July 05, 2007

Afghani stuff

Well, I'm back in KBL and haven't got much to report from the fishbowl, so I'm posting a bunch of Afghani stuff.

I go home in 7 days, and I can't wait.

Afghani book

THE KITE RUNNER

Category:Books
Genre: Literature & Fiction
Author:Khaled Hosseini
The Kite Runner tells the story of Amir, a well-to-do Pashtun boy from the Wazir Akbar Khan district of Kabul, who is haunted by the guilt of betraying his childhood friend Hassan, the son of his father's Hazara servant. The story is set against a backdrop of tumultuous events, from the fall of the monarchy in Afghanistan through the Soviet invasion, the mass exodus of refugees to Pakistan and the United States, and the Taliban regime.

It's a very, very taking story - and beyond touching. A must-read.

The author's website :
http://www.khaledhosseini.com/




Afghani food

BONJAN SALAT (AFGHANI SPICY EGGPLANT SALAD)
Category:
Salads
Style:
Other
Special Consideration:
Vegetarian
Servings:
8

Ingredients:
* 3 md Eggplants
* 2 1/2 tablespoons of Coarse Salt
* 1/4 cup Corn oil
* 1 1/2 cup Tomato sauce
* 1/4 tablespoons of Pepper
* 1 tablespoons of Hot red chili flakes - or minced fresh chiles
* 2 tablespoons of Ground cinnamon
* 1 tablespoons of Crushed dried mint

Directions:
Slice the eggplants crosswise into 1 1/2 inch thick pieces. Sprinkle them with 2 t. coarse salt and let stand for 15 minutes. rinse eggplants under cold water, which removes the bitter taste, rinse, and dry well on a towel.

Heat the oil in a skillet and lightly brown eggplant slices over moderate heat for 3 minutes. Remove and put into a serving bowl. Cool. Put the tomato sauce, pepper, chile, cinnamon, mint and 1/2 t. salt, if wanted, in a pan. Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes, which is long enough to
integrate the flavors. Pour this over the eggplant; refrigerate until ready to use. The salad can remain in the refrigerator for several days. Serve cold or at room temperature.

The Beaver

My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

A writer's block ou une grosse fatigue? :-) Parwa n'ist, zenda asti! (Doesn't matter, you're alive!)
I don't remember that recipe of eggplants, seems yummy, gonna try it!
While you are there, ask for the recipes of the "Kabuli norange palao" and of the "mantoo" (a sort of big ravioli in a yogurt-based sauce with garlic and mint, bad smell, ugly looking but sooo good and refreshing in summer!)
Bon appétit !
Zenda bashi! (Stay alive!)

Beaver said...

Les 2, Dan.

Honestly, it's so horribly boring, there is nothing to do, besides work and sleep, that I am at a loss when it comes to posting.

Hopefully, the weekend will be stimulating.

Even beavers dream.

Qalamana said...

Hi there!
The book sounds interesting, I'll try to find it here since the one I'm reading now it's very tiresome :S

The eggplant salad looks quite appailing and since I'm a veg and love cooking, I'll no doubt cook it!

Besines!

Anonymous said...

Je me suis permis de poster ta recette dans le forum du foogblog de Clotilde Dusoulier Chocolate&Zucchini
Alors ne t'étonne pas si ton compteur de visite fait un bond impromptu. :-)
Par ailleurs, sous peu (je dois retailler les images et "pixeliser" certains visages) je poste un article sur l'Afghanistan d'autrefois et d'aujourd'hui, faisant référence à ton blog.

A+

S said...

a nice recipe- i enjoy reading about your experiences in Afghanistan-there arent many blogs like yours out there. i am Afghan (btw a humble suggestion- 'Afghani' is the currency, not the adjective/noun). x shayma

Beaver said...

It's interesting that you would say that, Shayma - it's been a while since I was in Asia, but I guess it's because everyone said "Afghani" and "Pakistani" when I was in Islamabad. I think that's where I picked that up.

Thanks for the correction! :)