Afghan Dessert

Afghan Fudge
Sheer Payra
(Makes 45 pieces)

Try this rich fudge, a traditional Afghan candy flavored with cardamom, pistachios and walnuts.

2 C sugar
2/3 C milk
1/4 tsp. salt
2 T light corn syrup
2 T butter
1/2 tsp. cardamom (see sidebar)
1/4 C pistachios (finely chopped)
1/4 C walnuts (finely chopped)

In a saucepan over a medium heat, combine milk, sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Stir occasionally, making sure sugar dissolves. Heat to 240 on a candy thermometer.

Remove from heat and add butter. Cool to 120 without stirring. Add cardamom and beat vigorously for about 5-10 minutes, till fudge is thick and no longer glossy.

Stir in nuts and spread into a buttered 9 x 5 x 3 loaf pan. Let rest until firm and cut into 1" squares.

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Tips & Glossary

Afghan food is similar to the Middle East's and India's, using use many of the same spices. But Afghan cuisine is milder and lighter than its Indian cousin.

Many of the ingredients used in Afghan dishes probably aren’t in your spice shelf, but you'll find them at Asian or Mid-Eastern shops.

• Deep Frying: be sure oil is hot; otherwise food will be soggy and greasy. Use a deep-fry thermometer to achieve the called-for temperature. When cool, oil can be strained, refrigerated, and re-used.

• Basmati Rice: literally “Queen of fragrance." This rice, cultivated in India, is known for its delicate flavor and fragrance. 

• Besan: also known as “gram flour,” made of ground chana dal, like chickpeas, only smaller and lighter in color. 

• Cardamom: related to the ginger family. Pods (green, brown, or black) are the best way to store cardamom. But high-quality ground is also available. A rule of thumb: 10 pods = 1 1/2 tsp. ground.

• Coriander: aka cilantro, Chinese, or Mexican parsley. Both fresh leaves and dried ground seeds are used in Afghan, Mid-East, Asian, Indian, and Mexican cuisines.

• Garam Masala: literally, “hot spice,” usually a mixture of cinnamon, cumin, cloves, nutmeg, and green cardamom seed or black cardamom pods. Because it loses its flavor quickly try to buy it with whole spices and grind it when you need it.

• Ghee: clarified butter. Melt 1 lb. unsalted butter over low heat for 20 minutes (careful not to burn), remove from heat and skim away solids. Strain through cheesecloth into a separate container and keep…forever. It doesn’t need to be refrigerated. If you buy commercial ghee, make sure it comes from real butter, not hydrogenated oils.

• Rosewater: distilled from rose petals and used to flavor Mid-Eastern and Asian cooking. You can make your own—but why? Buy it.

• Turmeric: a deep yellow ground spice, member of the ginger family, used in curries. It has a marvelous earthy, peppery flavor.

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