Afghan-Kishmish Panir (Cheese with Raisins)

Afghan-Kishmish Panir (Cheese with Raisins)

Ingredients:
1 gallon of milk
White vinegar
Cheesecloth
1 box black seedless raisinsa

How to cook:
In a large stockpot, add a small amount of water to barely cover the bottom of the pan. Add1 gallon of regular whole fat milk to the pot and bring to a boil. Stirring helps the bottom not to burn and the milk to boil faster. NEVER LEAVE UNATTENDED. As the milk begins to steam, take about 1/4 cup of white vinegar and put it next to the stove. When the milk starts to rise in the pan, add the vinegar in a circular pattern. Take the pan off of the heat. Take a slotted spoon and start helping the curds and whey separate (some people like to lightly salt the cheese, if you would like to, add two good pinches of salt at this point). After about 5 minutes you should have a good amount of separation. In the sink and over a colander, double fold a cheesecloth and press into the shape of the colander. Using thick, new kitchen gloves (the kind used for washing dishes), slowly pour the contents of the pot into the cheese cloth, when all of the curds are in the cheesecloth, gather the ends of the cheesecloth together and twist. The VERY hot whey will come out and shape the curds into a ball. Press to make it smooth and round. Twist and press two or three times only and the place the cheesecloth on a plate in the refrigerator. You do not want to twist too much or else the cheese will be crumbly. When the ball has cooled, take it out of the cheese cloth and wrap it in foil until you are ready to cut. Cut the cheese in slices down the ball so that you end up with thick slices, and then cut the slices into cubes. Fill half of the plate with cheese and place raisins on the other half of the plate and serve. The cheese can last 2-3 days, slightly longer if salt was added.

Afghan-Ice Cream (Sheer Yakh)

Afghan-Ice Cream (Sheer Yakh)

Ingredients:
* Vanilla Ice Cream
* Rose Water
* Pistachios (unsalted)

Directions:
Pour 1/2 tsp of Rosewater over 1-2 scoops of Ice Cream and then sprinkle finely chopped pistachios (unsalted) on the top of the Ice Cream. Enjoy!

Afghan-Subzi (Spinach)

Afghan-Subzi (Spinach)

Ingredients:
* Oil
* Green onions
* Garlic
* Cilantro
* Dried dill
* Spinach
* Paprika
* Cumin
* Coriander
* Chicken flavor bouillon powder

How to cook:
In a medium saucepan, put 3 tbsp of oil into the pan and turn it on to medium heat. Wash and finely chop 2 bunches of green onions. Chop all but the little hair like fibers on the end, and add to the oil. Let heat until the onions are translucent, then add 1 tbsp of finely chopped garlic and let fry for about 2-3 minutes. Finely chop 2 bunches of cilantro (cut off only the very ends of the stems, the brown parts) and add to the pan. When the cilantro wilts a bit, add the frozen spinach. After 5 minutes, turn so that all of the spinach is no longer frozen. Add 1 cup of water to stop the frying. Add 1/2 tsp of paprika, 1 1/2 tbsp of ground cilantro seeds, add 2 tbsp of cumin and 2 tbsp coriander and mix into the spinach. Add 2 large pinches of dried dill, rub it in your hands to release the essence and add to the pan. Finally add 1 tbsp of chicken flavor bouillon powder in place of salt. Stir until most of the water has evaporated off and the spinach is cooked through.

Afghan-Salaata (Salad)

Image by Laurel Fan via Flickr

Afghan-Salaata (Salad)

Ingredients:
* Tomatoes
* Yellow Onion
* Cilantro
* Lemon
* Cucumbers
* Radishes
* Salt

How to cook:
Chop 2 whole tomatoes, 1 medium yellow onion, and 1 bunch of washed cilantro. Mix these together in a bowl. Juice one lemon and pour the juice over the top of the tomato, onion, and cilantro. You can also add sliced cucumbers, as well as radishes. Sprinkle with salt (to taste) a good pinch and toss the salad. Cover and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes to allow all the juices to mix together.

Afghan-Cilantro Chutney(Sauce)

Afghan-Cilantro Chutney

Ingredients:
* 1 large bunch of cilantro or 2 medium ones
* 1 Jalapeno chili with the seeds removed
* 4 walnuts
* 1tbs granulated sugar
* 1 cup of white vinegar or lemon juice
* 2 tsp salt

How to cook:
Prepare this in a blender or food processor for an even texture.

Wash the chili and remove the seeds or the chutney will be too hot. Wash and roughly chop all but the very end of the stems from the cilantro. Keeping the part of the stems that are not brown gives this a great taste. Add both of the above to the blender. Then add all the of the rest of the ingredients and blend until the walnuts are well chopped and it has the consistency of a slightly chunky soup. If it is too chunky, blend until it is smoother or add 3 tbsp of water and blend again. In an airtight container, and if it is not contaminated when using, it will keep for at least 3 weeks.

Afghan-Bolaanee (leek and/or potato filled pockets)

Afghan-Bolaanee (leek and/or potato filled pockets)

Ingredients:
* Egg roll wrappers
* 4 or 5 medium potatoes or leeks
* Salt to taste
* Oil for frying

Note: If you have a lot of time or have a large frying surface like a smooth griddle you can make a very large bolaanee, but since most people do not, I am not going to include how to make the dough from scratch. If you are really interested then e-mail me and I will send you the recipe. As a great and easy substitute use a package of egg roll wrappers and 1small bowl with 1/4 cup of water to seal the bolaanee.

How to cook:
Clean and boil the potatoes until they are very soft and let them cool. Peel the potatoes and salt to taste while mashing them with a masher or fork. Take the egg roll wrapper and fill it 1 1/2 tsp of potato and place it in the middle of the wrapper, and smooth down in the center. With your finger, dip it into the bowl of water and run the water around the edges of the egg roll wrapper. Take the end of the wrapper and attach it to the other end diagonal from it. Pinch together the wrapper all the way around and the bolaanee will form a triangle. Do not over or under fill the center, and make several before you begin frying because once the oil gets hot you will have trouble cooking them and making them at the same time. Fry until golden brown ~3 minutes on both sides. Drain the excess oil as you lift the bolaanee and place them on a plate with several paper towels under them to help remove the excess oil. Serve with chutney or as an appetizer.

Afghan-Aush (Noodles with Pulses, Meat and Yoghurt)

Afghan-Aush (Noodles with Pulses, Meat and Yoghurt)

Ingredients:
Aush Dough
* 2 c Plain flour
* 1 ts Salt
* 2/3 c Cold water
* Additional flour

Pules and Noodle Mixture
* 1/2 c Yellow split peas - (daul nakhud)
* Cold water
* 1 c Canned kidney beans w/liquid
* Salt
* 1 tb Oil
* 2 c Finely chopped spinach

Meat Sauce
* 1/2 c Oil
* 1 Medium onion; finely chopped
* 750 g Ground lamb or beef
* Salt
* Freshly ground black pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 2 teaspoons ground coriander
* 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
* 1/2 c Tomato puree
* 1/2 c Water

Chakah(Yogurt Sauce)
* 1 1/2 c Drained yogurt
* 3 ts Dried mint; rubbed
* 1/4 ts Hot chili pepper (or more)
* 1/4 c Finely chopped coriander
* Salt to taste

How to cook:
Sift flour and salt into a bowl, add water and mix to a firm dough, adding more flour if necessary. Divide into 2 balls and wrap in plastic. Rest for 30 minutes.
On a floured board roll out each ball of dough very thinly. Cut into 5 mm (1/4-inch) strips either while it is flat or by rolling up each sheet of dough and slicing with a sharp knife. Place noodles on a floured cloth, dust with flour and leave to dry for about 30 minutes.

Wash split peas well and place in a pan with 1-1/2 cups cold water. Bring to the boil and boil gently for 30 minutes or until tender. Add red beans and liquid and keep warm. In a large pot bring 8 cups water to the boil, add 2 teaspoons salt, oil and noodles. Put noodles in gradually, stirring after each addition. Return to the boil and cook uncovered for 5 minutes.

Add spinach and cook for further 5 minutes. Drain in a colander and return to the pot. Add split peas and bean mixture with its liquid, toss ingredients lightly and keep hot over low heat.

In a frying pan heat the 1/2 cup oil, fry onion until soft and add ground meat. Stir over high heat until juices evaporate and meat browns lightly. Add salt and pepper to taste, tomato puree, spices and water, cover and simmer 10 minutes, then remove cover and let moisture evaporate. Sauce should be oily. Combine chakah ingredients, add to noodles and toss well. Mixture should be moist. Place noodle mixture in a deep dish and top with keema. Stir at the table and serve in deep plates.