CHICKPEA STEW WITH MOROCCAN SPICES - VEGETARIAN AND GLUTEN FREE

By Humaira

I became gluten free two weeks ago. After years of resisting my doctor's recommendations and ignoring various positive gluten intolerance tests, I finally succumbed to becoming one of those annoying people who interrogates waiters about gluten free dishes.

My search for gluten free recipes took me to the New York Times food page where I found Melissa Clark's Chickpea Stew with Moroccan Spices. Considering legumes are a big part of Afghan cuisine and most of the Moroccan spices in this recipe are also Afghan spices, I thought you would enjoy this hearty stew as much as I have. You may watch Melissa demonstrate this dish in this two minute video.

Please share your comments on this and other recipes in the comment section of my blog.

New York Times FOOD

Chickpea Stew with Moroccan Spices

Almost Afghan

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 Spanish onions, chopped

1 large jalapeño pepper, seeded if desired, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root

2 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, more to taste

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

 Pinch of cayenne

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 fennel bulb, diced (save fronds for garnish)

1 very large bunch chard, stems sliced 1/2-inch thick, leaves torn into bite-size pieces

2 carrots, peeled and diced

1 large turnip, peeled and diced

1 pound dried chickpeas, soaked overnight in water to cover or quick-soaked (see note)

⅓ cup diced dried apricots

2 tablespoons chopped preserved lemon, more to taste

½ cup chopped cilantro, more for garnish

Heat oil in a large pot over high heat. Add onion and jalapeño and sauté until limp, 3 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, salt, turmeric, paprika, cinnamon, cumin, black pepper and cayenne and sauté until they release their fragrance, about 2 minutes. Add tomato paste and sauté for another minute, until darkened but not burned. (If tomato paste looks too dark too quickly, lower heat.)

Add fennel, chard stems, carrot and turnip and continue to sauté until vegetables start to soften, about 10 minutes. Add chickpeas and water to barely cover.

Return heat to high if you lowered it and bring to a simmer. Partly cover pot, lower heat to medium low, and simmer for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until chickpeas are softened. Add more water if needed (this should be like a stew).

Add chard leaves, apricots and preserved lemon to pot and continue simmering until chard is tender, about 5 minutes longer. Season with more salt if desired, and serve garnished with cilantro and reserved fennel fronds. 

To quick-soak chickpeas, bring them to a boil in water to cover by 1 inch. Turn off the heat and let soak for 1 hour. Drain.

Recipes by Melissa Clark in The New York Times FOOD Section on February 13, 2015

GLUTEN FREE AFGHAN SWEET BREAD - RHOT E JOWAREE

By Humaira

During my two week visit to Afghanistan in 2011 I found myself obsessed with the bakeries of Kabul.  As my bullet-proof US Embassy car zoomed through the streets, I'd find myself drooling at the sight of the beautifully arranged pastries in the bakery shops.

Due to threat of riots and security issues I mostly travelled in convoys or stayed in my hotel. I didn’t get to do any shopping or wander the markets as I had hoped.  But, in my last hours in Kabul, I asked my cousin to take me to a bakery and the street with butchers.  I had a chance to pop into a nice bakery, take some photos, chit chat with the owner and admire the beautifully displayed items.

Afghan cream rolls

I think it is worth noting that Afghans don’t usually eat dessert, unless it is a special occasion and in that case it is not usually baked items.  Pastries are served as a snack with tea in the mid afternoon, at celebrations such as Eid or to a special guest.  Flour, sugar and oil are expensive. Afghanistan being the second poorest country in the world, doesn’t allow for such  luxuries to the majority of its population.

Various types of candies stacked in the corner of the bakery, I likes the color coordination

Roht is an Afghan sweet bread which is traditionally made with wheat flour.  Here you'll find my post featuring a classic roht recipe.  However, since many folks in my family are going gluten free, my sister Nabila came up with this recipe for roht which uses corn flour instead of wheat flour.  I have to say, I find the corn roht much tastier than the traditional flour roht.  I do encourage you to use finely ground corn meal; otherwise your roht will turn out coarse and crunchy. 

Nabila's corn roht

Roht e Jowaree

Gluten Free Afghan Sweet Bread

1 cup corn meal

1 cup finely ground corn flour

1/4 cup butter at room temperature

1 to 2 tablespoons milk

1/2 cup brown sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 eggs

1 teaspoon nigella seeds (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Fit your food processor with the dough blade. Put all dry ingredients in the food processor, pulse a few times until all ingredients are mixed well. 

Add butter and pulse several times until mixed well.  Scrape the sides of the food processor, add the eggs, and mix until the dough is formed.  If your dough is dry, add 1-2 tablespoons of milk to add some more moisture. You may not need the milk at all.  You might have to stop periodically to scrape the dough off the sides. After a few minutes, the dough will come together in one smooth lump and move around the food processor.  

Remove the dough from the food processor and pat it into a smooth ball. Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Divide the dough into two balls and work gently into a circular flat shape, about ½- inch thick. Poke little holes in a circular pattern on top of the dough with a fork, about 20 pokes per loaf. Sprinkle the loaves with nigella seeds.  You can also divide the dough into 12 small balls and make approximately 4 inch round mini rohts.

Bake in the middle rack for 25-30 minutes until the corn roht  is golden brown. Let it cool to room temperature before serving. 

Cut into 6 wedges. Enjoy with a cup of tea. 

Store roht in an airtight container or Ziploc bag. I find it tastes even better the next day.

*Nigella seeds are commonly used in Indian or Middle Eastern dishes. They are tiny black roasted seeds that taste like bitterness with a bitterness like mustard-seeds. They are sold at Middle Eastern or Indian markets. Check out the list of markets that we have compiled for you.  If you can’t find them, use sesame seeds instead. 

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

SCRUMPTIOUS SHRIMP STEW – AFGHAN SHRIMP QORMA

By, Humaira

Happy International Woman's month, it  happens that I am celebratin my 16th year wedding anniversary with the love of my life tomorrow, March 8th, which is the official women's day celebration.  We didn't realize the auspiciousness of the date when we picked it as our wedding day but it has set a very balanced harmony in our life together.

As for today's recipe, I want to start out by saying that Afghanistan is a land locked country naturally seafood is not a big part of Afghan cuisine.  Yesterday, as I pondered what to make for dinner I remembered a bag of frozen shrimp in my freezer.  Instead of making a Humaira style Chinese shrimp dish which is what I normally do with shrimp, I decided to make an Afghan inspired shrimp stew which I am calling Afghan Shrimp Qorma.

To avoid insulting Muslims, apparently something I do regular on this blog, I researched if Islam allows consumption of Shrimp.  It seems there is a divide among the Shafi and Hanafi sects of Muslims on whether shrimp is halal or haram. For this post I will stick with Shafi sect and share this recipe with you hoping you will give it a try.  

My daughter Sofia had three servings piled on Afghan rice challaw and declared it “Very yummy with a tangy twist”, after I asked her for adjectives to describe the qorma.

Scrumptious Shrimp Stew

Afghan Shrimp Qorma

Ingredients

3 tbsp. olive oil

1 large onion diced

½ tbsp. chopped garlic

15 oz. can tomato sauce

15 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 tbsp. finely chopped ginger

1 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. curry powder

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. turmeric

½ tsp. black pepper

½ tsp. salt

2 cups halved green beans (you may use

frozen)

1 lb. uncooked, peeled and deveined

shrimp (defrosted if frozen)

Shrimp

Heat olive oil on high heat in a deep

frying pan with a lid.  Add diced onions,

sauté until brown, around 8 minutes.  Add

chopped garlic; stir well and sauté for another two minutes. 

To make the sauce, add diced tomatoes,

tomato sauce, ginger, paprika, curry powder, turmeric, pepper and salt, bring to

a boil.  Immediately reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 40 minutes until

the sauce thickens.  Stir the sauce once

in a while and make sure that it doesn’t burn. 

Add green beans and shrimp, stir well,

cover and cook for another 15 minutes.

Serve over challaw, Afghan rice or with Afghan nan.  A fresh tangy salad

with lemon dressing is an excellent balance to the flavors of the qorma.  Sofia lapped up her qorma with a side of plain yogurt.

IMG_5503

My simple salad, what I found in my kitchen; lettuce, one tomato, carrots, cilantro, red onion and avocados.  The dressing; one large freshly squeezed lemon, lemon pepper, and Himalayan pink salt.  

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