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Afghan Chicken

Source of Recipe

Original, modified from Afghan Food and Cookery by Helen Saberi


Recipe Introduction

This dish has become my "signature" dish on rec.food.cooking, a Usenet newsgroup (see link below). I was introduced to Afghani cookery when my department at UC Davis (The Office of Campus Community Relations) chose the book "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini as its book project for 2005. One of the events lined up for the book project was an iftar - the evening meal "breaking of the fast" during the Islamic month of Ramadan. A local restaurant, Kabul, catered this event. It was love at first bite for me! This chicken dish is as close as I've been able to come to what was prepared by Kabul - and it's pretty darned close! People always scrunch their noses at me when I tell them I'm serving Afghani food for dinner; I smile in anticipation of the exclamations of delight following the meal. NO ONE has EVER disliked this dish, even my VERY picky (and much loved) brother-in-law, Jeff! Kabul unfortunately no longer exists in Davis, CA. I mourn its departure. Davis is a tough town for restaurant survival. I've heard tell that the owners, Sarah and her brother Mustafa, are looking into other venues for their wonderful cuisine. I hope to see them soon.

List of Ingredients

6 tbs vegetable oil (don't skimp!) 4 medium onions, finely chopped
8 chicken thighs
4 oz tomato puree (sauce -- I usually use more, I like it really REALLY saucy)
2 oz yellow split peas or other pulses, cooked (I've used green split peas)
1 tsp char masala (recipe below) (I use at LOTS more, to taste)
Black pepper, red pepper, salt to taste




Recipe

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 the meat and fry again until the meat and onions are well browned. Mix in the tomato puree and continue 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. At this point, I remove the chicken, and allow to cool just long enough to handle; I remove skin and bones, and return the chicken meat to the pan. Add a little more tomato sauce or water if necessary. The sauce should be thick and oily. Serve with chalau (rice).

Char Masala
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cloves
1 tsp coriander