Parwana is a brand new cookbook from the family behind the famous Adelaide restaurant of the same name, filled with vibrant recipes, one family’s memories of their homeland and a fascinating insight into Afghanistan’s rich heritage.
Today, we have two recipes from Parwana to share with you – kebabeh degee morgh (chicken kebab) and shir yakheh zanjafil (ginger and walnut ice-cream). Happy cooking!
Kebabeh degee morgh // Chicken kebab
Serves: 4
My mother learnt to make this kebab dish as a teenager, from a chef who was invited to her family home to cook for a special occasion, to which many guests had been invited. He wouldn’t allow anyone into the kitchen while he prepared the food with some of his juniors alongside, but sensed that my mother was keen to watch and eager to learn. He taught her the importance of choosing the right blend of spices to create balanced and aromatic, but not overpowering, flavours.
Ingredients
250 ml (1 cup) sunflower oil
1 kg (2 lb 4 oz) chicken thighs and drumsticks, bones in, skin removed
2 ripe tomatoes, puréed in a blender
1 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, crushed in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds, crushed in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon nigella seeds
½ tablespoon grated fresh ginger
½ tablespoon grated garlic
2 fresh long red chillies, thinly sliced
130 g (½ cup) plain yoghurt
1 naan flatbread (see page 82)
Fresh long green chilli, halved lengthways, and lime cheeks, to serve
Method
Heat the oil in a large wok over high heat. When the oil is hot, carefully place the chicken in the pan and cook, turning occasionally for 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Add the tomato to the wok, along with the crushed spices, salt, nigella seeds, ginger, garlic, chilli and yoghurt. Mix to coat the chicken and combine, then reduce the heat to medium. Cook for 15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink inside when cut, and a thickened sauce has formed.
Serve the chicken and sauce over naan flatbread with green chilli and lime cheeks.
Shir yakheh zanjafil // Ginger and walnut ice-cream
Serves: 8
Like the rose and pistachio ice-cream on page 196, this home-made ginger and walnut ice-cream is a firm favourite at Parwana.
Ingredients
1 litre (4 cups) thickened (whipping) cream
500 ml (2 cups) condensed milk
1 tablespoon cooking caramel (available from supermarkets and Asian grocers)
2 tablespoons ground ginger
60 g (½ cup) coarsely chopped walnuts
Method
Process the cream, condensed milk, cooking caramel and ginger in a food processor for 3–4 minutes, or until stiff peaks form. Transfer the mixture to a clean bowl and add the walnuts. Fold through gently to combine well, then transfer to a large airtight container.
Cover the entire surface of the ice-cream directly with plastic wrap to avoid ice crystals forming. Cover the container with a lid and freeze for at least 10 hours before serving.
–Images and text from Parwana by Durkhanai Ayubi; recipes by Farida Ayubi with assistance from Fatema Ayubi. Photography by Alicia Taylor. Murdoch Books RRP $45.00
Parwana
Recipes and stories from an Afghan kitchen
Vibrant recipes, one family's memories of their homeland and a fascinating insight into Afghanistan's rich heritage.
Interwoven with traditional Afghan recipes is one family's story of a region long afflicted by war, but with much more at its heart. Author Durkhanai Ayubi's parents, Zelmai and Farida Ayubi, fled Afghanistan with their young children in 1985, at the height of the Cold War. When their family-run restaurant...
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