MY BROTHER'S BEST CHICKEN KEBAB – KEBAB-E-MURGH

By Humaira

I have vivid memories from my childhood of walking by kebab stalls in my neighborhood in Kabul and being intoxicated by the delicious aroma of sizzling kebabs. I always wished I had 10 Afghani, (the Afghan currency) to buy a skewer. The kebabs were usually sold from simple shacks where the cooks would keep busy fanning the hot coals and showcasing their mouthwatering delicacies.

Most kebabs sold on the streets of Kabul are made of lamb and served on Afghan flat bread called lawausha or nan. You can buy a coke or a Fanta drink to wash down the savory meat. The kebab sellers, known as the kebabi, wrap the bread around the meat and pull it off the skewer. A few simple condiments such as salt, pepper, sumac and red pepper flakes are available to garnish the kebabs. Some kebabis have a few wooden tables and chairs to sit on, but most people take their kebabs to go, wrapped in a newspaper.

When I was in Kabul in 2006 I saw some very modern kebab shops with blindening fluorescent lighting, screened windows and loud, screechy Afghan pop music playing for our listening pleasure. Unfortunately my cousin Ghani Jan, who was our host, did not think it would be safe for us to eat in such public places. I found it strange that there were several kebab stalls right next to each other. I wondered if they all served the same thing or if each had their own delicacy.

To most Americans cooking kebabs usually involve a skewer. But that is not always the case with Afghan cooking. Kebabs can include meats that are cubed, on the bone or ground. They can be fried, grilled or cooked slow in an oven or tandoor. Though they can be served with rice, it is traditional to eat Afghan kebabs with bread.

Kebabs are served for special occasions in Afghanistan as well as for picnics and other family gatherings. My family rarely made the kebabs themselves, relying instead on one of the many kebab houses in Kabul. Things are different here in the U.S. and we’ve learned to adapt. My brother Tamim has become the master kebab maker in our family, always experimenting with various recipes and ingredients. Anytime we stop over for a visit he has the grill fired up and ready to go. This recipe is his. He recommends marinating the chicken overnight and using the thigh meat over any other cut because it turns out the most juicy and flavorful. Tamim always serves his kebabs with a big salad, pita bread or Afghan bread. We hope you will make this at your family barbeque.

Tamim’s Yogurt Marinated Chicken Kebab –

Kebab e Murgh

3 cups plain, whole milk yogurt

5 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tsp. ground coriander

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tbsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepperdash garlic powder

3 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Put all the ingredients except the chicken in a large bowl and mix well. Add the chicken and mix until all pieces are covered with yogurt. Pour the contents of the bowl in a sealable plastic bag or a container with a tight lid. Marinate for at least 24 hours.

Pull the chicken out of the fridge 30 minutes before you are going to grill. Get the barbecue good and hot. If you are using a gas grill, let it heat up for a good 10 minutes. In the meantime, pour the chicken into a colander and wipe the marinade off as best you can.

Grill the chicken over a medium-high flame about 7 minutes a side until it’s cooked through. Once cooked, wrap the chicken in aluminum foil and let it sit for 5 minutes. Serve warm.

Serves 6

Recipe by Tamim Ghilzai

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SPRING LAMB AND RHUBARB STEW - QORMA-E-RAWASH

Spring Lamb and Rhubarb Stew

By Katie

As a young girl, I spent nearly as much time in the backyard of our neighbors, the Switzers, as I did in my own neck of the woods. Part of the draw was their abundant vegetable garden, which held far more appeal than the colorful patch of annuals my mother always planted. We’d wander amongst the plants, pulling peas and plucking strawberries. Best of all was the rhubarb, which we’d snap off like stalks of celery and eat raw, dunked in granulated sugar…. ….dunk, bite, dunk, bite. Good thing we didn’t sink our teeth into the sturdy leaves; it turns out they are quite toxic.

I’m not sure I ate properly cooked rhubarb until I discovered the delights of strawberry rhubarb pie as an adult. And it wasn’t until I started cooking Afghan food that I considered using rhubarb for anything but dessert. Ever the resourceful ones, Afghans use rhubarb in pickles, jams and most especially for savory stews. It is a vegetable, after all.

Rhubarb is thought to have its roots in Asia and was originally highly sought after for its medicinal qualities. Apparently it cleanses the blood. I’m not sure what that means exactly; I just know that it’s only here for a brief stint in the spring, and that time is now. The tart, tender-when-cooked, drop dead gorgeous qualities of rhubarb make for some pretty wonderful dishes.

This recipe here is new to both Humaira and me. We adapted it from Helen Saberi’s Afghan Food & Cookery. It’s a qorma, basically a stew, made with lamb, seasoned with cardamom, cumin and black pepper. It cooks a good long while until the lamb is fork tender, and almost candied from loads of onions. Then the whole thing is finished off when pieces of rhubarb are tucked in amongst the meat and it all continues to cook until everything is meltingly tender. Over rice it’s a luscious and unique dish.

Spring Lamb and Rhubarb Stew

Qorma e Rawash

1 ½ lbs. lamb stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes

Salt and black pepper

4 tbsp. olive oil, divided

2 large yellow onions, finely chopped

1 tbsp. tomato sauce

¾ tsp. ground cumin

½ tsp. ground cardamom

Water

1 lb. rhubarb, cut into 2-inch lengths.

1/3 cup roughly chopped cilantro

Liberally season the lamb with the salt and pepper. Heat 2 tbsp. of the oil in a Dutch oven or other large, heavy, lidded pot over medium-high heat. Cook the meat until deeply browned on all sides. Remove the meat from the pot and set aside. 

Add the remaining 2 tbsp. of oil to the Dutch oven and add the onions. Cook over medium heat until tender and golden brown. Add the lamb back to the pot along with ¼ tsp. black pepper, tomato, cumin, cardamom, and ½ cup of water. Put the lid on the pot, and cook at a gentle simmer over low heat until the lamb is tender. Check the lamb every 15 minutes or so and add water, ¼ cup at a time, if there is not much liquid in the pot. Once the lamb is very tender, add the rhubarb, tucking it in between the pieces of lamb. Put the lid back on and cook until the rhubarb is tender (10 to 20 minutes depending on the thickness of the stalks) but not losing its shape. Sprinkle the cilantro over the top and serve with challaw or steamed basmati rice.

Serving 4

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JUICY AFGHAN BURGERS - CHAPLI KEBAB

Food sytlist, Waheed Ghilzai

By Humaira

My first memory of eating chaplikebab was when I was in my 20s at the home our good friend Jawade Khan who is from Pakistan. The burger patties were juicy and very flavorful, and tasted amazing with challaw. I was hooked.

A chapli kebab in Afghanistan, and in much of the middle world, is essentially a small amount of ground meat formed into patties, and then grilled. While most kebabs are cooked and served on skewers, these chapli kebabs are not. Chapli means sandal in Dari, so a chapli kebab is meant to be as thin as the sole of a sandal. This is not exactly an appetizing image but someone must have thought it a good description.

Jeja (my mom) is not big on making kebabs. But, my sister Nabila is a great cook with many traditional as well as innovative Afghan-inspired kebab recipes. I have always made chapli kebab using the recipe that Jawade Khan shared with me, which calls for tomatoes. But Nabila informed me that an Afghan style chapli kebab does not use tomatoes. I took advantage of her visit during mother’s day so she could share her chapli kebab recipe with me.

I am always nervous about feeding Jeja my Afghan dishes. She usually points out one or two things I could have done differently. Fortunately she LOVED this chapli kebab. Not only did she rave about it, she asked for the recipe and asked me how to cook the meat; a high compliment. So, if it’s good enough for Jeja, you all must try this recipe for your warm weather barbecues.

Juicy Afghan Burgers

Chapli Kebab

2 lbs. ground beef (no less than 20% fat)

1 ½ cups finely diced green onion (both white and green parts)

1 cup finely chopped cilantro (stems are fine)

1 egg

1 ½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. minced fresh ginger

1 tbsp. ground coriander

½ tbsp. finely chopped garlic

½ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

Pinch of ground cinnamon (optional)

Fire up the grill until it’s nice and hot.

In the mean time mix all ingredients in a large bowl and mix by hand for at least 5 minutes. Pretend it is bread dough and knead the meat. Set the timer so you won’t cut the time short. It’s very important that all the ingredients are mixed well and the meat takes on a smooth texture.

Divide the dough into eight pieces and roll into balls. Pat the meat to form burgers that are about 1/4-inch thick and 4 inches in diameter, or larger if you like. Cook each side on your BBQ for about 5 minutes or until its cooked all the way through and juicy. While there is no “medium rare’ in the Afghan vocabulary, be careful not to overcook them. If you don’t have a bbq, no worries, simply cook the kebabs in a lightly oiled skillet for about 5 minutes per side.

Serve with warm pita bread, salad and a dollop of yogurt.

Makes 8 patties

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