AFGHANISTAN: Yogurt-Marinated Chicken Kebabs (Murgh Kebabs), Potato and Chickpea Salad (Shornakhod), and Green Chutney

This is a do-ahead meal. Each component requires at least 8 — but ideally 24 —hours in the fridge to marinate, meld, and chill. However, the active time for this prep was less than 15 minutes. Even with the day-of skewering and grilling, this meal has a great effort-to-flavor ratio. It's perfect for the nights when you want to grill up a bright, light, and beautiful meal with minimal time in the kitchen!

On an aside, this is the third time in as many months that I have prepped a meal, written it up, then before it published a major media outlet has mentioned or cooked the same dish. In this case, NYT published a riff on this yesterday, in the form of chicken salad.  And I now feel like I should wear a foil hat when I cook.

Yogurt-Marinated Chicken Kebabs (Murgh Kebabs)

2 cloves garlic

1½ cups plain, whole milk yogurt

2 teaspoons ground coriander

¾ teaspoon ground cumin

¾ teaspoon turmeric

¾ teaspoon salt

salt and pepper

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1. Mince the garlic. Add the garlic and all ingredients, other than the chicken, into a Ziplock bag or shallow dish large enough to hold chicken. Mix together until well blended.

2. Trim the chicken of any excess fat and gristle. Don’t worry about getting every last bit of fat; most of it will melt off on the grill. Cut chicken into large, bite-size pieces. Add chicken to yogurt marinade and massage or toss until it is coated. Place, sealed or covered, in fridge for 8-24 hours.

3. When ready to grill, heat gas or electric grill to a medium-high temperate. While grill preheats, place chicken into colander in sink and wipe off as much excess marinade as possible. Thread chicken onto metal skewers. (If you do not have metal skewers, you can use wooden skewers, but be sure to presoak them, fully submerged in a dish of water, for 30 minutes before skewering chicken to prevent burning.)

4. Place kebabs on the preheated grill. Do not try to turn them until they begin to unstick from the grill, 3 or 4 minutes. Turn kebabs and grill the other side for 3 to 4 minutes. Continue cooking and turning until chicken is no longer pink in the center, about 5 more minutes.

5. Serve with naan or lavash, sliced cucumbers and tomatoes, and green chutney.

Potato and Chickpea Salad (Shornakhod)

2 medium Yukon gold potatoes (~1 lb total)

2 scallions

5 mint leaves

1 cup roughly chopped cilantro

½ cup white whine vinegar

salt and pepper

1 can (~15 oz) chickpeas

1. Peel the potatoes and cut into bite-size pieces. Add to a saucepan and add enough cold water to cover the potatoes by half an inch or so. Toss in a teaspoon of table salt. Place pan on high heat until water boils, then reduce temperature to bring water to a simmer.

2. While potatoes are cooking, add light and dark green parts of the scallion, mint leaves, cilantro, and vinegar to a small food processor or mini blender along with ½ teaspoon salt. Purée until finely chopped.

3. Drain chickpeas and add to a medium bowl. Toss with cilantro and vinegar mix.

4. When potatoes are cooked through and tender, about 12-15 minutes, drain and add to the bowl. Toss again until all is combined.

5. Place, covered, in fridge 8-24 hours. Serve chilled.

   
   

Green Chutney

1 cup roughly chopped cilantro

1 cup roughly chopped parsley

1 clove garlic

¼ chopped walnuts

1-2 jalapeño peppers, stemmed and seeded

¼ white wine vinegar

1. Add all ingredients to a small food processor or mini blender along with ½ teaspoon salt. (If makinf the potato and chickpea salad, no need to clean the machine in between making that and the chutney!) Purée until finely chopped.

2. Transfer to a mason jar or small glass bowl and leave, uncovered, in the fridge for 8-24 hours.

3. Save any remaining chutney in a sealed container.

   
   

#murgh #kebab #lavash #grilledchicken #potatosalad #afghan 

FUN FACTS:

• Starting with independence, Afghanistan had 26 flags.

• Afghans celebrate their new year, Nawroz, on 21 March, the first day of spring.

• The world's first oil paintings were drawn in the caves of Bamiyan, in the central highlands of Afghanistan around 650BC.