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A small quantity of minced mutton and diced onion fries gently in fat. Mutton stock (or water) goes in; the broth simmers for 10 minutes. Plain flour is rubbed with a few drops of water between the palms to make tiny crumb-sized lumps; these scatter into the simmering broth, where they cook for 5 minutes into soft pearls. Salt and pepper to season. A scatter of fresh dill or spring onion finishes the bowl.
Mutton on the bone, shoulder, breast, leg in big pieces, is placed in a deep pot. Cold water covers. Salt is added (heroically, about 1 tablespoon per litre). The pot comes to a boil; the surface is skimmed thoroughly; then it simmers, partially covered, until the meat is so tender it falls in big juicy pieces from the bone. The dish is piled onto a platter; the broth is reserved and drunk in cups alongside.
Mutton on the bone simmers for 1 hour 15 minutes with onion, bay and a few peppercorns. Bones lift out; meat is shredded. Hand-cut noodles drop into the simmering broth with diced carrot and onion. 6 minutes later the noodles are tender and the dish is done. Salted to taste, garnished with chopped spring onion or dill.
Lamb mince fries with onion, garlic, ginger and a spice mix of garam masala, cumin, coriander and chilli. Frozen peas thaw into the dry filling at the end; lemon juice and chopped coriander finish it. Left to cool. Spring-roll pastry strips fold around a generous tablespoon of filling into triangular packets (flag-fold) and seal with flour paste. Deep-fried 175°C until deep gold.
Fine bulgur soaks for 30 minutes. Lamb mince blends with bulgur, grated onion, allspice, salt to a smooth paste. Filling: lamb mince cooked with onion, garlic, allspice, pine nuts and pomegranate molasses, cooled. Half the shell paste spreads in a wide oiled baking tin; filling spreads over; remaining shell paste tops it. Scored into diamonds; drizzled with samna; baked for 30 minutes.
Seekh kebab is restaurant-quality barbecue. Unlike simple meatballs, seekh kebab is defined by its fine, dense, bound texture achieved through vigorous kneading. The spice profile is warm and aromatic without aggression. When charred over hot coals, the exterior develops a smoky, charred, visible "lace" pattern while the interior stays succulent. This is elegant Indian street food made at home, served with yoghurt and lemon.
Sambousak are Afghanistan's answer to the samosa: small triangular fried pastries with a spiced lamb filling, served as a starter or with afternoon tea alongside a green chutney. The filling is a quick fry-up of lamb mince with onion, leek, garlic, ginger, ground coriander, cumin, chilli and a hit of dried mint, then cooled completely before it goes into the wrappers. The dough work is the move: spring-roll pastry sheets get cut into long strips, then folded around a teaspoon of filling using the flag-fold (the strip wraps over the filling at a diagonal, then keeps folding triangle-over-triangle down its length until you have a closed triangle). Seal the seam with a flour-and-water paste, fry at 170°C for three minutes a side until amber. Eat warm with a mint-and-coriander chutney.
A simple yeasted bread dough rises for 1 hour; balls are divided and rolled into 9 cm rounds. A raw mince mixture of lamb, grated onion, tomato, pomegranate molasses, Aleppo pepper, allspice and pine nuts is spread thinly on top. Baked for 12-14 minutes at 230°C, high heat so the dough turns crisp before the meat dries out. Served warm with lemon wedges and yogurt.
Lamb mince fries with onion, garlic, cumin, coriander and chilli to a dry savoury filling. Spring-roll pastry sheets are cut into long strips; a teaspoon of cooled filling goes on a corner; the strip folds into a small triangular packet via the flag-fold method. Sealed with flour-water paste; deep-fried 170°C until shatteringly golden. Eaten with a wedge of lemon and sahawiq.