a culinary trip to afghanistan
We figured that we would not be able to try the cuisine in Afghanistan anytime soon, so we went for the next best thing: we ate at an Afghan Restaurant in Sydney. And the food is simply scrumptious.
The flavours are influenced by countries close by, probably most notably India and there are elements of China, possibly due to connections via the Silk Road back in the day.
To start we ordered our drinks, one cherry lassi and one salted lassi. The salted lassi (also referred to as Doogh) is a savoury yoghurt drink with cucumber and mint tossed through it. It definitely has a unique yet refreshing taste and is less heavier than the typical mango lassi. The cherry lassi was sweet and tasted almost like a cherry juice but creamier.
For entree, we ordered a mixed platter for two (it could easily have fed 4 people) – it included 2 meat and 2 vegetarian options.
(1) Afghani potato flat bread with chopped onion shallots, coriander and spices, served with yoghurt sauce
(2) Vegetarian dumplings topped with a bolognese sauce – it felt almost like a Chinese dish fused with an Italian dish. There is an option that is a purely vegetarian (i.e. no bolognese sauce)
(3) Beef dumplings also served with a bolognese sauce.
(4) Seekh kabab – lamb mince charcoal grilled, served with a spicy chutney.
For our main, we shared a chicken dish, Chicken Karahi, which was ever so fragrant with spices, cooked in a tomato-base sauce with onion and capsicum. The sauce had some “kick” & we were glad to have ordered the lassi 🙂 With every mouthful, the chicken was so moist, tender and full of flavour.
Accompanying the chicken dish was naan bread. We ordered orange pallow rice as an addition. The rice had an orange flavour and the cardamom through it was very pronounced.
The waiter (who we suspect is also the owner) is a very friendly man and is always obliging when we have eaten here. He will always advise if he thinks we have ordered too much or can recommend dishes worth trying, especially during your first visit.
We are by no means food critics nor are we turning into foodies but considering our blog is about our travels, this particular trip was a culinary one for our taste buds! We were pretty sure our attempts to avoid gluten, failed here as well as our attempts to cut back on meat…
Bamiyan Restaurant is located in Five Dock, about 10 km from Sydney centre. We would recommend anyone in Sydney or visiting Sydney should consider giving it a go 🙂
wise monkeys abroad 
April 13, 2014 at 3:52 pm
mmmmmm – and mmmmmmm. 🙂
April 13, 2014 at 4:06 pm
It was delicious!!! So fragrant and tasty with enough kick in the spice to not have our mouths ablaze. 😉
April 10, 2014 at 6:08 pm
way to make-do! i’ve never known what Afghan food was – it looks delicious!
April 10, 2014 at 6:47 pm
Thanks for stopping by our blog!! Afghan cuisine is very scrumptious 🙂
April 9, 2014 at 5:35 pm
“He will always advise if he thinks we have ordered too much” << I know I'd be guilty of ordering too much!
April 9, 2014 at 7:03 pm
😉
April 9, 2014 at 4:05 pm
I would never dream that Afghan and Indian food would be so similar! It’s so interesting how different country’s foods have evolved. I have tried a salt lassi before (I think in India?), but I couldn’t get past 2 sips! It was REALLY salty!!! Mango is definitely my preference. 🙂
April 9, 2014 at 4:09 pm
There was something about the salty lassi that we enjoyed!! But yes, mango is so delicious 🙂
Afghan food is just so yummy!
April 9, 2014 at 10:34 am
The food and your writing are both delicious. I have tried Afghan food only once ( restaurant called Khyber Pass in New York) and it was great!
April 9, 2014 at 11:29 am
Thank you for your kind words 🙂
Isn’t the food just delightful?! 🙂
April 9, 2014 at 3:12 am
How interesting. I eat Indian food a lot and am certain Afghan would be equally tasty.
April 9, 2014 at 5:52 am
Yes, there are similarities between the two!! Getting hungry again, just thinking of it! Hope you are enjoying your term break 🙂
April 9, 2014 at 3:10 am
I’d love to try Afghani fod. Sounds delicious. I’ll have to be on the lookout for it near me.
April 9, 2014 at 5:51 am
If you get a chance, pleas do try it – the food is so tasty & fragrant!
April 9, 2014 at 3:00 am
Ah!! So, nice that you get Afghani food down under! I have tried it in Delhi, and loved it! Interestingly, the restaurant we went to, had waiters who do not even speak the local language, Hindi…so we had to use a lot of sign language! 🙂
April 9, 2014 at 5:50 am
Cool 🙂 So you got an even more authentic experience at that restaurant?? 🙂 the food is just delicious – we were so full but wanted more!
April 9, 2014 at 12:31 am
If it’s anything like Indian food, sounds delicious. Do they traditionally have many vegetarian options for entrees?
April 9, 2014 at 5:55 am
Not entirely sure about traditionally but the menu had a few vegetarian entree options (definitely more meat options though).
Thanks for reading 🙂
April 9, 2014 at 6:29 pm
We’ve eaten here too (twice). It is delish! We enjoyed it a bit more the time we went with a group of 8 rather than as a couple, as we were able to try more dishes (and share the salt lassi round – the only thing I did not like). Did you notice the terracotta warrior at the end of the hallway that looks 3D but is actually painted onto the wall?
April 9, 2014 at 7:04 pm
No, we missed the terracotta warrior!! Oh man, we will have to go back 🙂
Yes, we have been in a big group too and that is definitely a better way to do it!
April 9, 2014 at 6:59 pm
Thanks for the info!
April 9, 2014 at 7:01 pm
Pleasure 🙂