Afghan Recipes

Wow, the end of September came around very fast! As you may have noticed, September has been Afghanistan Food Month, which has been a wonderful experience for me. Sadly work has been really busy lately and I got very sick around the middle of the month, so I didn't end up getting to cook all the dishes that I wanted to. I think I will have to try some of them later in the year and then post them up retrospectively. Of the dishes that I did cook and post, however, I was incredibly impressed! All six of the dishes I posted were truly delicious and many of them I will definitely be making again.

Here is a recap of the mouthwatering delicacies from Afghanistan this month, the savoury were amazing - but the sweets stole my heart!

~Savoury~

Mashawa - Afghan Spicy Beans

These beans were adapted from a meaty version that I found online. My version is purely beans and fantastic spices! It uses mung beans, chickpeas and kidney beans and was actually quite quick and easy to prepare. It was very popular with my dinner guests, and I think it would be perfect for taking to a dinner party or potluck. Check out the recipe here.

Sweet Potato and Coriander Bolani

This Afghan dish of pan fried filled flatbread made a big impression on me! These ones are filled with sweet potato, coriander and shallots. It's filling traditionally encompasses shallots (scallions) with potato, pumpkin or sweet potato - however, I think that the possibilities for fillings are endless and I'm planning to have some fun experimenting with fillings now that I have this recipe. Check out the recipe here.

Tofu Palau

Qabili Palau is the national dish of Afghanistan, so I really wanted to make it even though it is traditionally make with chicken and/or lamb. I decided to give it a go anyway, substituting delicious spice marinated tofu instead. It was absolutely delicious, and I'll definitely be making this again! Check out the recipe here.

~Sweet~

Vegan Halwa e Zardak

This one sounds a little strange, I know. I'm sure a lot of people would turn away at the thought of carrot pudding for dessert, but I implore you not to! Carrot and dessert are great friends (remember carrot cake?) and if you didn't think so before then this creamy carrot pudding flavoured with cardamom and rosewater and topped with delicious crunchy pistachios and almonds will convert you. Check out the recipe here.

Awb e Dundawn

These heavenly little bites of pistachio, rosewater and cardamom just melt in your mouth and leave you reaching for another. They're soft and crumby like shortbread, and use the holy trinity of Afghan flavour combinations! I think these are possibly the best biscuits I have ever made. Check out the recipe here.

Asabia el Aroos

I was orginially planning on making a big pistachio baklava for Afghanistan month, but I decided to try something a little different instead. These Asabia el Aroos are called "Bride's Fingers" in English, and they're actually quicker and easier than baklava (and a little bit healthier!). They're filled with pistachios and cardamom and dipped in orange blossom syrup, and once I tasted them I was a little bit in love! These will definitely be made again. Check out the recipe here.

So - What's next?

Next month I will be back to Europe and exploring the delights of German cuisine! It should be very exciting, although I have a feeling it might be more of a sweets focused month - bring on all the German cakes! Keep your eyes on the blog for my German vegan creations.