Sheer Pira
Sheer pira, the Afghan milk sweet: milk powder stirred into hot syrup with cardamom, rosewater and walnuts, set and cut into diamonds. Ready in half an hour.
Abrashum Kebab
Abrashum kebab, the Afghan wedding sweet: egg flicked into silken threads over hot oil, rolled, soaked in cardamom syrup and dusted with pistachio.
Gosh-e-Fil
Goash-e-feel, the Afghan elephant’s ear pastry: paper-thin dough pleated into an ear, fried crisp and bubbly, dusted with icing sugar and pistachio.
Sheer Yakh
Sheer yakh, the hand-churned ice cream of Kabul: milk, sugar and a hint of cardamom worked over ice and salt until dense and chewy, topped with crushed nuts.
Firnee
Firnee, the Afghan milk pudding for iftar and Eid: whole milk set with cornflour, scented with cardamom and rosewater, topped with pistachios and almonds.
Shami Kebab
Afghan shami kebab: lamb mince blended with potato, egg and gram flour, shaped long and grilled over coals, with sumac salad and garlic-mint yoghurt.
Kishmish Panir
Kishmish panir, the Afghan summer snack: fresh cheese made from milk and buttermilk, pressed in cloth and sliced, served with dark raisins, walnuts and green tea.
Bannu Beef Pulao
Bannu beef pulao: bone-in beef simmered with whole spices into a rich yakhni, basmati cooked in the broth, the beef piled on top. Translated from an Urdu recipe.
Namak Mandi Lamb Tikka
Lamb tikka the Namak Mandi way: lamb threaded between cubes of fat, seasoned with nothing but salt, cooked slowly over charcoal. Peshawar’s grill-house classic.