LUSCIOUS LAYERED AFGHAN EGGPLANT - BORANI BANJAN

By Katie

Happy Ramazan to Muslims around the world who will be fasting to observe the Holy Month of Ramazan.

It occurred to me how fully indoctrinated I am into Afghan cookery when I went to look “eggplant” up in the index of a food reference the other day and flipped instinctively to the B’s.  When I couldn’t find “banjan”, the Afghan word for eggplant, it hit me that I was in deep.  My intention was to get back up for my belief that salting and draining eggplant before cooking is unnecessary.   I’m always looking for shortcuts.  The Los Angeles Times Food Editor Russ Parsons says not necessary unless you are planning to fry it.  Alice Waters of Chez Panisse fame suggests salting only if the eggplant is overripe. 

This points to the notion that there are always two ways to skin a cat, or in this case, an eggplant.  Borani Banjan, this Afghan eggplant dish, is case in point.  Most folks fry the eggplant before baking it.   Some versions are very spicy, some are heavily sauced, others barely so.  Humaira and I have been messing around with Borani Banjan for a while.  This version is adapted from a recipe Humaira’s sister Zohra gave to us.  It’s a keeper.  

Zohra likes to use the long, slender Chinese variety of eggplant.  She finds them more reliably good than other types.  You can use any variety you like, just look for eggplants that are firm and use them right away, or store them someplace cool, not cold.   According to Alice Waters, long storage at cold temperatures can lead to bitterness.  And I believe everything Alice says.

This is a luscious, rustic dish using summer’s best ingredients.  As the eggplant and tomato bake all the flavors and textures melt together.  When it’s done, the whole thing is covered with garlic-spiked yogurt and served with flat bread for scooping up all the last bits of deliciousness.  Next time I plan to turn the elegance factor up a notch by baking these in individual crocks and setting them out as single-serving side dishes.    Enjoy.

Luscious Layered Afghan Eggplant

Borani Banjan

4 medium size Chinese eggplants (or 2 medium Italian eggplants)

2 tbsp. olive oil, divided

1 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt , divided

3 medium tomatoes, cut in 1/3-inch thick slices

8 medium cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. ground turmeric

1 tsp. ground curry powder

1 tsp. paprika

½ tsp. ground black pepper

2 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 ½ cup chicken broth

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 cup Greek-style yogurt

1 tsp. garlic salt

Set the oven to broil.

Slice off the ends of the eggplants and cut them in half lengthwise.  Cut each halve crosswise in 1/3-inch thick slices.  Arrange the eggplant slices on two baking sheets, drizzle with 1 tbsp. of the olive oil and sprinkle with ½ tsp. of the salt.  Set the baking sheets under the broiler and cook for a few minutes on each side until they brown lightly.  Remove from oven and turn the heat down to 375 degrees.

Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a medium pan and sauté the garlic over medium heat for about 2 minutes.  Don’t let it brown.  Add the remaining 1 tsp. salt, turmeric, curry, paprika, pepper, and tomato paste.  Stir this mixture together and cook for another minute.  Add the chicken broth to the pan, stir, and turn the heat to high.  When the liquid boils, turn it down and let it simmer for 5 minutes, stirring regularly. 

Pour 1/3 of the liquid into a 9x12-inch baking dish (a little smaller is fine too) and spread it across the bottom.  Arrange half the eggplant on top of the sauce.  Sprinkle half the cilantro over the eggplant and then layer half the tomato slices evenly on the eggplant.  Pour on another third of the sauce.  Repeat the layering with the remaining eggplant, cilantro, and tomatoes.  Finish the dish by drizzling the last of the sauce over the vegetables, making sure to coat all  of the pieces.

Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and place it in the oven for 40 minutes.   Remove the foil and cook another 5 minutes

Mix together the Greek yogurt and garlic salt.  Pour the yogurt sauce over the eggplant and serve with pita or nan bread.

Serves four to six.

Adapted from a recipe by Zohra Ghilzai

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

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MY WRITING PROCESS BLOG TOUR - #MondayBlogs

By Humaira 

Thank you David Colin Carr, for inviting me to participate in “My Writing Process Blog Tour.” You've pulled me out of the writer's abyss and plunged me into the transformative world of @MondayBlogs.

Below are the answers to the questions I've been asked to answer in this post.

1)      What am I working on?

I am always working on my blog, Afghan Culture Unveiled. Telling stories of Afghanistan, testing recipes and reading Afghanistan related books to review.

My other project is a novel I’ve been working on for the past year with the working title, “Two Women and a Warlord”. Here's a blurb about the book.

A charismatic warlord facilitates a meeting of two women in a remote province of Afghanistan. Assia and Feroza’s unlikely encounter comes as each of their lives unravels.

The 33-year-old Assia is burdened by a successful career, motherhood, a doting American husband—while living in a lavish home in San Francisco. The price of the “American Dream” has meant abandoning her Afghan heritage, leaving a void in her fairy tale life.

Feroza is not so lucky; her life is riddled with bullets, Taliban and an overbearing mother-in-law. But neither birthing 9 children nor an oppressive society stops her passion to be a game changer. But, it all comes at great cost.

Feroza and Assia begin to fill the voids in each other’s lives. Together they set off to change the lives of Afghan girls in one of the most conservative and Taliban riddled provinces of Afghanistan. This novel takes the reader through weddings, births, humor in life’s setbacks and two women’s enduring friendship across distant lands.

Intrigued? I am.

Three years ago if someone had asked about writing a book, I would’ve thought they're CRAZY. I still don’t see myself as a writer - I am a storyteller with unique life experiences. The novel writing journey has been self-revealing, intriguing and inspirational. As my main characters Assia, Feroza, and the warlord Khan have developed into full-fledged beings, they have become constant companions on walks with my dog, in my kitchen and in my dreams.

KeepCalm

2)     How does my work differ from others of its genre?

My blog explores Afghan cuisine and culture.  I unite traditional recipes with stories of my Afghanistan.  The recipes are clearly written, tested and authentic -  adapted with modern cooking techniques. The stories convey an older, deep-rooted culture. You might say I am filling an untapped niche.

My family fled Afghanistan after the Russian invasion in 1979.  Now I’m an Afghan American.  Over the last twelve years, I have reconnected with Afghanistan through my work to educate girls and women there.  The Afghans, Americans, soldiers and aid workers I’ve met give life to my characters.

The book portrays the essence of Afghan women, not as victims but as powerful, beautiful, and at times flawed humans. I also share the untold story of the Afghan American immigrant, through Assia, who straddles two worlds. She struggles to connect with who she is, Afghan or American.

3)     Why do I write what I do?

Afghanistan is still an enigma for Western minds. Even after more than a decade of being embroiled in Afghanistan, most Americans know little about this complex country or it’s people.

As an Afghan and storyteller, I feel compelled to share the beauty of Afghanistan’s culture and people. My blog allows me to promote Afghanistan’s fabulous cuisine with foodies around the world. But for years I've been drawn to tell bigger stories. I accosted my husband about my calling. Finally, in a car ride home after the 2013 New Year’s celebration, he turned to me and said, “Maybe this is the year to write your book.” That put a stake in the ground for me to either do something or stop talking about it.

An untrained writer, handicapped with constant self-deprecation and bad grammar, but armed with relentless grit, I finally sat down in March of 2013 and started writing my novel.

Frustrated-writer

4)     How does your writing process work?

My writing process is not organic, inspirational or euphoric. My first hour of writing is spent on social media, the NY Times website and various other distractions. Once I start feeling guilty about not meeting my timelines, I set the timer on my iPhone to 90 minutes; I grab hold of a pen and start writing.  Sometimes I get nonsense and other times gems.

When the timer goes off, I stop writing, stretch my fingers and get a cup of cardamom tea. Then I type everything into my computer and edit as I go. This is the start of a lengthy edit process.

I feel lucky to have met my editor David Colin Carr early in the process of writing my novel. He encouraged me to write a detailed outline, I obeyed. That outline has been my guide through this journey. The book reads nothing like the original outline, but if I didn’t have that road map, I would’ve never made it past chapter two.

I have invited the following lovely women, who are fabulous writers, and spiritually transformed being. They will blog on June 16th.

Marthaconway

Martha Conway’s first novel, 12 Bliss Street (St. Martin’s Minotaur), was nominated for an Edgar Award, and her short fiction has appeared in TheIowa Review, The Mississippi Review, The Quarterly, Folio, Puerto del Sol, Carolina Quarterly, and other publications. She graduated cum laude from Vassar College and received her master’s degree in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University. She is the recipient of a California Arts Council fellowship in Creative Writing, and has reviewed fiction for the San Francisco Chronicle, The San Francisco Review of Books, and TheIowa Review. She has taught fiction at Stanford University’s Online Writers’ Studio and UC Berkeley Extension. Born in Cleveland, she now lives in San Francisco with her family. 

Blog: www.marthaconway.com

Kanchana

Kanchana Krishnan Ayyar has lived in 3 continents where she has dedicated many years to the cultural education of children, imparting the richness of Indian History, Music, Yoga, and Philosophy.  

She discovered writing in 2008 and embarked on a historical fiction book, which was published in 2011. She is the author of three books. Her debut novel  “When the Lotus Blooms,” a story of two child brides in colonial India, has received two Literary Awards in 2013.  Subsequently, she released a mini-anthology of short stories, “Snapshots” based on her extensive travel experiences.  “The Present: A gift from the Divine” represents her foray into the sublime world of inspirational non-fiction. Besides being blessed by H.H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, it has received a rare endorsement from H.H. the Dalai Lama

Blog: www.kanchibooks.com

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With the end of school and the flurry of summer plans I have not been able to test new recipes. So, I decided to re-post one of the first recipes 

This blog was inspired by my mom's cooking and the urgency to preserve her recipes before she expires. You see, in our family Jeja, my mom is a wonderful cook but she did pass her knowledge to her children.  I have to admit, I didn't particulary show any interest in learning her Afghan cuisine recipe until I had my own children.  This blog has opened a world of food, culture, and banter which has enriched my life.  

I am thankful to all my wonderful readers who post comments, ask questions and share their experiences with Afghanistan or Afghan food.  It is encouraging to know, that in a very small way I have touched people around the world in this intimate way, by sharing my culture.

Thank you for your interest in Afghan food and culture.  Now, let' s talk kebabs.

With schools out and weekend BBQs on the calendar it seems an appropriate time to talk about some of my favorite grilled food:  Afghan kebabs.  While nothing could be more ordinary in American culture than the backyard barbecue, in Afghanistan grilling is more typically the domain of street vendors and restaurants.   Walk through bazaars of Kabul or Kandahar and you will be greeted with the sizzling sounds and rich smells of beef, lamb and chicken seasoned with garlic, onions, peppers, and a host of spices, speared onto metal skewers.  The street vendors (Kebabis as they are called) wrap warm nan bread around the meat and serve it with chutney, cilantro and chives.   While it would be rare for an Afghan to own the kind of barbecue we are accustomed to, they are brilliant at rigging a makeshift grill set over hot coals for picnics or other outdoor outtings. 

It's simple to translate this faraway and seemingly exotic treat for grilling at home.  While Afghan restaurants sometimes achieve the signature golden hue to their chicken by adding food coloring, we've founda little dose of turmeric works just as well, and is tasty, too.   Serve the kebabs with plenty of plain yogurt, nan, lavash or pita bread, and a chopped salad with equal parts cucumber, tomato, red onions and cilantro, with a squeeze of lemon and plenty of salt.

   June of 2009, me with short hair and a tray of kebabs  

Lemony Chicken Kebabs with Turmeric

2 lbs. skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and quartered

4 cloves garlic, peeled

3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice mixed with 1 tbsp. water

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. ground coriander

2 tsp. ground turmeric

1 tsp. Kosher salt

1 tsp. ground black pepper

wooden or metal skewers

Instructions:

Cut chicken into 2-inch chunks and put in a bowl.Puree remaining ingredients in a food processor.Pour marinade over the chicken and mix thoroughly.Cover and put in the refrigerator for at least three hours, preferably overnight.

If using wooden skewers, immerse them in water for at least 20 minutes before using.

Put 4 to 5 pieces of chicken on each skewer.Grill over a medium flame until done.If you don’t have a grill, you can cook the kebabs under a broiler for a few minutes per side or bake them in a 400 degree oven until cooked through.

Serves 6

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