Slow Cooker Series: Afghan Risotto, Shohla e Goshtee

By Humaira

  

This is the last of our slow cooker series recipe.  We have really enjoyed experimenting with the recipes to make them slow cooker friendly.  Your positive comments have encouraged us to do slow cooker recipes in the future.

  

 

 

Ever since starting this blog I find myself obsessively talking about Afghan food and recipes with any Afghan who happens to cross my path.  In one of those sessions, my friend Yasmene mentioned that her aunt makes shohla,  Afghan risotto, in a slow cooker.  So, I thought we should give it a try too.   

  

This dish is not most photogenic, but it tastes heavenly.  Shohla e goshtee is definitely one of my favorite Afghan dishes.  I remember on cold winter days when our cook would make shohla, and I would eat spoonful after spoonful until I couldn't move.  It’s a warm, hearty dish, perfect for fall or winter dinners.  

  

 

 

I have served this dish at my last few dinner parties and I must say it has been a big hit with the first timers as well as the scary crowd, Afghans.    Serving Afghan food to my mom or other Afghan guests always makes me a little uneasy (they have many constructive “comments”).   But I bit the bullet last November and when I did some of the cooking for my sister Nabila’s birthday party, which we hosted at my house.  The menu consisted of numerous dishes and since I have only four burners on my stove, I made the shohla in the slow cooker.  I didn’t have to worry about it burning or not being ready on time -- a dream for entertaining.

  

 

 

There are different kinds of shohla; some are sweet, others are savory.   Shohla e goshtee is savory and like most savory shohlas it is cooked with meat and beans.  Sweet shohlas such as rice pudding are usually served as dessert.  I make my shohla e goshtee with boneless beef stew meat since my husband Jim hates to futz around with bones.  You can also use lamb or choose a cut that does well slow cooked on the bone.   Cooking the dish low and slow really brings out the flavors of the meat and adds rich dimension to the soft, chewy rice, mung beans, and split peas.  I like to eat the shohla with a dollop of plain yogurt and a salad.

 

 

Afghan Risotto 

Shohla e Goshtee 

2 large yellow onions, peeled and quartered

5 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 lb. beef or lamb stewing meat, cut into medium chunks

1 cup dried mung beans, rinsed

1 tbsp. tomato sauce

1/3 cup olive oil

2 cups beef broth

¼ cup yellow split peas

2 cups short-grain white rice, rinsed and drained in a colander

1 jalapeno pepper, stem removed, quartered and seeded

3 tsp. salt

½ tsp. ground black pepper

2 ½ tsp. dried dill

¼ tsp. turmeric

6 cups water

Plain yogurt

Large oval or round slow cooker

  

  

 

 

Puree the onions and garlic in a food processor.   Put the onion/garlic puree, meat, mung beans, tomato sauce, olive oil and beef broth into the slow cooker.  Mix well and cook on low for 4 hours until the meat is cooked through and most of the liquid is absorbed.  The sauce be aromatic and it will have a rich brown .

  

 

 

Add all the rest of the ingredients except the yogurt to the slow cooker.    Stir thoroughly; continue to cook on low for 2 more hours. Cook until the meat is tender enough to easily cut with a fork and all the water is absorbed.  If all the water is absorbed but the rice is still crunchy, add another cup of water, stir well, and cooks for another 15 minutes.  Serve hot with a spoonful of plain yogurt.

  

 

Serves 8

 

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

 

Comments

[Humaira]

Hi George,

So sorry for the delay in getting back to you. I was traveling out of the country without access to my comments. First of all, congratulations on your success with cousin Madya's recipe and doubly congratulations for attempting to cook despite your hatred of cooking.

I am not familiar with Shohla's Gorbandi? Might this be an Iranian dish? Shohla e gosht (Afghan risotto with lamb & legumes) is an Afghan short grain rice dish similar to Italian risotto. Would this be what you are referring to? Here is my recipe for this dish:

http://www.afghancooking.net/afghan-culture-unveiled/2010/01/afghan-risotto-the-ugly-duckling.html

As for tomato sauce, I am not referring to ketchup. tomato sauce is slow cooked tomatoes with some spices, usually pureed and found in a can. I am not sure what they would be called in Australia.

Let me know how things go for you.

Best,
Humaira

[Georgie]

Hi Humaira! I discovered your blog yesterday and made Cousin Madya's Kadoo and the layered eggplant (both YUMMY) for dinner and tonight i'm going to make the Gulpea cauliflower and Dal. I really dislike cooking, but I LOVE afghan food so much I decided to give it a go, and they were easy and turned out really well! I usually give up halfway and make someone else do it. So thank you for that, firstly.

Shola Gorbandi is probably my most favourite food in the entire world... The only thing I can figure out is that this recipe is Gorbandi + Lamb? I'm pretty much veggie only, so I was wondering how you might amend this recipe to make Shola Gorbandi. I've tried to find a recipe online but no luck!

(Also, in Australia, what we call 'tomato sauce' is essentially american ketchup - what is your version of tomato sauce? ketchup or, something else?)
Many thanks for all the recipes so far. so delicious! Georgie

[Humaira]

Zuneera Jan - Making beef broths is very easy. Take a pound of beef with bone, place in a pot with at four inches of water above it. Add onions, celery and carrot. Bring to boil and then turn down to low and simmer for a couple of hours or until the meal is very soft. Discard all ingredients and keep the broth. You may season it with salt or pepper if you use it for soup. Happy cooking - Humaira

[zuneera]

Salam.. wow!!the recepie is mouthwatering. Can please help me for how to make the beef broth?

[Humaira]

Salam Safia Jan- I am also glad you found my blog. I love it when Afghans read my blog and they find it helpful. I am not familiar with Magi beef broth. I usually buy beef broth either from my local market where they are home-made and sold frozen or packaged organic beef broth from Trader Joe's or Whole Foods. If you don't have beef broth you may use chicken broth or water. Since the dish has meat you won't lose much flavor by using water. Nosh-e-jan. - Humaira

[safia]

Salaam, I just came across your cite and it is Amazing! I want to try out this recipe. Can I use the Magi beef broth in this recipe? If not then, how do you get the beef broth for this recipe?