Recipe: Sholeh Ghorbandi

SHOLEH GHORBANDI

Sholeh Ghorbandi with yoghurt 

SHOLEH GHORBANDI is a popular dish in the Afghan family household which can be served at lunchtime or dinnertime. It's a traditional combination of rice, lentils and korma. Sholeh Ghorbandi, as the name suggests, originates from the Ghorband district in Afghanistan. Families in this region are known to indulge in fruits ranging from grapes to apples, all year round. Sholeh Ghorbandi is a savoury dish that offers something different - a contrast to the sweet fruits that are popular in this region. It's a dish enjoyed by all Afghan households.

Serves 5

Preparation Time: 50 minutess
Overview: The dish is made up of 3 parts - the sholah, korma, and the yoghurt

Ingredients:

Sholah

• Split green gram
• Basmati rice (white)
• Dry onions, 100g
• 1 onion, chopped into small pieces
• Tomato puree, 1 tablespoon
• Turmeric powder, 1/2 a teaspoon
• Dry coriander, 1/2 a teaspoon
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped

           
Korma

• Lamb on the bone, 2 kilos, chopped into squares
• 3 onions, roughly chopped into small pieces
• 4 tomatoes, roughly chopped into small pieces
• 3 potatoes, peeled and chopped into large pieces
• 1 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped into small pieces
• Fresh coriander, about 100g, finely chopped
• 1 green chilli, finely chopped
• 4 tablespoons of cooking oil (we recommend olive oil)
• Turmeric powder, 1/2 a teaspoon
• Salt, 1 teaspoon

Yoghurt

• Sour yoghurt
• Dry coriander
• Half a clove of garlic, crushed 

How to Prepare:

The Sholah

1. Soak the basmati rice in a large bowl, in lukewarm water for 20mins. This will both clean and soften the rice.
2. In a separate large bowl, also soak the the split green gam in lukewarm for 20mins. 
3. In the meantime, prepare your vegetables.
4. Add the oil into a large casserole dish at high heat.
5. Then add the chopped onions and cook until brown. Then add the dry onions, tomato puree and half a cup of water to the dish. Stir and cook for 5mins.
6. Add the salt, turmeric powder, dry coriander, the garlic, and a litre of water . Stir the dish and bring to boil.
7. Then add the basmati rice and the split green gram. Stir the dish.
8. Wait until the liquid has nearly evaporated and the content becomes sticky. Then lower the heat to cook the ingredients for another 20mins.

The Korma

1. Add the oil to a casserole at high heat.
2. Add the onions and stir until brown.
3. Then add the tomatoes and cook for 5-6mins. This will fry the ingredients.
4. Add the lamb pieces and all the other ingredients: garlic, fresh coriander, green chilli, turmeric powder, and salt. Stir the ingredients until the vegetables soften for 5minutes.
5. Then add water until the meat is covered. Cover the casserole dish with a lid. Cook for 15mins at low heat - then add the potatoes.
6. Cook for another 20mins, still at low heat.
7. Your korma is ready!

The Yoghurt

1. Add sour yoghurt to a small ramekin
2. Top this with a sprinkle of dry coriander and the crushed garlic
3. Stir!

Serving:

• Serve the sholah in a large, round dish. In the middle of the dish, put the small ramekin with the yoghurt. Add some of the korma onto the sholah.
• Serve the korma in another large, round dish.
• You're ready to go! 

A closer look at Sholeh Ghorbandi

The korma, part of the Sholeh Ghorbandi dish