Muraba-E-Behi ( Quince Jam)

On a cold winter day quince jam is like a sun that shines on a snow white table cloth...

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Muraba-E-Zardak (Carrot Jam)

It is necessary to select fresh, red carrots, to wash them, clean them and cut them as we cut for qabli.

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Muraba-e-Saib (Apple Jam)

Prepare this dish now and it will be ready in time for your party! This would make a great stocking filler!

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Muraba-e-Kadu (Pumpkin Jam)

This dessert conserve comes from Afghanistan, where it is called Muraba-e-Kadu.

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Muraba-e-Zanjafeel (Ginger Preserve)

This is a really delicious jam if you want to stay warm in cold weather.

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Yogurt Bean Soup

Ingredients are intended to be fresh and raw unless otherwise noted, but you can substitute with canned or dried (be sure to rehydrate) if necessary.

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Qabili Murg Palau (Rice dish with chicken)

Qabili Murg Palau is a made by cooking basmati or long grained rice in a brothy sauce (which makes the rice brown). This dish is made with chicken. Qabili palau is baked in the oven and topped with fried sliced carrots and raisins. The chicken is covered by the rice or buried in the middle of the dish.

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Mashawa (Meatball Soup)

The Mashawa soup has a variety of beans and herbs topped with meat sauce and spicy yogurt.

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Gosht Qaq Palaw

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Shola

Shola (Shole) is one of my favorite Afghan dishes! Its usually a sticky kind of rice with maash (mung beans) and the stickiness depends on the amount of water used to make the dish. Kecheri Quroot (Kecheri Ghoroot) is a dish that still has Sholeh, but with ground beef and kashk (Ghoroot) on the rice as well.

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Chalou (White Rice)

Challow is a traditional Afghan dish that consists of boiled rice that is mixed with a variety of seasonings and then baked. Challow can be served on its own or as a side dish. Traditionally, challow is served alongside lamb or chicken. Some versions also contain minced lamb.

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Nergis Kabob (Meatballs Stuffed With Egg)

Nargis Kabob is one of those dishes that just looks beautiful in any dinner spread, and goes well with whatever assortment of food there is. In Afghanistan, Nargis Kabob  was a fancy and prestigious dish not just because of its taste, but mostly because of the ingredients used. Both meat and eggs were very scarce for the average Afghan family, and for a person to have the luxury to stuff a meatball with a boiled egg made a statement in itself. Nowadays these are both easy ingredients to access making this a dish that can be enjoyed by many.

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Pakora (Afghan Potato Fritters)

Pakoras are basically any type of breaded fried vegetable (onion, cauliflower, eggplant or potatoes). There are different  ways to prepares pakoras. One way is to place sliced potatoes inside of a thick batter and then fries the potato. The other way is to prepare a mashed potato mixture and then coats this with bread crumbs and fries the potatoes.

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Sabzi Challow (spinach and rice) with lamb

Sabzi Challow is a traditional Afghani NewYear’s Eve dish, made with spinach (sabzi), rice (challow), and lamb. This is a great recipe for a party. The rice is crispy on the bottom and caramel-colored,but it’s not burned - this is the way it should be prepared. You can also use chicken thighs, which are a lot cheaper than lamb shanks. They don’t cook as long as the lamb shanks, but the time is less important since it turns into fall-off-the-bone delicious.

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Quarma Gul-e-Karam (Cauliflower)

Gulpea (Cauliflower) can also be made with beef or lamb but in this is the vegetarian version.

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Bouranee Baunjan (Eggplant with yoghurt sauce)

Bouranee Baunjan is Afghan eggplant dish with yogurt sauce. The tangy, garlic-laced yogurt contrasts nicely with the sweet tomato sauce and tender eggplant. It’s garnished with dried mint (don't use fresh), which you can find in the spice section of a supermarket or in a Middle Eastern market.When it’s done, serve it with flat bread for scooping up all the last bits of deliciousness.

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Dough (Cucumber & Mint Yogurt Drink)

Afghan dough is yoghurt diluted with cold water, mixed with shredded cucumber and dried mint. It’s refreshing and delicious. It’s a summer drink in Afghanistan usually enjoyed at lunchtime with rice or meat.  Dough has a reputation for inducing drowsiness. A great nap often follows a meal with a glass of dough.

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Firni (Rose-scented Milk Pudding)

Recipes for milk pudding - thickened with corn or rice starch, delicately flavored with rose water and sprinkled with pistachios and/or almonds - can be found in the culinary repertoire of any nation that was once a part of the Moghul Empire.

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Salata (Salad)

The Afghan salad, "Sa-laa-ta", is a simple combination of fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and fresh mint chopped into small pieces. Add some salt and mix well. The tradifional Afghan salad makes a delicious supplement to the food. Afghan salad is eaten with the food not before or after the meal.

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Boulanee Katchalu (Patato Filled Turnovers)

Boulanee is a vegan flat-bread from Afghanistan baked or fried with a vegetable filling. It has a thin crust and can be stuffed with a variety of ingredients, such as potatoes, spinach, lentils, pumpkin, or leeks. Boulanee originates strictly from Afghanistan. It is vegan and very low-calorie. It is usually served as an appetizer, side-dish, or main dish.

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(Eggplant Dip)

Here is a wonderful recipe for baba ghanouh a Afghan eggplant dip. It is typically served with naan.

You can use a food processor to make baba ghanouh, but take care not to make it too smooth; this is supposed to be a rustic, slightly chunky dip.

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Kaddo Bourani (Pumpkin with Yogurt and Meat Sauces)

The sweet hot pumpkin mixed with the tang of the cold yogurt sauce and then melded with the hot savory ground beef sauce.(a vegetarian option by leaving out the meat sauce)

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Aush (Noodles with Pulses, Meat and Yoghurt)

Aush is a hearty noodle soup with chickpeas, and red beans garnished with a meat sauce and a dollop of yogurt. According to Louis Dupree in his book Afghanistan, pasta was created in Central Asia which is now part of northern Afghanistan.

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Afghani Lamb with Spinach

A flavorful blend of spices, cardamom, olive oil and fresh vegetables surround tender pieces of Lamb that will transport your taste buds to a faraway land.

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Mourgh (Afghan Chicken)

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.

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Naane Uzbeki

There are mainly three types of Afghan bread:

• Naan - Literally “bread”
• Lavash - Very thin bread 
• Naane Uzbeki

Uzbek-style bread is shaped like a disc and thicker than naan. Usually made with white flour.

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Chatni Gashneez (Coriander Chutney)

The chutney that accompanies kebabs in Afghanistan has no relation to the sweet and savory, fruit-studded preserves with which most of us are familiar. The Afghan version chutney  is a thin, herbaceous, acidic sauce.  

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Falooda

Falooda is a South Asian specialty served during the warm months in Pakistan, India and Iran, and among others. Each country lends its own twist on the dessert. In Afghanistan, this means shaved ice is topped with rosewater- or cardamom-flavored handmade ice cream , rose water-flavored simple syrup, vermicelli noodles, plenty of Afghan cream (called qaymaq), and a generous measure of chopped pistachios.

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Kabuli Palaw

Kabuli Palaw is an Afghan rice dish consisting of steamed rice mixed with lentils, raisins, carrots and lamb. It is the most popular dish in Afghanistan, and is considered the national dish.

Qabili Palaw is a made by cooking basmati or long grained rice in a brothy sauce (which makes the rice brown). This dish may be made with lamb, chicken, or beef. Qabili palau is baked in the oven and topped with fried sliced carrots and raisins. Chopped nuts like pistachios or almonds may be added as well. The meat is covered by the rice or buried in the middle of the dish.

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Samoosi Yirakot (stuffed vegetable turnovers)

Yield: 20 servings

Ingredients

Dough

• 1 c Fine matzoh meal
• 1 Egg, beaten
• 1/4 ts Salt
• 1/2 c Cold water, approx.

Vegetables

• 1 tb Corn oil
• 1 md Onion; chopped
• 1 Garlic clove; chopped
• 1 Potato; peeled – cut into small pieces
• 1/2 c Cauliflower (chopped)
• 1 Carrot; chopped (1/2 C.)
• 1/2 c Green peas, fresh or frozen
• 1/2 c Thin-sliced green beans
• 1/4 ts Salt
• 1/4 ts Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup Corn oil, for deep-frying

Directions

Mix the meal, egg and salt together, adding just enough water to make a moist dough that holds together. Set aside. Heat the oil in a skillet, add the onion and garlic, and stir-fry over moderate heat until light brown, about 3 min. Set aside.

Take the potato and 1/2 C. each of any other 3 vegetables and blanch in boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain well. Add these to the pan with the onion and garlic and stir-fry over moderate heat for 3 minutes, to mix well. Add salt and pepper. Cool.

Take 1 heaping T. of the dough and press it out on a flat surface into a 2 1/2 inch square. Put 1 T. of the vegetable mixture on the bottom half of the square and fold it over into a triangle. Prepare all the samoosi this way. Heat the oil in a wok or skillet and brown the turnovers over moderate heat for about 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Serve warm. Makes about 20 turnovers.

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