Perhaps the best Afghani restaurant I have ever been to is Helmand’s in Cambridge, MA. There, my husband and I tried Kaddo, an appetizer described as pan-fried baked baby pumpkin seasoned with sugar and served on yogurt garlic sauce, topped with a ground beef sauce. This recipe was inspired from that appetizer, but instead of pan frying, the pumpkin is just baked in the oven until caramelized …
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Inside the center of a pumpkin, tucked among the stringy muck, are these pale edible seeds just waiting to be toasted and seasoned. Don’t be tempted to toss them because you’d be missing out on this delicious crispy snack. Think of these seeds as a blank slate that can roasted and flavored to your liking. My personal go-to combination is turmeric and cayenne or a dusting of za’atar spice, but the …
Chicken Shawarma Lettuce Wraps
Traditional shawarma is made by layering strips of marinated meat onto a vertical rotisserie and then roasting it in its own juices until moist and tender. The meat is then shaved into small pieces and piled onto flatbread with garlic sauce, fries, and pickles, as a sandwich (wrap) or served with rice and sides as a platter. Today I wanted to share with you the way I like to make chicken …
Toum
Toum is a Lebanese garlic sauce used much like aioli or mayonnaise, but made from whole garlic cloves, oil, lemon juice, a pinch of salt, and ice water. It’s a garlic lover’s ultimate condiment for grilled meats, fish, shawarma, and for dipping with fries. This sauce is well known for packing a potent garlicky punch, so beware, a little bit goes a long way. There are several ways of emulsifying …