Are you a lover of books?
My father, the English teacher, instilled in us an appreciation for literature.
When I find a book I love I want to yell about it from the mountain top.
Elise Bauer
Last year the book my friends received wasThe Lost World of the Kalahariby Laurens van der Post.
Here’s an excerpt from the lamb qorma recipe:
Okay, the onions.
In Afghanistan, we rarely fashion a meal without onions.
Elise Bauer
What the world was like before onions were invented, I cannot imagine.
So, the onions, three of them.
You need chunks of onion, not thin slices.
Elise Bauer
Now heat some cooking oil in a big saucepan.
I am serious when I say a big saucepan.
For dishes like this, a big saucepan is your friend.
Elise Bauer
Do you want to fill a smaller saucepan to the very brim?
and later,
This is going to take two hours.
Every fifteen minutes put the book down and stir the saucepan.
Elise Bauer
In this last hour, you are stirring the qorma, and you are reading your book.
You started at two-thirty in the afternoon.
Now it’s five in the afternoon.
Elise Bauer
Turn off the qorma.
If you are of my faith, wash and pray.
If you are not, do whatever you must.
Elise Bauer
All of the recipes read like that, many with rough approximations of the amounts.
I do recommend getting a copy of this book just for the pleasure of reading it.
Mazari instructs us to serve his qorma with basmati rice.
Elise Bauer
We didn’t have any rice so we served it with flatbread on the side instead.
The stew is tangy and spicy and would be great with rice to sop up the extra liquid.
That way, you won’t risk the yogurt separating during reheating.
Elise Bauer
If you want to freeze leftovers, store them in a freezer safe container or zip top bag.
While reheating on the stovetop, do it slowly and stirring frequently, diminishing the risk of separation.
Low fat or non-fat may separate.
Elise Bauer
Then add the chunks of lamb, eventually turning so it can brown all sides.
Presented here with the permission of the publisher.
Add the peppercorns and grind them roughly.
Elise Bauer
Add the cardamom pods and crush them with the cloves and peppercorns.
Heat the oil over medium-low heat in a large, thick-bottomed pot with a lid.
Add the chopped onions and cook, stirring often, until golden, about 10 minutes.
Add the turmeric to the onions, and stir to coat.
Add the cumin, coriander, paprika and cinnamon.
Stir in the ground cloves, cardamom, and peppercorns.
Add the crushed garlic and the grated ginger.
Cook for 2 minutes.
(with their juices) to the pot and bring to a simmer.
Cook for 4 minutes.
Add 1 teaspoon of salt, more or less to taste.
Cover the pot, bring to a simmer and reduce heat to a very low simmer.
Cook very gently for 2 hours or more, stirring every 15 minutes or so.
The stew should cook at a bare simmer until the lamb is very tender.
Serve the korma with basmati rice and/or flatbread.
