Afghanistan is located in the continent of Asia. It has Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan to the north, Kyrgyzstan to the northeast, China to the east, Pakistan and India to the south and southeast, and Iran to the west.
The capital is Kabul.
The official languages are Dari and Pashto.
The climate is a typical semiarid steppe climate. It has extremely cold winters and hot summers.
The staple foods are mutton, beef, poultry, fish, rice, bread, vegetables, dairy products, apples, apricots, pomegranates, oranges and much, much more (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghan_cuisine#:~:text=The%20cuisine%20is%20halal%20and,%2C%20sweet%20melons%2C%20and%20raisins).
https://www.britannica.com/place/Afghanistan
LAVAND-E-MURGH (Afghan Chicken in Yoghurt) (https://vidarbergum.com/recipe/afghan-chicken-in-yoghurt-lavand-e-murgh/):
- 300g Greek yogurt
- 1 TBSP white flour
- 4 TBSP neutral oil (I use sunflower oil of ghee)
- 15g coriander (cilantro), thick stalks removed, finely chopped
- 15g flat-leaf parsley, leaves only, finely chopped
- 1 large onion, halved and cut into thin half moons
- 2 green chilies, remove the seeds if you like, finely chopped, or any other chili to taste
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
- Lemon, to serve (optional)
- Water
- Salt and pepper
Marinade:
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed to a paste with a little salt
- 1 TBSP finely shredded fresh ginger
- 100ml water
- 600g chicken filets, preferably thigh meat, cut into bite-size chinks
- Salt and pepper
- Mix the garlic, ginger and water well and add the chicken.
- Mix to coat and season generously with salt and pepper.
- Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least one hour, or as long as you have time for.
- Whisk the yogurt and flour until no lumps appear.
- Leave at room temperature whilst preparing the rest of the dish.
- If the yogurt mixture is still cold when it’s time to add it to the pot, whisk in up to 100ml (2/5C) boiling water, little by little while whisking constantly.
- Heat a frying pan and a thick bottomed pot over a medium heat.
- In the frying pan, fry herbs in 2 TBSP oil or ghee until starting to darken and dry up, 10-15 minutes.
- Stir regularly, making sure the herbs don’t burn. Set aside.
- In the pot, fry onions in the remaining 2 TBSP oil or ghee until starting to soften, but not yet colored, 8-10 minutes.
- Stir regularly and season with salt and pepper as you go.
- Add the chili and keep frying until it starts to soften, stirring regularly, 2-3 minutes.
- Add the spices and fry for another 15-20 seconds, stirring constantly.
- Add the chicken along with its marinade.
- Fry until most of the water is evaporated, stirring occasionally, 4-5 minutes.
- Turn the heat down to low.
- Add the herbs (along with the oil they were fried in) to the pot. Mix well.
- Add the yogurt mixture and mix well.
- Slowly bring to a boil and leave to simmer with lid partially on at a low heat until the flavors have settled, and the chicken is cooked through, around half an hour.
- Check on the dish a few times while it cooks, adding more water if needed to get to a stew/curry-like consistency.
- Check if the chili heat is to your liking and season one final time with salt and pepper.
- Take off the heat and leave for a few minutes before serving.
No kidding this is one of the BEST recipes I have ever eaten!!! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!!
NONI AFGHANI (https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/60861/noni-afghani/):
- 1-1/2 C warm water
- One (.25oz) envelope active dry yeast
- 1 TBSP white sugar
- 4 C all-purpose flour
- 1-1/4 tsp salt, or to taste
- ¼ C corn oil
- 1 egg
- 1 TBSP water
- 1 TBSP caraway seed (optional)
- In a small bowl, stir together ½ C warm water and sugar.
- Sprinkle the yeast over the top, and let stand for about 10 minutes, until foamy.
- Place flour in a large bowl and stir in salt.
- Make a eall in the center and pour in the corn oil and yeast mixture.
- Add the remaining water in small amounts until you have a soft moist dough that can be handled.
- Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for at least 5 minutes.
- Return to the bowl, cover with a towel, and let rise until doubled in size, about 1-1/2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.
- Deflate the risen dough and divide into 8 pieces.
- Roll each piece into a ball.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll each ball with a rolling pin so it is oval shaped, about 6-inches long, and ½-inch thick.
- Use a fork or dull knife to draw three lines on the top of each loaf.
- Place the loaves on a baking sheet.
- Mix together the egg and remaining tablespoon of water; brush the tops of the loaves with the mixture.
- Sprinkle caraway seeds over the tops, if using.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until the loaves are shiny and golden brown.
This is probably the best one of my breads have turned out. They really complimented the chicken!!
AFGHANS (https://www.lightscamera-bake.com/afghans/):
- ¾ C butter, softened
- ¼ C sugar
- ¼ C brown sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1-1/4 C all-purpose flour
- ¼ C cocoa
- 1-1/4 C cornflakes
Ganache:
- 50g dark chocolate
- 50ml cream
- Preheat the oven to 350F degrees and line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Beat the butter, sugar and brown sugar together until light and fluffy.
- Add the vanilla extract.
- Add in the cocoa and the flour and beat until mixed.
- Beat in the cornflakes.
- The mixture will be quite stiff.
- Roll into balls, press the tops down with a fork and bake for around 15 minutes.
- They should be soft to the touch but crisping on the sides.
- Allow them to cool on a wire rack while you make the ganache.
- To make the ganache, heat the cream until it is almost boiling.
- Take off the heat and pour the cream over the chocolate.
- Stir until all the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth and glossy.
- Dip the top of each afghan in the ganache and allow it to set.
These turned out REALLY good!!! The crunch of the cornflakes really add an extra goodness to it!!!
Here is how my overall meal turned out. Very good and HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!
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