat to the pot and add the goat broth and milk.
Simmer until the meat is tender, then remove the meat and keep the broth.
Add the rinsed rice to the broth and cook until the liquid is absorbed.
Fold the raisins through the rice and top with the cooked goat meat.
Scatter fried onion over the top and serve warm.
