travel MIDDLE EAST
Afghan kidjeree quroot ‘Quroot’ is a form of curd that is made into small balls and dried in the sun. In a discussion last year with some of my Afghan students at the American University of Afghanistan, Ali Reza, a young man from the city of Herat, told me of this ‘unique’ Herati dish. I think he was rather disappointed when I informed him that forms of ‘kedgeree’ have been cooked throughout the Indian sub-continent for a very long time! 400g short grain rice 400g mung beans, soaked overnight 700g ground lamb 2 medium onions, grated 1 medium onion, chopped 1 tbsp coriander seeds ½ cup fresh tomatoes, diced
1 tsp dried mint 1 tbsp cayenne pepper ¼ tsp salt ¼ cup vegetable oil 6 Herati ‘quroot’ balls* * Replace with ½ cup thick, plain yoghurt, if quroot is unavailable
1 Bring to the boil a pan of water, add the mung beans and a pinch of salt, then reduce the heat and cook until almost tender (approximately 1 hour), removing the scum from time to time when necessary. Remove from the heat and set aside. In another pan, cook the rice, again, with a teaspoon of salt, until almost tender, then remove, and mix together both the mung beans and rice. Place in a baking dish. Preheat an oven to 180°c and bake the mixture for a further 30 minutes, or until all of the water has evaporated. 2 In a bowl, mix together the ground lamb, grated onions, salt and cayenne pepper. Heat the vegetable oil in a saucepan, add the chopped onion and sauté until translucent. Add the ground meat mixture and sauté until browned. Add the tomatoes, two cups of water and cook on a gentle flame until the water has evaporated. 3 If you have access to authentic Afghan quroot, chop the balls and place in a blender with a cup of boiling water. Blend on a slow speed and turn up the control until a smooth, pourable paste is achieved. 4 To serve, place the mun/rice mixture on a serving dish and make a well in it. Add the meat sauce and mix together. Pour the quroot over the dish and decorate with dried mint and cayenne pepper.
Aubergine salad with yoghurt bidinjan bil zabadi A Sudanese colleague prepared something similar to this dish for me many years ago, and called it ‘salata aswad’ – black salad. My version, which I have amended many times over the years, is made with local laban, or ‘zabadi’, though a creamy yoghurt works better as it gives the dish a thicker consistency. ‘Salata aswad’ is a popular Ramadhan snack in Sudan, where there are infinite varieties, which use, among other things, peanut butter, tahina or tomato paste, instead of the yoghurt. I like to make mine with a tiny chilli bite, and serve it with a few toasted pine nuts and a sprinkling of coriander on top. 2 large aubergines (eggplants) ½ cup of natural plain yoghurt 2 cloves garlic, finely diced olive oil for frying small chilli, finely diced, or ¼ teaspoon Tunisian harissa handful pine nuts salt, pepper Optional addition to marinade: Any of the following: chopped basil, coriander, grated parmesan Preparation: Cut the aubergines into thin slices lengthways, sprinkle liberally with salt and let sweat for 20 minutes. Wash and pat dry and then fry in olive oil for 3-4 minutes each side. Pat dry once again and set aside. Combine the yoghurt, garlic, chilli and add coriander or basil if you want to flavour it thus. Spoon the marinade over the aubergine slices, pop under the grill and heat. If you want to give it a more Mediterranean flavour, sprinkle some Parmesan cheese over the slices before the final grilling.
July 2011 BBC Good Food Middle East 69