A is for Afghanistan

Yesterday was not an ideal day to begin my challenge. I just wasn't in the right frame of mind, certainly not a cooking frame of mind. But I'd already done the shopping and even some chopping and marinating... so nothing was going to stop me. Including a very long day with a very indignant toddler, or an achy and tired body due to a morning flu shot. Afghanistan would get it's moment in the spotlight in the Keysor kitchen no matter what!

On the menu? Grilled Afghan Chicken, Bouranee Baunjan, and Nan.

The chicken was a wonderfully simple recipe that did not disappoint in flavor. On Monday I mixed up a marinade of yogurt, lemon juice, garlic and salt. The recipe called for whole chicken breasts, skinned, but with bones. The breasts swam in the yogurt bath for over 24 hours in my fridge. I was skeptical of such a thick marinade - how would it really absorb into the chicken? But after 20 minutes on the grill, the meat was delicious and extremely moist.

Bouranee Baunjan is a sauteed eggplant dish with a yogurt sauce. I found multiple recipes for this online, and ultimately combined a few to make my own version, which I will post later.

In Afghanistan, it is customary to sit on the floor on large tablecloths for communal meals. Everyone sits on a brightly colored cushion, called a "toshak", and eats with their fingers. So, to get in the true spirit of things, I laid a tablecloth on the living room floor, arranged two olive green "toshak" that I stole from the couch, and lit a candle for a little bit of ambiance. The nan (which came from the grocery store, not homemade) worked perfectly for scooping up chunks of chicken and vegetables and tasting all the flavors at once.

Ted truly got into the meal. I caught him with his head tilted all the way back, chin towards the ceiling, literally slurping at the tips of his fingers to rid them of the yogurt and lemon juice that threatened to drip off. I tried not to let his excessive noises ruin my own dining experience!

Safe to say, we both enjoyed our first international meal. Although we never settled on a rating for the dinner, we did talk at length about what should be considered in the rating process. Here is what we came up with:

1) Uniqueness of flavors. Does this recipe have distinct spices and flavors that we enjoyed, but don't often experience?

2) Digestibility. (Enough said.)

3) Overall taste. Is this the kind of meal worth traveling a great distance to eat the "real thing"?

The rating scale will be from 1 to 5, with 1 being the lowest and 5 being, "We're buying our airline tickets tomorrow!".