Borani Kadoo: the Afghan spiced pumpkin. Versione italiana. This pumpkin and spice dish is typical of Middle Eastern cuisine, which I always like very much, as it manages to give that extra touch even to very simple vegetable dishes, like this one. Kadu or Kadoo means pumpkin, while Borani refers to the yogurt sauce, which is used to accompany these vegetable-based dishes to dampen the spicy and spicy taste of the curry.
The main ingredient in this Afghan dish is obviously pumpkin which is cooked slowly along with a combination of onion, garlic, coriander, ginger, curry, turmeric and chili pepper. The quality of the spices greatly affects the final result of the dish, so it is better to use first choice. Especially curry which in some cases can be bitter or not very tasty. It can be enjoyed alone, with Arabic pita or as an accompaniment to a dish of basmati rice.
Borani Kadoo: the Afghan spiced pumpkin
Ingredients (4 people):
- 500g pumpkin
- 1 yellow onion
- 2cm fresh ginger root
- 1 teaspoon of turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon of cilantro
- 1 clove of minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon of curry
- 1/2 teaspoon of chili pepper (less if you prefer not very spicy)
- 200ml vegetable broth
- 100ml tomato puree
- 4 tablespoons of oil
- Yogurt Dressing
- Naan bread or steamed basmati rice
Directions:
- Start preparing the pumpkin, peeling it, removing the seeds and filaments and then cutting it into not too large cubes.
- Then go on to peel the onion and put it into pieces in the chopper. Then peel the garlic clove and add it to the onion. Chop everything very finely, so as to obtain almost a puree.
- Pour the onion and garlic mixture into a pan with the oil and add the grated ginger, coriander, turmeric, curry and chilli.
- Then turn on the heat and fry the spiced onion until golden.
- At this point add the pumpkin and brown it for a couple of minutes, before adding the broth, cover the pan and lower the heat.
- Cook over low heat for 10-12 minutes, then uncover the pan and add the tomato sauce. Turn well and cook for another 4-5 minutes, allowing any excess liquid to evaporate.
- Serve hot or lukewarm with a nice spoonful of yogurt sauce and accompanied with pita or steamed rice.
