World Food Thursdays

Country No. 13: Afghanistan

 

Date: 08/05/2015

 

Venue: Afghan Kitchen, Islington

 

Attendees: Ben, Lee, Kim, Maor, Ellen, Poppy, Paul, Becky

 

Cost: £15 per head

 

WFT how we have missed you.

 

After a lengthy absence the entire WFT gang descended on the Afghan Kitchen in Islington, on a Thursday*, for what we were hoping would be a blissful reunion.

 

With participants fresh from having babies, getting married, escaping catastrophic earthquakes and getting Swindon promoted to the Championship on Football Manager it’s safe to say that there was a lot of catching up to do.

 

With the flurry of conversation flying round the table we did the smart thing and wasted no time looking at the menu, instead we informed the bemused and slightly overwhelmed waitress that we would like one of everything, with some rice, bread, pickles and chutney as accompaniments. We reasoned that we could have a second, more focused round of ordering once we’d worked out what was good.

 

The bread arrived quickly, quicker than some of the diners (ahem Paul) and piping hot it was. If this was traditional afghan bread then it can best be described as a large, firm, wholemeal naan topped with black and white sesame seeds. It was delicious and worked brilliantly with the piquant chutney.

 

We didn’t have long to wait for the main dishes to start arriving, a lot of the food is pre-cooked and kept hot, not a problem as the menu is populated with a variety of stewed meats and vegetables that only get more flavoursome the longer they are baked.

 

In homage to the election taking place that day a democratic dining solution was found: each diner received a couple of large spoonfuls of lamb stewed with either potatoes or spinach, chicken or mixed pulses in a minty-yoghurt sauce, fish, roasted aubergine and slow cooked pumpkin, taking care to prepare a plate for PK (who was still AWOL) as the steaming bowls were passed round the table. PK turned up just as the last dish was spooned on to his plate, how’s that for timing.

 

As always the food was devoured by all participants, and it was agreed that the lamb and potatoes, the aubergine and the pulses in yoghurt sauce all warranted a second pass. Orders were duly placed.

 

While waiting for round 2 the gentlemen split off from the ladies to hold separate conversations. Doing absolutely nothing for women’s lib (Emmeline Pankhurst – we thank you for your efforts) the girls spent their time discussing moisturising while the men debated how large a part luck plays in fishing (conclusion, at least 99%).

 

With babies to feed, votes to cast and barbeques to prepare for diners made a hasty exit, stopping on the way out to cancel the second round, pay, and then return for some delicious baklava.

 

*sacrilege

 

Facts:

 

• Sport – goat grabbing, cricket

• Land locked but still strong shipping industry

• Biggest export is Opium

• Runway in XXX is most used in the world