The last time, Saint Lucia. This time, Afghanistan.

I am interested in Afghanistan, and studied about Afghan food.
Afghan foods are all appetizing. After studying, I came to want to cook them at once. So, today, I wrote about “korma”, a popular stewed cooking in Afghanistan. I will be grad if you make this dish.
 

Ingredients(for four) 
・cumin 　　　　　　1 tsp
・coriander 　　　　1 tsp
・cinnamon 　　　　0.5 tsp
・turmeric 　　　　　1 tsp
・cardamom 　　　6 grains
・red pepper 　　　　1 
・garam masala 　　1 tsp
・salt and pepper 　a suitable amount
・garlic(paste) 　　　1 tsp
・ginger(paste) 　　1 tsp
・yogurt 　　　　　　4 tsps
・onion 　　　　　　　2
・chick pea 　　　　　1 cup
・potato　　　　　　　 1
・green bean 　　　　1 cup

Recipe
1. Measure cumin, coriander, cinnamon, turmeric, cardamom, red pepper, and mix them. 

2. Fry sliced onions in a pan for 5 minutes.

3. Add garlic and ginger to the pan, and fry for 2 minutes.

4. Add measured spices to the pan, and fry for 1 minute to make them give off the good smell.

5. Add cut potatoes, chick peas, and water to the pan. Once the water boils, cover the pan with a lid and stew on low heat for 15 minutes.

6. Add green beans, and stew for 5 minutes with the lid off.

7. Add yogurt and garam masala to the pan.

8. Season with salt and pepper, and stew for 5 minutes.

9. Place on the plate. done!

About korma
    Afghanistan is on the Silk Road, and is a multiracial nation bordered by six countries, Iran, Pakistan, China, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. So, Afghan food is very various.
    “korma” is one of the cooking which is from foreign countries around Afghanistan. And the word “korma” is derived from Urdo “kormah” which means “Braising”. The cuisine korma dates back to the sixteenth century, originated in Mughal Empire in North India. They ate korma as a palace cuisine, and very few people could eat it. When Babur, who was the originator of Mughal Empire, invaded what is now Pakistan and Bangladesh, korma spread over India and neighboring countries. And how to cook korma was greatly influenced by each countries’ culture, climate, landform, and so on. So, there are numberless recipes of korma around the world. 
    In particularly, in Afghanistan, they use some fruits, chick peas, or yogurt in addition to the ordinary ingredients like onions or spices or meat. Afghanistan is famous for its production of chick peas, and chick peas are often used in Afghan food. Yogurt is also used in Afghan food to make taste mild. When meat is used in korma, chicken and mutton are mostly used because Afghan people are followers of Islam. As there are quite a few vegetarians in Afghanistan, meatless korma is often cooked for them. Korma is eaten with nan bread or palaw (a kind of pilaf) by both vegetarians and non-vegetarians.
    Even in Afghanistan, there are also differences of the recipe. As Afghanistan is a mountain country, and tribes living in have weak ties to each other, their cultures (including how to cook) developed uniquely. there are various "korma"
    In the countless of recipes of korma, I chose this recipe because one of my English teacher, who certainly reads this blog, is a vegetarian. He must read other students’ blogs, and when he read other articles about cooking, he can’t make the dish on the blog if its main ingredient is meat. It’s a pity he can’t enjoy cooking. So, I chose this meatless recipe so that he can cook this.


    I want to cook korma, but I can’t, because of the number of spices. For a student, many spices cost too much. If you like cooking, try it!


References
http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%B3%E3%83%AB%E3%83%9E

http://jp.ndish.com/world/afghanistan/ 

http://e-food.jp/country/afghan/1/afgan.korma.htm 

http://cookpad.com/recipe/310436