Pakistan — Pulao

In yakhni pulao, meat stock is the rice's main source of flavour. Cooking in this liquid carries the aroma into the grains themselves, rather than leaving it only in the meat on top. In a lamb version, long-grain rice, tender meat and onions complement one another. Even a pale, beige platter can have a deep meaty flavour.

The meat's doneness and the liquid needed by the rice must be coordinated. Remember that the stock's salt will spread through all the rice. Spices enrich the base, but too much can mask the delicate flavour of the meat stock.

Unlike qabili palaw, recognisable by its carrot-and-raisin topping, this version focuses on stock-infused rice. Try the rice by itself, then with meat. Pakistan has many forms of pulao; yakhni pulao is one revealing example.