Afghan Entree

Meatballs with Chickpeas
Kofta Nakod
(Makes 15-18 pieces)

Try these traditional Afghan meatballs— a savory mixture of beef and chickpeas, flavored with cinnamon and mint.

1 C dried chickpeas
1 ½ lb. lean ground beef
1 large onion (grated)
¼ tsp. pepper
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
1 T dried mint leaves (crushed)
1 T bread crumbs
4 C chicken broth (or mix of water & broth)

Chickpeas: in a large pot, cover chickpeas with water, bring to a boil for one minute, cover, and remove from the heat. Let stand for one hour. 

Combine: drain chickpeas and blend them in a food processor with the remaining ingredients, except broth.

Cooking: In a separate large pot, bring broth or water to a boil. Form the chickpea-meat mixture into small balls, about 1 1/2" in diameter. This should give you about 18 meatballs; place them the in boiling water, and simmer for 45 minutes till done. Drain and serve with Noodles with Yogurt.

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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.