New Blog Site!!

Hi there!! We moved the blog to a new, better site. Although we're still making a few changes, it's up and running - with 7 countries cooked! Find us: http://aroundtheworldin197meals.com/

Thanks!

Ruby and Derek

this blog closing, new blog soon

Hello -

Due to some annoying technical difficulties with this blogger blog, we have been unable to post new material, or make any other changes.

The project continues however - Algeria is up this weekend.

We have the domain www.aroundtheworldin197meals.com and will have it up and running by the new year. We will let you know when that happens.

Thanks!

Ruby and Derek

Afghanistan

“No two Afghans prepare the same dish exactly the same.”
Afghanistan Online



When you type the word ‘Afghanistan’ into a Google search you will find pages and pages of websites discussing recent political and military conflict. This is a shame and wrongly makes Afghanistan and its people appear uniformed in some sense. Add the word ‘food’ to your search however and you will find that how Afghanis cook and eat reflects the patchwork of local cultures that define modern-day Afghanistan. While we couldn't account for this variety in the meal we prepared, we did use ingredients common to many Afghan cooking traditions: yogurt, naan, tomato, eggplant, cilantro, and olive oil.

Most Afghan cooking traditions place great cultural significance on sharing dishes, eating together, and entertaining guests. Afghanis gather for meals at the dastarkhan, where a tablecloth is placed on the ground and the meal is shared. This communal act is symbolic of how the small disparate communities that began emerging in the region 5,000 years ago now compose the nation of Afghanistan.

Afghani’s typically don’t worry much about measuring ingredients and they prefer to eat with their hands, using naan or pita as a scoop – and we (happily) honored both of these traditions. In cooking and eating Afghanis go by feel and this was our favorite part of preparing Borani Banjan. Though easy to prepare and composed of simple ingredients, we found this dish to be wonderfully layered and hearty - a result of the contrasting flavors and textures typical of Afghan cooking.

Resources:
Much of our recipe for Borani Banjan was borrowed from the Afghan Cooking website and from an NPR story highlighting this tasty dish. The Spice Spoon blog highlights how Middle Eastern food cultures have borrowed from their neighbors while creating distinct traditions.

Recipe: Borani Banjan

• 2 medium Italian eggplants
• 3 medium tomatoes, 1/3-inch thick slices
• 1 small onion, diced
  
• 6-8 medium cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 cup vegetable broth
• 1 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 cup Greek-style yogurt
• Olive oil
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. salt
• spices: 1 tsp. turmeric, 1 tsp. curry powder, 1 tsp. paprika, 1 tsp. black pepper, 1/2 tsp. cumin

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut off the ends of the eggplant, cut in half lengthwise, then cut into 1/3-inch thick slices. Toss with 2-3 tsp. salt and place in a colander for 30-50 minutes. Then rinse the eggplant slices in a water bath and squeeze most of the liquid out of the slices (salting will remove bitterness from the eggplant and make the dish less greasy, but this step can be skipped). Pan-fry the eggplant slices on both sides in a little olive oil until lightly browned; set aside.

In a medium pan on medium heat, sauté the onions in a tablespoon of olive oil until soft then add the garlic and sauté for about 2 more minutes. Add 1 tsp. each: salt, turmeric, curry, paprika, black pepper and sauté for 1 minute. Then add the tomato paste and broth, bring to boil and then simmer (stirring frequently) for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a 9x13 inch baking pan, pour in 1/3 of spiced broth. Add a layer of eggplant slices, then sprinkle with half of cilantro, and finally add a layer of tomatoes. Repeat layering a second time, finishing with the last 1/3 of spiced broth. Cover with tin foil and bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 minutes, then remove foil and bake for 10 more minutes uncovered.

Serve with the yogurt sauce and pita or naan bread. Serves four to six.