Afghan Style Pumpkin With Yogurt Sauce Recipes

AFGHAN-STYLE PUMPKIN (WITH YOGURT SAUCE)

Steps:

• Put the oil in a pot or deep skillet that can later be covered on medium-high heat. When hot, add the onion and cook until browned, about 10 minutes. Add the turmeric, ginger and chili, and cook for another 2 minutes, until aromatic.
• Add pumpkin and stock; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover and turn heat to low. Cook, stirring once or twice, until pumpkin is tender, 15 to 30 minutes. Check periodically to make sure there is adequate liquid; if the pumpkin is done and the liquid is thin, remove lid and turn the heat to medium-high. Boil mixture until thick; taste and adjust seasoning.
• Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. When hot, add garlic. If using ground beef, add it and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and coriander and reduce heat to low; simmer until the mixture thickens, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Combine the yogurt, mint, minced garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl and stir.
• Spoon the ground beef or tomato sauce over the pumpkin. Top with yogurt sauce and more fresh mint and serve.

AFGHANI SUGAR PUMPKIN WITH GOAT AND YOGURT SAUCES (KADDO BOURANI)

Steps:

• -- Candied Pumpkins -- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Cut the top and bottom off the pumpkins - this makes it easier to chop them. Halve the pumpkins where the stem would have been and then halve again. This will yield 8 slices per pumpkin. Scoop out the seeds (reserve and toast them if you want). Peel the skin and the veiny rind off the slices. Place the pieces hollow side up on a baking dish and cover with oil. Rub the oil in with your fingers or a baster. Coat the pumpkin with all the sugar. Really use all the sugar. If it won't stay on, you can bake them for 30 minutes and then add a second coating of sugar. The sweetness is balanced by the yogurt sauce. Bake the pumpkins until they turn dark orange, about 2 to 3 hours. Baste the slices with the juices in the pan once towards the end of baking. Check them regularly towards the end to make sure they don't burn. -- Yogurt Sauce -- Mix together the yogurt, garlic, mint and salt. Refrigerate. Add 1 teaspoon lemon juice if it isn't a little tart. -- Meat Sauce -- Heat the oil in a medium or large saucepan. Add the onions and saute, stirring often until they are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Add the ground goat and chop with a spatula so its in small pieces, cook until the meat isnt pink. Stir in the tomato, garlic, coriander, salt, pepper and turmeric. Cook 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir. Add water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Cover for a more watery sauce, allow steam to evaporate for a thicker sauce.

KADDO BOURANI (AFGHANI BAKED PUMPKIN WITH YOGURT SAUCE)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300°F.
• Cut the pumpkins in half through the stem end, and cut out the long stringy fibers.
• Cut each pumpkin half into 3- to 4-inch pieces.
• There should be about 8 pieces from each pumpkin.
• Using a vegetable peeler, pare the rind from the pumpkins, digging the peeler down a little to remove more than just the superficial layer of rind.
• Place the pumpkin pieces hollow sides up in a baking pan large enough to hold them in a single layer.
• Coat both sides of the pieces, using all of the oil.
• Pour all the sugar evenly over the pieces.
• Cover the pan.
• Bake the pumpkins until the color turns darker orange and becomes nearly translucent, and the texture is extremely tender, about 3 hours and 15 minutes.
• Baste the pieces once with the pan juices after 2 1/2 hours of baking.
• The Yogurt Sauce: Stir together the yogurt, garlic, mint and salt.
• Cover and refrigerate until serving time.
• Just before serving, taste and add more salt if necessary.
• Yields 2 cups sauce.
• For each serving: Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the yogurt sauce onto a plate.
• Using the back of the spoon, spread the sauce a little.
• Using a slotted spoon, remove 2 pieces of the pumpkin from the pan and center them on the sauce.
• Add more sauce to taste.