Kaddo Bourani (Afghani pumpkin dish from The Helmand restaurant)
Ever eat something at a restaurant and have that dish linger long in your memories? That's how it was when my sister took me to The Helmand in Cambridge, MA, for my birthday. I don't know what food from Afghanistan is supposed to taste like but I loved everything. In particular, I loved the appetizer, Kaddo Bourani, that my sister got. It didn't sound like the sort of thing I would like since it involved a yogurt sauce and pumpkin and I don't care all that much about either of those things. But when I tasted it, I was a convert. The sweet hot pumpkin mixed with the tang of the cold yogurt sauce and then melded with the hot savory ground beef sauce. (They also offered this as a vegetarian option by leaving out the meat sauce.) The blend of flavors, textures, and temperatures made me sigh happily. When I got home, I looked on the restaurant's website to see if they shared the recipe and they didn't. Alas. If you're in San Francisco or Boston, I heartily recommend making reservations to eat at The Helmand.
When I was looking for pumpkin recipes last month, I stumbled upon The Recipe! I read it eagerly and was surprised to see that it required baking the pumpkin for over 3 hours. Not something to make on a whim. Well I finally tried it and it was worth every moment of waiting. The hardest part was preparing the pumpkin. The rest of the recipe is fairly simple and straight-forward. But it did take a long time. I kept going over to check on things. By the time I was done cooking, eating, and cleaning everything up, I lay down and noticed, "Wow...my FEET are sore from all that cooking and cleaning." But you know what? I loved it. I couldn't believe that something that tasted so good had come out of my kitchen. I only regret that the stores around here seem to sell fresh pumpkins only for Halloween. So I guess I'll have to wait until next year to make this again.
(If anyone in Boston or Seacoast New Hampshire knows where I could buy some sugar pumpkins, please let me know!)
Click for recipe and more photos
When I was looking for pumpkin recipes last month, I stumbled upon The Recipe! I read it eagerly and was surprised to see that it required baking the pumpkin for over 3 hours. Not something to make on a whim. Well I finally tried it and it was worth every moment of waiting. The hardest part was preparing the pumpkin. The rest of the recipe is fairly simple and straight-forward. But it did take a long time. I kept going over to check on things. By the time I was done cooking, eating, and cleaning everything up, I lay down and noticed, "Wow...my FEET are sore from all that cooking and cleaning." But you know what? I loved it. I couldn't believe that something that tasted so good had come out of my kitchen. I only regret that the stores around here seem to sell fresh pumpkins only for Halloween. So I guess I'll have to wait until next year to make this again.
(If anyone in Boston or Seacoast New Hampshire knows where I could buy some sugar pumpkins, please let me know!)
Click for recipe and more photos