I could eat this every night, it's so good! I first encountered the dish
(and many other wonderful ones) at a restaurant here in Davis, California,
called Kabul. Right, what else would an Afghani restaurant be called!! The
food there is just so wonderful, somewhat reminiscent of Indian food, but by
and large without the heat -- or at least, without an excess of heat. Very
good food indeed, highly recommended to you Denizens of the Valley, or
fortunate visitors. Zap me an email when you're in town and I'll join you
:-)

Qorma
from Afghan Food and Cookery by Helen Saberi (MANY wonderful recipes in this
book!!!)

There are many varied qormas in Afghanistan, some of them without meat.
Instead of split peas, other pulses may be used (soaked overnight and well
cooked before being added to the meat). Or substitute fresh vegetables such
as potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, peas or green beans, all sliced or diced,
added to the qorma when the meat is already tender and the sauce thick, and
then cook until the vegetables are of the desired tenderness, adding a
little extra water if necessary.

6 tbs vegetable oil (don't skimp!)
4 medium onions, finely chopped
2 pounds chicken, cut up
1-2 tbs tomato puree (sauce -- I usually use more, I like it really REALLY
saucy, like me :-)
2 oz yellow split peas
1 tsp char masala (recipe below) (I usually use more, to taste)
1/2 tsp black pepper (again, I use more)
pinch red pepper (optional)
salt to taste

Heat the oil in a pan and add the chopped onions. Fry over medium to high
heat, stirring frequently until golden brown and soft. Add th emeat and fry
again until the meat and onions are well browned. Mix in the tomato puree
and conitnue frying for a minute or two. Add 1/2 cup water, split peas, and
the spices and bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer until the
meat is cooked and the split peas soft. Add a little more water if
necessary. The sauce should be thick and oily. Serve with chalau (rice).


TammyM

"TammyM" > wrote in
:

> Qorma
> from Afghan Food and Cookery by Helen Saberi (MANY wonderful recipes
> in this book!!!)


Tammy,

Thanks for the recipe! It sure sounds good for you AND delicious.

I dug up a char masala recipe off the web. Equal amounts of cinnamon,
cloves, cumin seed and cardamom seeds, right?

Also, I remembered to insert your mention about using chicken thigh meat.

All the best,

Andy

dang ! this sure sounds cool !


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TammyM wrote:
> I could eat this every night, it's so good! I first encountered the dish
> (and many other wonderful ones) at a restaurant here in Davis, California,
> called Kabul. Right, what else would an Afghani restaurant be called!! The
> food there is just so wonderful, somewhat reminiscent of Indian food, but by
> and large without the heat -- or at least, without an excess of heat. Very
> good food indeed, highly recommended to you Denizens of the Valley, or
> fortunate visitors. Zap me an email when you're in town and I'll join you
> :-)
>
> Qorma
> from Afghan Food and Cookery by Helen Saberi (MANY wonderful recipes in this
> book!!!)
>
> There are many varied qormas in Afghanistan, some of them without meat.
> Instead of split peas, other pulses may be used (soaked overnight and well
> cooked before being added to the meat). Or substitute fresh vegetables such
> as potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, peas or green beans, all sliced or diced,
> added to the qorma when the meat is already tender and the sauce thick, and
> then cook until the vegetables are of the desired tenderness, adding a
> little extra water if necessary.
>
> 6 tbs vegetable oil (don't skimp!)
> 4 medium onions, finely chopped
> 2 pounds chicken, cut up
> 1-2 tbs tomato puree (sauce -- I usually use more, I like it really REALLY
> saucy, like me :-)
> 2 oz yellow split peas
> 1 tsp char masala (recipe below) (I usually use more, to taste)
> 1/2 tsp black pepper (again, I use more)
> pinch red pepper (optional)
> salt to taste
>
> Heat the oil in a pan and add the chopped onions. Fry over medium to high
> heat, stirring frequently until golden brown and soft. Add th emeat and fry
> again until the meat and onions are well browned. Mix in the tomato puree
> and conitnue frying for a minute or two. Add 1/2 cup water, split peas, and
> the spices and bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer until the
> meat is cooked and the split peas soft. Add a little more water if
> necessary. The sauce should be thick and oily. Serve with chalau (rice).
>
>
> TammyM

"TammyM" > wrote in
:

> Glad you like the sound of the recipe, let me know how you like it
> when you make it :-)
>
> TammyM


TammyM,

OK... another question...

What kind of rice should I serve with it?

I'll try it over the weekend and will let you know how it went, with a
snapshot or two.

I am looking forward to it!

Andy

"TammyM" > wrote in message
...
>I could eat this every night, it's so good! I first encountered the dish
>(and many other wonderful ones) at a restaurant here in Davis, California,
>called Kabul. Right, what else would an Afghani restaurant be called!!
>The food there is just so wonderful, somewhat reminiscent of Indian food,
>but by and large without the heat -- or at least, without an excess of
>heat. Very good food indeed, highly recommended to you Denizens of the
>Valley, or fortunate visitors. Zap me an email when you're in town and
>I'll join you :-)

<snip recipe>

Well, I'm not Andy or Christine, but this still sounds interesting, and I've
got some chicken waiting for me to decide what to do with it.

But the char masala recipe is missing...

Donna

"Andy" <q> wrote in message ...
> "TammyM" > wrote in
> :
>
>> Glad you like the sound of the recipe, let me know how you like it
>> when you make it :-)
>>
>> TammyM
>
>
> TammyM,
>
> OK... another question...
>
> What kind of rice should I serve with it?
>
> I'll try it over the weekend and will let you know how it went, with a
> snapshot or two.
>
> I am looking forward to it!

Here's the recipe/method for rice from the book. Rice served in Afghani
restaurants is much like that served in Indian restaurants -- somewhat dry
and not sticky. I had never tried rice cooked this way and I like it very
much. I hope you like it too -- TammyM

Chalua Sof
(Plain white long-grain rice)

1 lb (2.5 cups) white long-grain rice
salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp ground or whole cumin, or char masala

Wash the rice several times until the water remains clear. Soak the rice in
water for a least half an hour, preferably long. Bring 5 cups water to a
boil in a large pan. Add salt. Drain the rice and add it to the boiling
water. Parboil the rice for 2-3 minutes. (If you overcook the rice at this
stage, the grains will stick together.) Drain the rice in a large sieve or
colander and then place the rice in a pan or casserole which has a tightly
fitting lid. Mix the oil, 6 tablespoons water, the cumin and salt together
and gently pour over the rice. Stir in carefully. Cover with the lid and
either place in a preheated oven at 300F or over a low heat for 30-45
minutes. Serves 4 (serves a hell of a lot more than that by my
estimation!!!!!)

On Thu, 13 Jul 2006 10:25:24 -0700, "TammyM" >
wrote:

>
>"Andy" <q> wrote in message ...
>> "TammyM" > wrote in
>> :
>>
>>> Qorma
>>> from Afghan Food and Cookery by Helen Saberi (MANY wonderful recipes
>>> in this book!!!)
And yes, I always use chicken thighs. I remove the chicken when
>it's done, and let it cool, then I remove the meat from the bones. I just
>let the sauce simmer away until the yellow split peas are done.
>
>Glad you like the sound of the recipe, let me know how you like it when you
>make it :-)
>
>TammyM
>

Okay, this sounds perfect for next week....maybe even this weekend. I
have chicken thighs in the freezer..... I think the only thing I need
are the yellow split peas.

Tammy, I will try to type up the recipe the turkey meatball ragout
this week. It might be next week, as I work again tonight, and on
Saturday I get the keys to my house. Woohoo!!!!

Hmm...maybe I could take the pots and pans, ingredients, etc and make
this as the first dish in the new house.....

Christine

On Thu, 13 Jul 2006 12:40:31 -0600, "D.Currie"
> wrote:

>
>"TammyM" > wrote in message
...
>>I could eat this every night, it's so good! I first encountered the dish
>>(and many other wonderful ones) at a restaurant here in Davis, California,
>>called Kabul. Right, what else would an Afghani restaurant be called!!
>>The food there is just so wonderful, somewhat reminiscent of Indian food,
>>but by and large without the heat -- or at least, without an excess of
>>heat. Very good food indeed, highly recommended to you Denizens of the
>>Valley, or fortunate visitors. Zap me an email when you're in town and
>>I'll join you :-)
>
><snip recipe>
>
>Well, I'm not Andy or Christine, but this still sounds interesting, and I've
>got some chicken waiting for me to decide what to do with it.
>
>But the char masala recipe is missing...

So sorry, Donna! I did post it in reply to Andy, but here 'tis:

2:1:1:1 of cinnamon, cloves, ground cumin and ground coriander.

Use it with wild abandon!

:-)

TammyM

"TammyM" > wrote in message
...
> On Thu, 13 Jul 2006 12:40:31 -0600, "D.Currie"
> > wrote:
>
>>
>>"TammyM" > wrote in message
...
>>>I could eat this every night, it's so good! I first encountered the dish
>>>(and many other wonderful ones) at a restaurant here in Davis,
>>>California,
>>>called Kabul. Right, what else would an Afghani restaurant be called!!
>>>The food there is just so wonderful, somewhat reminiscent of Indian food,
>>>but by and large without the heat -- or at least, without an excess of
>>>heat. Very good food indeed, highly recommended to you Denizens of the
>>>Valley, or fortunate visitors. Zap me an email when you're in town and
>>>I'll join you :-)
>>
>><snip recipe>
>>
>>Well, I'm not Andy or Christine, but this still sounds interesting, and
>>I've
>>got some chicken waiting for me to decide what to do with it.
>>
>>But the char masala recipe is missing...
>
> So sorry, Donna! I did post it in reply to Andy, but here 'tis:
>
> 2:1:1:1 of cinnamon, cloves, ground cumin and ground coriander.
>
> Use it with wild abandon!
>

If I have the ingredients, I might make this tomorrow. I'm not going to have
time to get to the store before I have to start cooking. But if I don't have
the goods, I'll save it for later. It sounds really good.

Donna

On Thu, 13 Jul 2006 22:01:37 -0600, "D.Currie"
> wrote:

>
>"TammyM" > wrote in message
...
>> On Thu, 13 Jul 2006 12:40:31 -0600, "D.Currie"
>> > wrote:
>>
>>>
>>>"TammyM" > wrote in message
...
>>>>I could eat this every night, it's so good! I first encountered the dish
>>>>(and many other wonderful ones) at a restaurant here in Davis,
>>>>California,
>>>>called Kabul. Right, what else would an Afghani restaurant be called!!
>>>>The food there is just so wonderful, somewhat reminiscent of Indian food,
>>>>but by and large without the heat -- or at least, without an excess of
>>>>heat. Very good food indeed, highly recommended to you Denizens of the
>>>>Valley, or fortunate visitors. Zap me an email when you're in town and
>>>>I'll join you :-)
>>>
>>><snip recipe>
>>>
>>>Well, I'm not Andy or Christine, but this still sounds interesting, and
>>>I've
>>>got some chicken waiting for me to decide what to do with it.
>>>
>>>But the char masala recipe is missing...
>>
>> So sorry, Donna! I did post it in reply to Andy, but here 'tis:
>>
>> 2:1:1:1 of cinnamon, cloves, ground cumin and ground coriander.
>>
>> Use it with wild abandon!
>>
>
>If I have the ingredients, I might make this tomorrow. I'm not going to have
>time to get to the store before I have to start cooking. But if I don't have
>the goods, I'll save it for later. It sounds really good.

Please do let me know how you like it! Like I said before, I can't
seem to get enough of the stuff. In fact, I just remembered I have
some in the freezer. Can you say "lunch"? ;-)

TammyM

> Please do let me know how you like it! Like I said before, I can't
> seem to get enough of the stuff. In fact, I just remembered I have
> some in the freezer. Can you say "lunch"? ;-)


Tammy,

I shopped all the ingredients and after I get off the lake (rowing)
tomorrow, it'll be time to cook qorma.

All the best,

Andy

"TammyM" > wrote in message
...
>
> Qorma
> 6 tbs vegetable oil (don't skimp!)
> 4 medium onions, finely chopped
> 2 pounds chicken, cut up
> 1-2 tbs tomato puree (sauce -- I usually use more, I like it really REALLY
> saucy, like me :-)
> 2 oz yellow split peas
> 1 tsp char masala (recipe below) (I usually use more, to taste)
> 1/2 tsp black pepper (again, I use more)
> pinch red pepper (optional)
> salt to taste

Okay, I made this for dinner, more or less. Didn't have yellow split peas,
so I used lentils. Pinkish-orange ones. Didn't have any tomato puree in the
house, so I used a dab of tomato paste )all that was left in the tube), and
instead of water, I used some fresh tomato juice, since I had that left
over. Those lentil sucked up a lot of liquid, so I needed to add quite a bit
more water than the recipe suggested.

Wasn't sure if the 2 oz of split peas was weight or volume, but I used up
all I had of the lentils. Likely more than the recipe needed, but I like
lentils. Didn't measure the pepper, just ground it in. No red pepper, but it
could have used some, or maybe a splash of hot sauce. Used a bit more than 2
tsp. of the masala; could have used more, easily.

As it was cooking, I kept thinking that some garlic would be good in there,
but I resisted, since this was the first time I was making it. Or wine.
Might add one or the other next time.

I left the chicken pieces whole. Maybe I'll shred the leftovers, though.
We'll see.

It was good. I'll definitely try it again, and with the split peas.

Thanks for the recipe!

Donna