Afghan Culture Unveiled
By Humaira
Even food bloggers get in a food rut. My family knows I’ve run out of cooking energy when our dinner consists of Tortila de Patata, a Spanish potato and egg omelette since I always have eggs, onions and potatoes on hand.
Today’s recipes, khakeena, is Afghanistan’s answer to the Spanish Tortilla, you wouldn’t know it from the the long list of ingredients but I promise you it's true. Khak is the Dari word for dirt. Perhaps, our cleverly named dish khakeena, symbolize sweeping out the left overs from pantry, fridge or cold room from left over ingredients.
The idea is to throw together whatever veggies you have laying around into a healthy, hearty dish using eggs as a binder since they are expensive and used sparingly in Afghanistan. A summer khakeena will most likely have a different ingredient list than a winter khakeena.
Traditionally, khakeena is eaten for lunch. It’s served in a wedge with a salad and a side of nan.
I made wraps to make the dish more filing for my hungry teenagers. I added a little Humaira twist to the dish by creating a creamy feta sauce which adds a tangy edge to the wrap. There is no wrong way to serve this dish.
I want to thank my sister Nabila for sourcing this recipe from a friend of hers.
AFGHAN VEGETABLE FRITTATA
KHAKEENA
½ cup acorn squash, shredded with a box grater
⅓ cup fresh dill, finely chopped
3 green onions, chopped
2 cups spinach, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1 zucchini, shredded
3 fingerling potatoes, shredded
1 small red onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely chopped
3 eggs
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
1 teaspoon cumin, ground
1 teaspoon coriander, ground
4 spinach lavash, cut down to 8x10 inch size
Feta sauce:
¼ cup crumbled feta
½ tablespoon lemon zest
½ tablespoon olive oil
Heat oven to 350 degree
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until all ingredients are mixed well - around two minutes. Butter the bottom of an oven safe, deep frying pan with a generous coat of butter or use olive oil. Pour the mixture into the pan, spread evenly. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
While the frittata is in the oven, make the feta sauce. Put all ingredients in small bowl, mix with a small spoon, pressing the feta with the back of the spoon to create a creamy mixture.
Frittata can be served with a fresh salad with a small dollop of the feta sauce with side of pita or nan.
I made a wrap to make the dish more filing. Spread a thin layer of the feta sauce in the middle of the lavash, divide the frittata into quarters, place one portion on the lavash. Fold in one side of the lavash and then roll from the bottom up. Cut in half, serve with a side of salad.
Serves 4-5