TURMERIC BRAISED CHICKEN IN YOGURT - LAWANG

By Katie

This pot of chicken gorgeousness will convert even the most stubborn skeptic of Afghan cuisine. Called lawang, it’s our favorite center-of-the-table dish for dinner parties. In addition to being delicious, it can be made a day ahead and reheated just before serving. It’s just as good as if you’d made it on the spot.

The first time I tried lawang was at Helmand, an Afghan restaurant here in San Francisco. They serve a version made with lamb that’s a true world beater. When Humaira suggested we prepare a chicken lawang, I was hesitant. I couldn’t imagine the lamb being improved upon. But Humaira isn’t hugely fond of lamb, so I agreed. And she was right, it worked beautifully with the chicken.

The key to lawang is patience. You must cook the onions and chicken low and slow for quite some time. This eventually renders delicious juices that, when combined with yogurt, creates an unctuous, turmeric-scented sauce.

It’s best to use the fattier leg and thigh meat rather than the breast in order to achieve a tender braised texture. Also important is how you incorporate the yogurt, the very last step. If you add cold yogurt to hot chicken, it will curdle and rob the sauce of its silky texture. We suggest bringing the yogurt up to room temperature and letting the chicken cool slightly before marrying the two in the pan.

Be sure to have plenty of nan or good pita bread handy. You will need it to scoop up all that “so good it might make you cry” yogurt sauce.

Turmeric Braised Chicken in Yogurt

Lawang

1½ cups Greek-style yogurt stirred until creamy

3 lbs skinless, bone-in chicken legs and thighs, separated

1/2 cup olive oil

2 large onions, pureed in food processor (or finely chopped)

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1 tbsp. ground turmeric

1/2 tbsp. ground coriander

1 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

Remove the yogurt from the refrigerator. Wash the chicken and pat dry with a dish towel or paper towel.

Heat ¼ cup of the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot with a lid. Cook the onions over medium-high heat for 10 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to saute until deeply browned (another 5 minutes or so).

Add the remainder of the oil, the chicken and salt. Stir the chicken to coat with the onions, turn heat to low, put on the lid and cook for 25 minutes. Stir regularly to keep the chicken from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add the pepper, turmeric and coriander and stir well to incorporate the spices evenly into the dish. It should take on a deep yellow color.  Cover and continue to cook on low for another 25 to 30 minutes or until the sauce thickens and the chicken is tender and cooked through. If the pan goes dry during cooking add water, a tablespoon at a time, as needed.

Remove the pan from the heat and let it rest for 10 minutes to cool the dish slightly. Add the yogurt and cilantro and stir thoroughly. Return to the heat and gently cook over low heat for 5 minutes. The sauce will be thick & creamy.

Serve with basmati rice such as challaw and nan or pita bread.

Note: if you plan to make this a day ahead, cook the chicken but refrain from the last step of the recipe, adding the yogurt. When you are ready to serve, gently reheat the chicken to warm (but not hot), add the room-temperature yogurt and cilantro, and continue to cook for 5 minutes until heated through.

Serves 4-6

photo by Kim Harris

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

AFGHANISTAN'S NOT SO BASMATI RICE - CHALLAW

By Katie

Whenever I make challaw, Afghanistan’s traditional white basmati rice, I imagine Humaira’s mom Jeja peering over my shoulder, tisk tisking my every wrong move. Jeja takes her rice cooking seriously and nobody’s quite measures up. This recipe is hers.

I have to admit that mastering Afghan rice was more challenging than expected. Handmade dumplings? No problem. Pumpkin turnovers with cilantro chutney? Piece of cake. But the rice kind of threw me. It’s not difficult. It just requires a few extra, methodical steps -- never my strong suit.

Each grain of rice should be independent from the next; never sticky. It should be lightly salted and gently flavored with cardamom. Although it’s tempting to serve Afghan dishes with ordinary steamed rice, making challaw is worth the effort.

Challaw

 3 cups good quality basmati rice (not processed or par-cooked)

1/4 cup vegetable or olive oil

1 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt

5 green cardamom pods

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Immerse the rice in a bowl of water. Drain. Repeat this step three times. Immerse the rice again in water and soak for 1 to 2 hours. Fill a medium (5 quart) pot with water and bring to a boil (if you use a pot that is too large, you won't get the desired result -- unless you are doubling or tripling the recipe). 

Add the rice to the boiling water and cook for 2-3 minutes until it is al dente. There should be a slight crunch if you bite into the rice. Don't overcook it.

Scoop out 1/4 cup of the cooking water and set aside. Pour the rice into a colander to drain off the water. Quickly return the rice back to the pot. Add the ¼ cup of cooking water, oil, salt, and cardamom and stir thoroughly but gently so the rice doesn't break. Cover the pot with aluminum foil and set the lid on top of that.

Put the pot in the oven and cook for 10 minutes.Drop the heat to 250 degrees and cook for an additional 25 minutes. Serve on a large, shallow platter.

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

AMERICA'S FAVORITE AFGHAN DISH - KADOO

By Humaira

Honestly, I don't remember having Kadoo growing up. Perhaps it was that I didn't like the sweet and savory taste, or that it's not the quintessential Afghan dish like Palau or Qorma.  However, every American I meet who has had Afghan food raves about Kadoo. Over the past couple of years I have also become a fan.

Kadoo is pumpkin braised with ginger and onions, and served with yogurt. Although the word Kadoo means pumpkin in Dari (the most common Afghan dialect), my mom, Jeja, and her friends have found butternut squash to be a more reliable option. Pumpkins have a shorter season and it's not always clear which varieties will be tasty. However, in an article Katie wrote for the San Francisco Chronicle she demystifies pumpkin selection for the Kadoo dish. 

In some Afghan restaurants Kadoo is served with a meat sauce (kofta) but I prefer the vegetarian version. It tastes best with a piece of toasted pita bread or warm nan.

Sweet and Savory Pumpkin with Yogurt

Borani Kadoo

1 large yellow onion, peeled and pureed in a food processor, or finely chopped

¼ cup olive oil

2 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 3-inch chunks

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced make 1 tbsp

1 small jalapeno pepper, halved, seeded and diced

1 tbsp. tomato paste

1 tbsp. ground turmeric

1 tbsp. fresh ginger, peeled and diced

¼ cup sugar

1 ½ to 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

Yogurt sauce (recipe below)

Heat the oil in a 14-inch sauté pan or large casserole over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until tender and golden brown, about 15 minutes. Once the onion is tender, add the garlic, jalapeno, tomato paste, turmeric, ginger, sugar and 1 ½ cups of broth. Stir and bring to a boil. As soon as the mixture boils pour the sauce in a bowl.

Arrange the squash pieces tucked snugly in the same pan. It’s o.k. if the pieces overlap somewhat. Pour the sauce over the squash, cover with a lid or foil and simmer over low heat. Every few minutes, gently move the squash around so all the pieces cook evenly and the bottom of the squash doesn’t burn. Add more broth if the pan gets dry. Cook until the squash is fork-tender but doesn’t lose its shape (30 to 40 minutes).

To serve, arrange the pumpkin in a large shallow bowl. Spoon the yogurt sauce over the pumpkin and pour any remaining yogurt around the outside edges of the pumpkin. Serve with nan or pita bread.

Yogurt Sauce:

1 cup yogurt

1 ½ tsp. dried garlic

1 tsp. salt

In a small bowl, mix together the ingredients.

Serves 4 to 6

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Cut squash, best to peel, cut in half, remove seeds and cut in small pieces. 

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Squash covered with sauce, ready to cook.

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