Do piyaza means two onions, and the dish uses them both ways: some cooked down into the broth with lamb, turmeric and coriander, the rest sliced into rings and steeped in vinegar and salt until sharp. Lamb shanks simmer for hours until they fall from the bone, yellow split peas go in near the end, and the vinegar onions are laid over the pot to sweat for a few minutes before everything is ladled over flatbread, so the bread drinks the broth. It is Kabul cooking, and it is not hot. Chillies, radishes and salata go on the side for anyone who wants heat and crunch.
Zone: Silk Road Table
INGREDIENTS
- 6 medium white onions (sliced, divided)
- 240 ml white vinegar
- 1 bunch fresh coriander (chopped)
- 400 g yellow split peas
- 120 ml rapeseed oil
- 6 lamb shanks (trimmed of excess fat)
- 4 garlic cloves (minced)
- 2 tbsp ground turmeric
- 1½ tbsp ground coriander
- pinch of coriander seeds (crushed)
- pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
- salt (up to 3 tbsp, to taste)
- flatbread (to serve)
- radishes (green chillies and salad, to serve)
METHOD
- Slice 3 of the onions thinly into whole rings, put them in the vinegar with a little salt and leave to steep.
- Rinse the split peas and cook according to the packet until soft but still holding their shape. Set aside.
- Rinse the lamb shanks in lukewarm water.
- Heat the oil in a large pot over a medium-high heat and cook the remaining onions until translucent.
- Add the lamb, garlic, turmeric, cayenne if using, ground coriander, coriander seeds, black pepper and salt, and stir for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Add warm water to cover the meat. Cover, leaving a small gap, and simmer over a medium heat for 2½ to 3 hours, until the lamb is tender. Taste the broth from time to time and adjust the seasoning.
- Add the split peas and boil together for about 5 minutes.
- Spoon some of the vinegar onions over the pot, cover and leave for 4 to 5 minutes.
- Lay flatbread on a platter, set the lamb shanks on top and ladle the broth over. Finish with more vinegar onions and the chopped coriander, and serve with radishes, green chillies and salad.
NOTES
UK adaptation: Lamb shanks from any butcher or supermarket. Yellow split peas (chana dal works too) from any supermarket or South Asian grocer. Distilled white vinegar. Serve on naan-e-afghani. Everything else widely available.
US adaptation: Lamb shanks from Whole Foods or a halal butcher. Yellow split peas from any supermarket. Distilled white vinegar. Afghan bread from Afghan grocers, or any flatbread. Everything else widely available.
Cook’s note: Keep the broth clear and in between, neither thin nor thick, and taste it as it simmers. It soaks into the bread, and it is half the dish.
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