Afghan Pasta
Humble pantry staples miraculously transformed, each mantle telling its own story. Tender pasta layered with a deeply spiced qeema cooked in golden caramelized onions, a garlicky yogurt sauce, a finishing drizzle of chili oil and a generous topping of fresh coriander and mint leaves. Inspired by the flavors of Afghan Aush, this is comfort food elevated to celebration food. Rich, bold, and unforgettable.
Servings: 8 people
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pasta (medium shells) *cooked per package instructions (Al dente) add Kosher salt and oil to boiling pasta water; reserve one cup pasta water for sauce
Meat Seasoning
- 1 tsp Canola oil *or Grapeseed oil
- 1 lb cooked beef keema *recipe previously posted (minced meat slow-cooked in caramelized onions)
- 1 tsp fresh garlic paste
- 1 tsp fresh ginger paste
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup friend onions
- 1 tsp Kosher salt *cooked meat is already seasoned, so don't over salt!
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp freshly ground coriander seeds
- ¾ tsp ground cumin seeds
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp paprika
- 1 tsp Aleppo pepper
- 2 tbsp fresh coriander leaves *Rinsed, dried, stemmed, and chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh mint leaves *Rinsed, dried, stemmed, and chopped
Tomato Sauce
- 4 tbsp Canola oil
- 28 ounce crushed canned tomatoes *San Marzano style
- 4 fresh tomatoes *diced
- 1 tsp fresh garlic paste
- 2 chicken bouillon cubes
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp oregano
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp sugar
Yogurt Sauce
- 2 cups plain yogurt
- 2 tbsp fresh coriander leaves *Rinsed, dried, stemmed, and chopped
- 1 tsp dried mint leaves
- 1 tsp fresh garlic paste
Toppings
- 2 tbsp fresh mint leaves *Rinsed, dried, stemmed, and chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh coriander leaves *Rinsed, dried, stemmed, and chopped
- chili oil *optional
- fried onions *optional
Instructions
For Tomato Sauce
- Heat 4 tbsp oil in large sauce pan on medium high heat.
- Turn heat to medium and sauté freshly diced tomatoes for 15-20 minutes, stirring well as needed.
- Add spices (oregano, red pepper flakes, paprika, chicken bouillon cubes, and sugar). Mix tomatoes and spices mixture well and continue to sauté for 5-7 minutes on medium-low heat.
- Now add crushed canned tomatoes. Mix to combine and simmer on low heat, covered, for 25-30 minutes.
- Using immersion blender, pulse tomato mixture to a smooth consistency. Cover and continue to simmer for a final 15-20 minutes.
For Cooked Minced Meat (Qeema) Seasoning
- In large skillet heat 1 tbsp oil on medium heat. Add ginger and garlic paste and sauté on medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes. Add cooked ground beef Keema to skillet and mix well.
- Add tomato paste and spices (Aleppo pepper, turmeric, garlic, onion powder, freshly ground coriander and cumin powders, black pepper, and Kosher salt). Add ¼ water, mix well to combine. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Uncover cooked + seasoned minced meat and add freshly chopped mint and coriander leaves.
- Combine tomato sauce and seasoned minced meat and set aside.
For Garlic Yogurt Sauce
- To a mixing bowl add yogurt and a splash of water to thin. Whisk to combine. Then add salt, dried mint leaves, and garlic paste. Mix well and set aside.
For Assembling
- On a large serving platter (or individual deep bowls), create a base layer of pasta. Ladle a generous amount of qeema + tomato sauce mixture over the pasta. Spoon garlic yogurt sauce over the qeema tomato sauce layer and then repeat. Top with freshly chopped coriander and mint leaves. You can drizzle chili oil and add some fried onions too!
- Afghani Pasta is now ready to be brought to your Dawat table in all its layered, fragrant glory. Serve immediately while warm, with extra yogurt sauce on the side for those who want more (and they will). Enjoy! Nosh Farma'aiye.