SWEET POTATO AFGHAN FLAT BREAD: BOLANI

By Katie

Bolani is Afghan unleavened bread stuffed with any number of fillings, typically potatoes, or gandana (akin to leeks). Not quite turnover, not quite crepe, or quesadilla, it’s in a category all its own, and completely worth knowing about.

The De Afghanan Kebab House, a hole-in-the wall along the strip known as “Little Kabul” in Fremont, makes the best bolani we know. Watching the cooks roll out, fill and brown the big, beautiful bolani is worth a road trip. You can also find bolani sold by the folks at East West Gourmet Foods, who set up shop at many of the Bay Area farmers’ markets and sell at Whole Foods. 

We’ve taken some liberties with the recipe here. Making the bolani dough from scratch requires elbow grease, along with an investment of time many of us don’t have. Using tortillas is a doable short cut. The sweet potatoes are also a departure from the norm. The sweet, tender flesh of the potatoes marry well with cilantro and scallions. 

Bolani are best hot out of the sauté pan, when they are still brown and crispy. Serve them cut in half as an appetizer or tucked in a lunchbox along with a spoonful of yogurt.

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Sweet Potato and Cilantro Turnover:  Bolani

1 pound sweet potatoes

1/3 cup finely chopped cilantro

1/3 cup finely chopped scallions, white and light green parts 

¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

2 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons water

6 6-inch flour tortillas

Plain yogurt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Roast the sweet potatoes in the oven until very tender. The time will vary depending on the size of the potatoes.

Cut the potatoes in half, scoop out the flesh and put it into a medium bowl. Discard the skin. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to the sweet potatoes along with the cilantro, scallions, and salt. Mash with a fork until thoroughly combined. You can make this ahead of time and keep it refrigerated until ready to use.

In a small dish, mix together the flour and water to make a paste. Set a tortilla on your work surface and spread ¼ cup of the potato mixture on the tortilla, leaving a half-inch border around the rim. Using your finger spread a small amount of the paste around the edge of half of the tortilla. Fold the tortilla over, encasing the potatoes into a half circle. Press the two sides of the tortillas together firmly to form a tight seal. 

Heat the remaining ¼ cup of oil in a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat. Brown the bolani, two at a time, until golden on both sides. The bolani should sizzle when they hit the pan. Lay cooked bolani on a paper towel. These are best served warm but are tasty at room temperature. 

Serve with plain yogurt.

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

UNVEILING AFGHAN DOCUMENTARY - "WE CAME HOME"

Afghan artist and filmmaker - Ariana Delawari

By Humaira

Afghan Culture Unveiled is a promotional partner of World Affairs Council and the 16th UN Association Film Festival preview of "We Came Home", a documentary by Afghan femal artist Ariana Delawari.   

Afghan Culture Unveilved readers will receive 50% off the published ticket price for this sceening.  I hope to see you there.

"We Came Home" trailer

"We Came Home" tells the story of Afghanistan through Afghan American artist, Ariana Delawari. Born into a suburban Los Angeles home the same year the Soviets invaded Afghanistan, Ariana’s life unfolds parallel to the ever-changing events of her father’s homeland.

The Delawari household is a place of both celebration and activism, with the family attempting to recreate the Kabul they knew and left behind, before the tanks and land mines. September 11th changes the course of her family’s lives and Ariana spends the following ten years traveling between Los Angeles and Kabul, documenting the land of her ancestry through photographs, film and music.

With the Taliban resurgence, Ariana realizes that her currency is art, and that the opportunity to bridge the two halves of her existence may soon be gone forever. She rounds up her Los Angeles bandmates and sets out to record an album in Kabul with three Afghan Ustads, or master musicians. The recording is a glimpse into the challenges of building anything in Afghanistan after thirty years of war, but nothing can touch the universal language of music that unfolds between these LA hipsters and elder maestros.

The film will be followed by a short Q&A with the filmmakers.

This program is presented by the World Affairs Council of San Fracisco in partnership with the United Nations Association Film Festival. The 16th UNAFF celebrates the power of documentary films dealing with human rights issues, the environment, racism, women’s issues, universal education, war and peace. 

To register and receive the 50 % discount please click on this link.

Thursday, 09/19

7:00 PM- 9:00 PM

World Affairs Council

312 Sutter Street, Suite 200

San Francisco, CA 94108

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

CUCUMBER MINT YOGURT DRINK - DOUGH

By Humaira

Whenever I describe the Afghan beverage dough (the “gh” makes a guttural sound in the back of your throat) to my American friends the conversation goes something like this:

“It’s a refreshing yogurt drink ...”

“Is it like an Indian lassie?”

“No, it’s salty, not sweet.”

Silence…and then, “A salty yogurt drink?...that sounds i.n.t.e.r.e.s.t.i.n.g.”

Well, dough is interesting. It’s also refreshing and delicious. It’s a summer drink in Afghanistan usually enjoyed at lunchtime with rice or meat. We don’t drink dough with dishes that contain yogurt such as Aush, Lawang or Aushak. Dough has a reputation for inducing drowsiness. A great nap often follows a meal with a glass of dough (not unlike the French and their wine-soaked lunches).

You could try it like my brother-in-law Brian did at his first Afghan meal. To be polite he decided to order a glass of dough (which I was raving about) along with a beer, which was what he really wanted. He would take one sip of dough and then wash it down with his beer. He didn’t complain but I am guessing they were not complementary to each other.

Cucumber & Mint Yogurt Drink

Dough

2 medium Persian cucumbers. peeled and finely chopped

4 cups full-fat plain yogurt

2 tsp. salt (adjust to taste)

3 cups cold filtere water

1 tsp. dried mint or 1 tbsp fresh chopped mint

Add all of the ingredients in a large pitcher or bowl and stir well.Pour or ladle into glasses that have a few cubes of ice.Make sure that you get some cucumber pieces into each glass.

Serves 4-6

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