Meat Your Neighbours: A 10-day festival celebrates Afghani cuisine

Shirzad’s father must be proud, now that his son is a senior chef at the luxuriant Inter-Continental hotel in Kabul. Not that Shirzad has had it easy. Apart from working under his father, he worked with a kasai (butcher) and worked in Dubai and Pakistan before returning home to cook. He still butchers his own meat. “The integrity of the meat is of the first importance,” says Shirzad.

In India as part of a cultural exchange, Shirzad and three of his countrymen, two chefs and an administrator, are at the ITC Maurya, in Delhi, for a 10-day festival celebrating Afghani cuisine, after which they return with a similarly assembled Indian team to the Inter-Continental in Kabul for a 10-day showcase of Indian food. “The Indian High Commission contacted us for this exchange; it has taken three months to plan,” says Zubin S Songdwala, General Manager, ITC Maurya.

Afghani food, given the mountainous terrain of its regions, is high on protein, with beans, chicken and mutton being the mainstay of the cuisine, apart from a massive variety in breads and rice. “We have many varieties of breads which are available in the country. Since Afghani breads are only made in their tandoors (which are horizontal as opposed to their vertical Indian counterparts) and as most homes cannot afford the space required by these baking behemoths, most families buy their breads from the market,” says Shirzad. Meanwhile, sella rice, a variant of basmati, is as widely consumed and is the traditional component of Kabuli Pulao (the Afghans’ national dish) among other rice dishes. And the Afghanis love their rice. “There’s a tiny restaurant in Kabul, which is famous for only serving rice, without any kind of salan, korma, or gosht. They just serve plain rice. And there are people queuing up from the morning to early in the afternoon, by when the rice finishes,” says Shirzad.

Given the country’s distance from the traditional spice route, Afghanis have never used too many condiments. “There are no spices in my home, no masalas,” says Shirzad, adding that this is common among Afghans. They use salt and green chillies, and that’s about it. The main flavour in Afghan food comes from the grill, whether wood or charcoal, as does the colour. Indeed, most Afghan houses still do not employ gas or other petroleum products for cooking, preferring the traditional fuels of wood and coal.

Not that things haven’t progressed in the country. “Mashahallah, Afghanistan has seen great progress in the last decade. The Taliban regime seemed determined to wipe out our historical heritage. Now, the new democratic government is re-establishing our culture. Earlier, we had no electricity, never mind other infrastructure. Today we do, with many projects in the pipeline to improve our lives. With inter-cultural projects like these, we can learn from our neighbours and perhaps teach them a thing or two,” says Shirzad.

In any case when you talk about India, Shirzad lights up. “The first thing my friends said when I told them I’m going to India was to find Shah Rukh and get a picture taken with him,” laughs Shirzad. Apparently, pictures of Shah Rukh, the other Khans and the galaxy of Bollywood adorn Afghanistan, from taxis to billboards.

Kabuli Pulao
Ingredients (Serves 2)

Mutton 500 gm
Basmati rice 250 gm
Onions 50 gm
Cumin 10 gm
Tomatoes 50 gm
Green cardamom 4-6
Beaten curd 75 gm
Salt to taste
Pista (boiled peeled ) 75 gm
Badam (boiled peeled ) 75 gm
Carrot ( peeled grated ) 60 gm
Browned onions for garnish

Method
1. Heat fat in a deep vessel and add half of the whole spices. When they crackle add onions, tomatoes, sliced mutton pieces and saute. Add salt to the pieces.

2. Wash and soak rice for 10 minutes. Boil water in a pan and add the remaining whole spices, salt and lemon juice. Add the rice and cook till 2/3rd done.

3. To cook on dum, layer the cooked mutton with the boiled rice. Garnish with grated carrot which is sauted in oil, add boiled peeled badam and pista. Line the lid with dough, seal the vessel and cook for 15 minutes.

4. Garnish with browned onions and beaten curd