Afghan home comfort · Creamy one-pot rice
Afghan Shola Recipe (Sticky Rice with Mung Beans and Meat)
Creamy rice. Soft mung beans. Garlic yoghurt.
Recipe by Farwa ZeeshanTested in the NineFoods home kitchenShola is Afghanistan's creamy rice, often called Afghan risotto. Short-grain rice and mung beans cook together with tomato and spices until they turn soft and sticky. It burns easily at the bottom as it thickens, so this recipe uses a heavy pot, adds hot water in stages and stirs often, like a risotto.
The 3 laws of shola
Why this recipe works
Basmati
Short-grain rice releases starch for the creamy texture.
Rice and beans together
Mung beans need a head start of 15 minutes.
All water at once
Add hot water in stages and stir to stop sticking.
Shopping and prep list
Ingredients
Meat and base
Rice and mung
Garlic yoghurt (chaka)
The NineFoods shola texture check
Is the shola creamy enough?
Drag a spoon across the pot. Tap what you see.
Method · 4 stages
Step by step
Brown the meat
- Brown the meat in oil, add onion and cook until soft.
- Add tomato paste and spices and cook 2 minutes.
Cook the mung beans
- Add drained mung beans and 750 ml hot water.
- Simmer covered until the beans begin to soften.
Add the rice
- Add the rice and the rest of the water in stages, stirring often.
- Cook until creamy. Use the gauge above. Stir in dill.
Make the chaka
- Mix yoghurt, garlic, mint and salt.
- Serve the shola with a big spoonful of chaka on top.
Chef's troubleshooter
What went wrong? Pick the symptom
Why
Thin pot, not stirred.
Fix next time
Use a heavy pot, low heat and stir every few minutes.
Why
Not soaked or added with the rice.
Fix next time
Soak 1 hour and give them a 15-minute head start.
Why
Basmati was used.
Fix next time
Use short-grain rice like Calrose.
Why
Water evaporated.
Fix next time
Stir in hot water until creamy.
Why
Underseasoned.
Fix next time
Season the base well and serve with garlic yoghurt.
Swap smart
Ingredient roles and substitutes
| Ingredient | Job in the dish | Swap with |
|---|---|---|
| Short-grain rice | Creaminess | Arborio rice |
| Mung beans | Earthy body | Red lentils (add with rice) |
| Lamb | Rich flavour | Chicken thighs or leave out for vegetarian |
| Dill | Fresh Afghan note | Coriander |
| Chaka yoghurt | Cool, garlicky topping | Plain Greek yoghurt |
After the meal
Serve, store, reheat
Serve with
Chaka yoghurt, pickled vegetables and Afghan naan.
Store
Fridge 3 days.
Reheat
Stir in hot water and warm on low until creamy again.
How we tested this recipe
Tested in a home kitchen, not a studio
Recipe developed and tested by Farwa Zeeshan, who cooks and tests every NineFoods recipe on a regular home stove.
- Cooked from start to finish with the exact quantities above for 4 servings, using both the metric and US cup measures.
- Every one of the 4 stages was timed at the stove; heat levels and the 'look for' cues are what we saw in the pan.
- The doneness check (is the shola creamy enough) and the troubleshooter come from batches that went wrong, and how we fixed them.
- Reheating and storage advice was checked on leftovers, not guessed.
Keep cooking
Related recipes and guides
Quick answers
Afghan shola FAQ
Why is shola called Afghan risotto?
Like risotto, it is a creamy, starchy short-grain rice dish cooked slowly with stock or water.
What is shola goshti?
Shola goshti is shola cooked with meat, usually lamb or beef.
Can shola be vegetarian?
Yes. Leave out the meat and use vegetable stock.
What is served with shola?
Garlic yoghurt (chaka) and pickled vegetables.