I dunno anything about cooking but I thought I’d share these
AFGHAN RECIPES
Deegei pulao
Popular Rice dish during weddings and other festivities.
Family of six .
Basmati Rice 2 cups( wash and drained)
1kg beef or mutton meat bone in
1 large onion (finely chopped)
2 table spoon of olive or vegetable oil
3 cups of water Salt to taste 1 tablespoon of Garam Masala
12 cloves whole(lawung) 4 sticks of Cinnamon(whole)
12 black pepper (whole)
Raisins (wuskee)
quarter of a cup Orange peel optional ( da malte na balke da trush narangee)
In a pot brown opinions in oil. Add meat mix it well with onions till the meat is brown add some water or yogurt to prevent from burning and sticking, then add garam masal, cloves, cinimmons, black pepper and salt. Stir well till the spices are cooked, add some more water or yogurt to prevent from burning or sticking. Now add 3 cups of water and cover to cook on a medium heat for 30 minutes. When meat is cooked and tender add drained rice, raisins and orange peel bring it to boil. Cover with lid and cook it on a very low heat for about 25 minutes or when the rice is done. In a large dish (tale ya majma) put the pulao and enjoy. Mix in yogurt or chutni if you like.
Afghan Chicken
Serving Size : 6
Amount Measurement Ingredient
2 large cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups plain whole-milk yogurt
4 tablespoons juice and pulp of 1 large lemon
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
2 large whole chicken breasts (about 2 lbs)
Long, slow marinating in garlicky yogurt tenderizes, moistens and adds deep flavor, so you end up with skinless grilled chicken that’s as delicious as it is nutritionally correct. Serve with soft pita or Arab flatbread and fresh yogurt.
Put the salt in a wide, shallow non-reactive bowl with the garlic and mash them together until you have paste. Add yogurt, lemon and pepper.
Skin the chicken breasts, remove all visible fat and separate the halves. Bend each backward to break the bones so the pieces win lie flat. Add to the yogurt and turn so all surfaces are well-coated.
Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate. Allow to marinate at least overnight, up to a day and a half. Turn when you think of it.
To cook, remove breasts from marinade and wipe off all but a thin film. Broil or grill about 6 inches from the heat for 6 to 8 minutes a side, or until thoroughly cooked. Meat will brown somewhat but should not char. Serve at once.
AFGHANI LAMB WITH SPINACH
Yield: 4 Servings
2 1/2 lb Lamb stew meat
– preferably leg
1/3 c Olive oil
3/4 lb Onions; diced large
4 ts Chopped garlic
2 ts Turmeric
1/4 ts Nutmeg
1/4 ts Ground cardamom
1 ts Crushed red pepper
– or to taste
1/2 ts Cinnamon
32 oz Can tomatoes; drain & chop
1 c Rich brown veal stock or
1 c Rich beef stock
1/3 lb Fresh spinach; wash & drain
1/2 c Yogurt
1 tb Grated lemon peel
Salt; to taste
1/4 c Pine nuts (Roasted at 350 F. for about 3 minutes.)
Sear lamb in the olive oil in a cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven. Add
the onions; saute them for 2 minutes; then add the garlic and saute
it for 1 minute. Put in the turmeric, nutmeg, cardamom, crushed red
pepper and cinnamon and saute the mixture for 1 to 2 minutes more,
being careful not to burn the onions or garlic. Add the tomatoes and
veal stock and stir.
Cover the dish and bake at 350 F. for about 1 hour, until the meat is
tender and begins to break up. Remove the dish from the oven and add
the spinach, stirring until the spinach is wilted and blended in.
Allow the stew to cool slightly. Add the yogurt, lemon peel and salt
to taste. Sprinkle with roasted pine nuts. Serve over rice pilaf.
AFGHAN KOFTA ( MEATBALLS )
Serves 3
· 1 pound Ground beef
· 1 Onion finely minced
· 1 Green pepper finely minced
· 1 tablespoon Clove garlic finely minced
· 1/2 tablespoon Ground coriander seed Salt and pepper to taste
Knead together the beef, onion, pepper, garlic and salt and pepper.
Let stand 30 minutes to blend flavors. Form into 16 oval balls. String 4 on skewers alternating with a onion quarter, green pepper quarter and cherry tomato on each skewer.
Grill about 5 minutes until browned, turn and grill other side. Served with spiced brown rice and a large piece of the flat Afghan bread.
Hawayej
Serves 1
· 3 tb Black Peppercorns
· 3 tb Cumin Seed
· 2 tb Turmeric
· 1 tb Ground Cardamom
· 1 tb Ground Coriander
·
Grind all the ingredients together with a mortar and pestle or in a spice grinder. Store in an airtight container.
Rub this spice blend devised by Zvia, an Afghan street vendor in New york, all over beef, pork, or chicken 2 hours prior to grilling. It also adds a pungent flavor to tuna, swordfish, bluefish, and bass; rub it on both sides of the steak or fillets about an hour before grilling.
In both cases, the rub can be left on the meat or fish while grilling to make a blackened seasoned crust. It can also be stirred into boiled rice or summer soups to taste. Makes about 1/3 cup.
Kofta Nakhod
(Meatballs & Chick-Pea)
Serves 8
· 1 cup of Dried chick-peas, covered with hot water & soaked overnight, or at least 8-10 hrs
· 1 1/2 lb Ground beef
· 1 large Onion, grated
· 1/4 tablespoons of Pepper
· 1 tablespoons of Salt, or to taste
· 1/4 tablespoons of Ground cinnamon
· 1 tablespoons of Dried mint, crushed
· 1 tablespoons of Bread crumbs, matzoh meal or plain flour
· 4 cup of Water, boiling
Chick-peas provide bulk in well-seasoned kofta, name for various types of meatballs in Afghanistan, Pakistan, & India. Unlike custom in other countries, they are boiled in soup or water & served separately from soup.
- Drain chick-peas in a colander, then grind them rather fine in a processor. Mix everything together except water.
- To prepare meatballs: Moisten hands w/cold water and prepare meat & chick-peas balls 1-1/2 inches in diameter. Put the meatballs into boiling water, one at a time, & simmer over moderate heat for 45 mins. Remember that chick-peas are ground but not cooked. The meatballs may also be cooked in a light chicken broth. Serve meatballs & soup separately with bread, rice, & pickles. Serve 8. Makes about 18 meatballs.
Samboosak
(meat pies)
· 1 package spring roll skins (approximately 8 inches square), defrosted
· 1 tbsp. flour
· 1 tbsp. water
· Oil for frying
Filling
· 1 small onion, minced
· 1 leek, cleaned and chopped
· 2 tbsp. olive oil
· 1/2 pound ground beef or lamb
· Salt
· Black pepper
· 1/2 tsp. cumin or kebsa spices
· 2 egg whites, hard-boiled and chopped
· Oil for frying
- Saute the onions and leek in the oil until transparent. Add the meat, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook until done, breaking up lumps.
- Add the cumin and the chopped egg whites and mix well.
- Cut each spring roll skin into 3 strips of equal width (If the dough is not precisely square, use the slightly larger dimension for the length of the strip.) Lay out 3 to 4 strips on your work surface.
- Place a rounded tsp. of the meat mixture toward the bottom right hand corner of each strip. Fold that corner diagonally over to the top left-hand corner, forming a triangle. As you fold, be certain that the side of the strip lines up perfectly with the folded portion. Continue as if folding a flag, alternately folding the bottom corners in a diagonal pattern. Seal the final flap with a bit of the flour paste.
- Deep-fry and drain on absorbent paper.
