Afghan series II: shalgham challaw (turnip & lamb curry w rice)
A simple, comforting classic dish that makes for good leftovers too.
Of all the Afghan dishes I learned during my years in Ottawa, this is the dish that I continue to crave the most. It is so simple to make, and so satisfying.
The temperatures on the west coast are cooler than normal at this time of year and I have found myself longing for this food. This was a dish my past partner and I ate often in the deep cold winter months in Ottawa. I was afraid that preparing and eating it again would bring up difficult memories, so I have avoided it for a long time.
Eating it now is warming my heart! It has brought warmth and comfort and a kind of satisfaction that is hard to describe. I am relieved that what I am remembering now is simply the comfort of the food. My heart is full, and so is my tummy.
Bigger picture: reflecting on the challenges that Afghans are facing, I am also reminded how incredibly lucky we are. We are safe, we are comfortable, we have choices, we have access to quality foods and ingredients and can make pretty much anything we want, when ever we want. #humble #gratitude
The ingredients are so basics: leg of lamb - or a couple of shanks or shoulder. Bone-in is best. Turnips, tomato, onion, green chilies are all you need.
I pre-chop and prepare all the ingredients in advance of preparation.
INGREDIENTS
Purchase a good piece of fresh, local lamb with the bone in if you can. I like leg or shoulder for this dish. The bone and fat are are what make this dish so succulent, allowing the the meat to literally melt in your mouth.
Chop a medium to large onion.
Finely chop one or two green chilis or more (depending on your level of enjoyment of heat).
Peel and chop around 2 or 3 turnips in large wedges.
Chop two cups of fresh tomatoes (or use a large can of chopped tomatoes).
1/2 tsp of salt and pepper to taste.
While you are preparing above, soak and rinse a cup of very long grain basmati rice (the best is golden rice from Pakistan).
You can use an Instapot’s pressure cooker to speed up the process like above. Otherwise, you can use a Dutch oven and let the cooking occur slowly through the afternoon. The latter is my preferred method, but sometimes we need speed!
METHOD
Either in Dutch oven on the stove top or Instapot: sauté the onion until soft, then add the chilies.
Stir in the tomatoes and salt, cooking until the tomatoes start to break down a little.
Toss in the turnip, and finally the lamb. Stirring until everything is coated.
Let cook under pressure in the Instapot for a good 10-15 minutes or longer. OR
Move the Dutch oven into the oven and let simmer at 300 degrees for around three hours.
This little container of spice depicted in the photo is the last of the Afghan allspice that I received from my past partner. It was a gift from his brother. And I am savouring the last of it now. I am reminded that I still have a small bag of green chilli powder that his aunt grew, hand-ground, and sent from the family garden in Kabul. It has been sealed in the freezer for ages. I need to pull it out, and cook with it until it is gone- appreciating where it came from and how precious it is given the situation in Afghanistan and the challenges that Afghans continue to face. #humblegratitude
FOR THE RICE (for two people)
Soak and rinse 1 cup of super long grain basmati rice.
Using a rice cooker or in a pot, add 2 cups of water and a pinch of salt. If in a pot, bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat and cover.
Once the rice is just about cooked, bring 2 TBSP of vegetable oil to a high heat in a pan and add 1 1/2 tsp of Afghan allspice to the hot oil and cook until it darkens a bit, careful not to burn (you could substitute with garam masala and a pinch of cinnamon).
Gently poke holes in the rice and drizzle the spiced oil over the rice. Cover with an old tea towel and a lid on very low heat to let the flavours steam through the rice.
Gently stir before serving with the lamb curry.
Enjoy! (with a good Cabernet Sauvignon!)