Shorwa simply means soup, and this is the everyday one: beef or lamb, tomato, coriander and turmeric, cooked in a pressure cooker until the meat gives, then finished with potato, chickpeas, kidney beans and a big handful of fresh coriander. It was never guest food. In Kabul it was the kind of thing cooked on laundry day, when nobody had time for a pot that needed watching. Ghazni, south-west of Kabul, has the reputation for the best shorwa, and there it is eaten from one large bowl shared around the cloth: naan is torn into small pieces, dropped into the broth to soak, and eaten by hand. Serve it with plenty of naan, and tear it straight into the bowl.
Zone: Silk Road Table
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large red onion (roughly chopped)
- 4 garlic cloves (minced)
- 900 g beef stewing steak (in 2.5cm pieces)
- 3 medium tomatoes (roughly chopped)
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 1½ tsp ground turmeric
- 2 tsp fine salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 litres water
- 1 medium floury potato (in 1cm cubes)
- 400 g tin red kidney beans (rinsed)
- 400 g tin chickpeas (rinsed)
- 30 g fresh coriander (roughly chopped)
- naan (to serve)
METHOD
- Heat the oil in a large pressure cooker over a medium-high heat and cook the onion for about 5 minutes until soft and browned.
- Add the garlic and beef and cook for about 10 minutes, until the meat is cooked through and a thick sauce has formed.
- Add the tomatoes, tomato purée, ground coriander, turmeric, salt, pepper and water. Stir and lock the lid.
- Bring up to high pressure over a high heat, then lower the heat to medium-high and hold the pressure for about 10 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and let the pressure drop naturally.
- Open the lid, add the potato, kidney beans, chickpeas and fresh coriander, and bring to a gentle boil. Cook for 10 to 20 minutes, until the meat and potato are tender.
- Serve hot, with naan to tear into the bowl.
NOTES
UK adaptation: Beef stewing steak, or lamb neck if you prefer, from any butcher. Tinned chickpeas and red kidney beans. A floury potato such as Maris Piper. No pressure cooker: simmer covered for 1½ to 2 hours until the meat is tender, then add the potato and beans. Serve with naan-e-afghani. Everything else widely available.
US adaptation: Beef stew meat or steak tips from any supermarket. Canned garbanzo and red kidney beans. A russet potato. Naan, pita or flour tortillas to serve, as the source suggests. Everything else widely available.
Cook’s note: Cook the onion and meat until a thick sauce forms before any water goes in. That base is where the broth gets its depth.
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