VEGETARIAN AFGHAN LENTILS WITH GINGER AND CUMIN - DAAL

By, Humaira

Daal refers to an entire category of legumes which includes many sizes and colors of lentils and split peas. Tiny yellow lentils, which are different from split peas, are the most common variety used for Afghan daal. Don’t fret, you can substitute any kind of lentil from your cupboard—green, red or even split peas—for this recipe. Regardless of the variety, all these legumes are incredibly cheap, easy to prepare, around 15 - 20 minutes, and packed with nutrients. 

Afghan daal is a little thicker and less soupy than Indian daal. It's typically served with nan/bread or Afghan challaw (white rice). I like mine with a dollop of garlicky yogurt. 

Here is a recipe for daal made with plenty of onions and garlic, fresh ginger, a touch of cumin and cayenne pepper. I've also added a teaspoon of turmeric which brightens up the color and adds the wholesome goodness of the spice. You can make a large batch and take the leftovers for lunch the next day.

Afghan Daal with Ginger and Cumin

2 tsp. olive oil

1 finely chopped medium onion

2 cloves minced garlic

1 1/2 tbsp. finely minced fresh ginger

1 tsp. ground turmeric

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/8 tsp. ground cayenne

1 cup yellow lentils

2 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth (or chicken broth)

2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1 tsp. kosher salt

Heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a medium sauce pan. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and saute for about 5 minutes until the onion is translucent. Add the turmeric, cumin, cayenne, lentils and broth, stir and turn the heat up to high. When the liquid boils, turn the heat down to a simmer, cover and cook until the lentils are very tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and add the lemon juice and salt. Serve with a spoonful of plain yogurt and warm pita or nan bread.

Except where otherwise noted, all content on this blog is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported license.

AFGHAN VEGETABLE FRITTATA - KHAKEENA

Afghan Culture Unveiled

By Humaira

Even food bloggers get in a food rut. My family knows I’ve run out of cooking energy when our dinner consists of Tortila de Patata, a Spanish potato and egg omelette since I always have eggs, onions and potatoes on hand. 

Today’s recipes, khakeena,  is Afghanistan’s answer to the Spanish Tortilla, you wouldn’t know it from the the long list of ingredients but I promise you it's true. Khak is the Dari word for dirt. Perhaps, our cleverly named dish khakeena, symbolize sweeping out the left overs from pantry, fridge or cold room from left over ingredients.

The idea is to throw together whatever veggies you have laying around into a healthy, hearty dish using eggs as a binder since they are expensive and used sparingly in Afghanistan. A summer khakeena will most likely have a different ingredient list than a winter khakeena.

Traditionally, khakeena is eaten for lunch. It’s served in a wedge with a salad and a side of nan.

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Afghan Culture Unveiled

I made wraps to make the dish more filing for my hungry teenagers. I added a little Humaira twist to the dish by creating a creamy feta sauce which adds a tangy edge to the wrap. There is no wrong way to serve this dish. 

I want to thank my sister Nabila for sourcing this recipe from a friend of hers.

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Afghan Culture Unveiled

AFGHAN VEGETABLE FRITTATA

KHAKEENA

½ cup acorn squash, shredded with a box grater

⅓ cup fresh dill, finely chopped

3 green onions, chopped

2 cups spinach, chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

1 zucchini, shredded

3 fingerling potatoes, shredded

1 small red onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely chopped

3 eggs

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground

1 teaspoon cumin, ground

1 teaspoon coriander, ground

4 spinach lavash, cut down to 8x10 inch size

Feta sauce:

¼ cup crumbled feta

½ tablespoon lemon zest

½ tablespoon olive oil

Heat oven to 350 degree

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until all ingredients are mixed well - around two minutes. Butter the bottom of an oven safe, deep frying pan with a generous coat of butter or use olive oil. Pour the mixture into the pan, spread evenly. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

While the frittata is in the oven, make the feta sauce. Put all ingredients in small bowl, mix with a small spoon, pressing the feta with the back of the spoon to create a creamy mixture.

Frittata can be served with a fresh salad with a small dollop of the feta sauce with side of pita or nan.

I made a wrap to make the dish more filing. Spread a thin layer of the feta sauce in the middle of the lavash, divide the frittata into quarters, place one portion on the lavash. Fold in one side of the lavash and then roll from the bottom up. Cut in half, serve with a side of salad. 

Serves 4-5

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Afghan Culture Unveiled

QORMA E ZARDALOO - AFGHAN LEMONY APRICOT STEW

By Humaira

Growing up in Afghanistan, in the summer we always had fresh apricots, green grapes,  sweet cherries and watermelon as dessert. When my sister Nabila shared this sweet and savory— Qorma e Zardaloo, Apricot Stew—recipe it was the beginning of summer but by the tim I got around to testing the recipe, last Sunday, fresh apricots were nowhere to be found.

Rather than waiting for next summer, I substituted organic dried Turkish apricots instead. Clearly using in season ingredients guarantees best flavors but for this recipe we can make an exception since dried apricots are reliably delicious and accessible at most grocery stores all year around.

This recipe is vegetarian, vegan and gluten free but it it's lemony sweet flavors go well with lamb kebab, steak or chicken dish. On Sunday I served it with Chapli kebab and Afghan challaw rice. I hope you have a chance to try this unusual recipe.

Qorma e Zardaloo

Lemony Apricot Stew

2 cups dried apricot soaked in hot water for 2 hours or three cups fresh apricots, pitted     1/4 cup olive oil
1 large onion finely chopped, 2 cups
2 tablespoons fresh cumin, peeled and finely chopped or one tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon fresh ginger finely chopped
1 cup chopped celery
3 cloves garlic finely chopped
2 cups water or vegetable broth                                                                                                         1 cup finely chopped cilantro                                                                                                             Jalapeno pepper seeded and cut in quarters                                                                                    2 lemons squeezed, 1/4 cup lemon juice

Heat olive oil in a lidded, heavy pot on medium high heat. Add onions, sauté  until golden brown, around twenty minutes.  Add broth/water, cumin, ginger, garlic, and celery to the pot—simmer with the lid on for fifteen to twenty minutes until the celery is al dente.

Drain apricots in a colander, transfer to the pot along with the cilantro, jalapeno pepper and lemon juice, reduce temperature to medium-low, add quarter cup of additional water or broth if needed, place lid on the pot and simmer until the sauce thickens, around 20-25 minutes.

Garnish with chopped cilantro, and serve with Afghan white rice, challaw and a fresh salad.