By Humaira
People always ask me if ingredients for Afghan recipes are hard to find. The answer to this is always a resounding “no”. While there are a small handful of unusual ingredients in Afghan cooking, the great majority of what’s needed can be found in your neighborhood supermarket such as Safeway, Ralph’s, or Whole Foods. Living in the San Francisco Bay Area has many advantages (house prices are not one of them) including accessibility to ethnic grocery stores. However, you can access a large selection of more exotic ingredients online at www.sadaf.com. I have not used this site since I purchase Sadaf brands in my local ethnic market, but I have friends who rely on it for specialty ingredients.
Here is a peek into our pantry with a breakdown of the ingredients most commonly used in Afghan cooking. We hope this will make it fun and easy for you to try our Afghan recipes.
- Herbs and Spices
In Afghanistan spices are typically bought in bulk and ground as needed. But as busy moms and home cooks, we buy most spices already ground and packaged. Below is the list of the most commonly used herbs and spices:
o Coriander
o Cardamom
o Paprika
o Cumin
o Cinnamon
o Turmeric
o Black pepper
o Sea Salt
o Ginger, fresh and dried
o Dill
o Dried garlic
o Fresh cilantro
o Mint, fresh and dried
o Chilies, fresh and dried
o Nigella seeds (tiny black, slightly bitter seeds; available in specialty markets/mail order businesses)
o Sesame seeds
o Fenugreek
· Beans and Peas
Legumes are used as an extender for kebabs and other meat dishes since they are far less expensive than meat. You will find them fried and salted as a snack or coated with sugar to have with tea.
o Chick peas
o Kidney Beans
o Mung Beans
o Split Peas
o Lentils
· The Onion Family
Practically every savory Afghan dish is made with onions in some form. Most common is something called piaz e surkh kada, which is finely minced onion cooked in plenty of oil until deeply browned, lending a rich and mellow flavor to meats and vegetables. Afghans also use the “juice” of the onion, squeezing out the liquid and distributing it in ground meat for kebabs.
o Yellow onions
o Red onions
o Gandana (similar in appearance to leeks; available in specialty markets. Leeks and/or green onions can be substituted)
o Leeks
o Scallions
· Rice
Afghans are very particular about their rice; it is the centerpiece of nearly every meal. Using the right rice and cooking it properly are considered essentials for a good Afghan cook. We recommend the least processed Basmati rice you are able to find.
o Long grain rice
o Short grain rice
Except where otherwise noted, all content on this blog is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported license.
Just want to post again how much I love your blog. I fell in love with Afghan food 10 years ago in NYC, tried recipes on the internet but I could never make anything successfully until I found your blog. Now I have a regular repertoire of Afghan food and I make it for my friends and family. There are so many things I love about Afghan food: simple, healthful ingredients used in unusual ways, flavorful food that is never overpowering. Thank you!
Posted by: Lynn | 10/02/2011 at 09:29 AM
I recently found your blog when I did a search for recipes after having eaten at an Afghan restaurant for the first time and loving the food!
The ingredients listed here are very similar to ones I use for cooking Indian food which I have also more recently discovered to have an affection for.
Being in Northern CA I am very fortunate to have several ethnic grocery stores nearby.
Thank you for posting the basic pantry items as well as the recipes!
Posted by: Tami@nutmegnotebook | 09/18/2011 at 03:57 PM
Sounds like a delicious menu. Hope it was a success!
Posted by: Katie | 08/15/2011 at 08:17 PM
Dear Humaira and Katie-Trying to understand Afghanistan's culture, I've just read "Farishta," "The Kite Runner," and "A Thousand Splendid Suns." Then I found your wonderful Afghan recipes on the Internet, so tonight we're having Qurooti accompanied by Tomato, Cucumber,and Red Onion Salad followed by melon for dessert. I was thrilled that our West Virginia Kroger grocery store sold naan bread, and my house really smells delicious right now! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing a part of your culture with me!
Posted by: Laura Fullen | 07/26/2011 at 12:41 PM
I asked many people in Kabul for the Semyan recipe and everyone buys it in the store. Basically you make a dough and then run it through a pasta machine to get the long strands which then get fried in oil to make them crispy. Sorry to dissapoint but maybe Katie and I will give a go.
Posted by: Humaira | 04/06/2011 at 02:03 PM
I love semyan but we don't have the recipe yet. I will ask around while I am in Kabul.
Posted by: Humaira | 04/03/2011 at 11:21 AM
Please add the recipe of Semyan's if anyone knows about it. Semyan is a snack that Afghans usually use it in Eids or regularly in tea times for family and guests.
Posted by: Please email the recipe to me | 03/29/2011 at 11:39 AM
Congratulations on your blog Nathan. I hope you enjoy cooking our recipes.
Posted by: Humaira | 10/04/2010 at 10:15 PM
Hi Humaira and Katie, I just came across this blog and really am enjoying reading each post. I'm actually doing some research for a blog of my own, 26meals.wordpress.com it's slowing coming along. It's an exploration of 26 cuisines from 26 countries from A to Z. A is for Afghanistan. It's not only a blog about the food, but I hope to highlight the cultural traditions surrounding meals and explore the ethnic neighborhoods and communities here in NYC. Will certainly be using some of your recipes for the upcoming A meal.
Posted by: Nathan Gilbert | 10/04/2010 at 07:31 AM
Thanks for your comment. We're so pleased you are enjoying the blog. We would love it if you would share a favorite recipe or two with us. We could give it a try and put it on the blog, giving you credit, of course.
Best,
Katie
Posted by: katie | 09/20/2010 at 11:14 AM
Humira jan and Katie jan - thank you SO much for these amazing recipes you have made available to the world via the internet. I'm an Afghan-American who enjoys cooking and have kept all of my mother's secret recipes in a notebook on my kitchen shelf. There's so much more here that I didn't have recipes for (lawang and all the afghan desserts and cookies) and I'm so excited to add them to the "notebook." I love your blog and will share it with my sisters and friends.
Posted by: Mejgan Massoumi | 09/20/2010 at 11:01 AM