For the Ayubi family, Parwana Afghan Kitchen in Adelaide is many things – but above all, it is a way to preserve a culture they cherish. When Durkhanai and her mother Farida talk about Afghan cuisine, it is much more than simply sustenance.
“My family moved here in ‘87, and that was the height of the cold war in Afghanistan. Food always was a very central part of our lives and how we stayed connected to tradition and who we are as migrants,” says Durkhanai.
The story may have a familiar, well-worn shape – the migrant experience of food as a tangible link back to one’s heritage is common because it proves true again and again – but for the Ayubis, the value of the story is sharpened by the renewed violence and unrest of recent times as the Taliban tightens its grip on Afghanistan.
“My parents’ generation is really the last generation to know an Afghanistan without violence, to have grown up there with peace.”
Farida’s mother died when she was five or six years old, and her father took on the job of cooking to feed her and her siblings. She remembers tokhme banjanromi – eggs cooked in tomatoes, onion and chili and served with naan – as a beloved breakfast food from her childhood in Afghanistan: “It was always my dad, he would cook breakfast, and [tokhme banjanromi] was our favourite of his breakfasts.
“He loved to cook for us. He always tried to make sure we ate very healthy food!”
“Afghan food is always a spread, it’s hardly ever one dish,” Durkhanai says.
A typical breakfast might be made up of an assortment of protein and calorie-rich foods: alongside cheeses such as paneer, fresh-baked naan and roht – an enriched sweetened bread – a sweet milk tea such as shir chai is served in the mornings. Food is traditionally eaten on a sofra, a type of rug where the whole family gathers and shares communal meals.
![Durkhanai Ayubi’s mother Farida of Parwana Kitchen: ‘It was always my dad, he would cook breakfast, and [tokhme banjanromi] was our favourite.’](https://media.guim.co.uk/45532b7aa98c1572ed7fc1b4f9f3b747af1ed8ae/0_1110_4440_5550/800.jpg)
Last year, in October, the Parwana cookbook was published. As Durkhanai says, the book is not entirely a “conventional or traditional recipe book”; it contains pages of detailed history of the country and of her family’s place in it.
She hopes the book not only preserves the family’s recipes but the lore of the cuisine and its place in Afghan culture. “A lot of what has been lost is that cultural knowledge – that knowledge of traditional food and cooking methods and the stories that come with food.
“My hope is that as a people we can remember ourselves beyond the last 30, 40 years of narratives of violence, and a really important part of that is remaining connected to our culture and our history. Because once those things are lost, you have no consciousness to build from, to imagine a future from.
“I hope that everything that comes about through the restaurant can be a kind of touchpoint – a galvanising point – for people to remember those memories, and that they don’t fade. Because we’ll need them moving forward.”
Farida and Durkhanai Ayubi’s tokhme banjanromi
Prep 15 min
Cook 20-25 min
Serves 4
250ml sunflower oil
2 tsp salt
1 large brown onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3 ripe tomatoes, halved and thinly sliced
1 fresh long red chilli, thinly sliced
4 large eggs
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp ground black pepper
handful of coriander leaves, coarsely chopped
Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over high heat and fry the onion and garlic for five minutes, or until softened and browned. Add the tomato and fresh chilli, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomato is softened but still intact, then stir in two teaspoons salt, or to taste, to combine. Break the eggs into a bowl, then pour evenly over the tomato and onion mixture in the saucepan.
Break up the yolks gently, if that’s how you prefer them, then cover the pan with a lid. Reduce the heat to low and cook the eggs slowly, shaking the pan occasionally to avoid sticking for five to 10 minutes, or 10 to 15 minutes for medium-soft, or until the eggs are cooked to your liking. Sprinkle with one teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, the chilli powder and coriander to taste, and serve hot – straight from the pan.
Naan flatbread
Prep 10 min
Rise 40 min to 1 hour
Cook 15 min
Serves 4
600g plain flour
2 tsp instant yeast
2 tsp salt
375ml lukewarm water
2 tbsp plain yoghurt
2 tbsp sunflower oil
Place the flour, yeast and two teaspoons salt in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. In a separate bowl, whisk the remaining ingredients to combine. Create a well in the centre of the dry ingredients, then slowly add the wet ingredients to the well, mixing to combine with your hands until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms.
Lightly dust a work surface with flour and knead the dough for five minutes, or until it is no longer sticky and is soft and elastic. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover with a tea towel. Set aside in a warm place, or at least at room temperature for 40 minutes to an hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan) and line two baking trays with baking paper. Divide the dough in half and spread each half into each baking tray with your hands, so that it fills the entire tray and is evenly spread. If you like, you can use a dough scraper or butter knife to shape the surface of the dough; a regular grid or line pattern will help the naan colour evenly.
Place the trays in the oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until the naans are golden brown and baked through. Naan flatbread is best enjoyed freshly cooked and hot with any meal, but it will keep well in an airtight container for one day.
Shir chai
Prep 5 min
Cook 30 min
Serves 4
375ml water
2 tbsp loose-leaf black tea
200g white sugar
6 cardamom pods, bruised
1 litre whole milk
Place 375ml water in a medium saucepan with the tea, sugar and cardamom over high heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for five minutes to let the tea steep and the flavours combine.
Add the milk to the pan and increase the heat. Bring to the boil once again, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes, so the flavours fuse completely. Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl, discarding the tea leaves and cardamom pods.
Pour the shir chai into a teapot and enjoy while hot, or leave to cool and serve chilled.
