Its been a while since I had anyone on the Across My table Table series. Its a column where I do small interviews with visiting chefs to the city. In this post, I managed to speak to Chef Zermaty, a 29 year old chef who is visiting the city to helm an Afghani food festival at the Lalit Ashok. An Afghani by birth, Chef Zermaty's love for cooking began quite naturally, at his mother's table back home. Armed with memories of authentic flavors, he honed his skills over the years and also immersed himself in the culture of his land - a perfect way to understand the history behind each of the dishes.

The very term Afghani cuisine has an exotic ring to it and I asked Chef Zermaty, what the influences are for this cuisine. Turns out its from multiple nations - Northern India, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhistan, Uzbekistan to name a few, he said. The food is a mix of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes, with the emphasis primarily being on meat. Kabuli Pulao is a rice preparation made with caramelized water for the brown color and then infused with four kinds of dry fruits - pistas, dry raisins, almonds and cashews. It is finished off with deep fried thin slices of carrot. The rice and the meat are prepared separately and then placed together for the final part of the cooking, much like the dum biryanis we know, but with a completely different outcome. This is a dish that is prepared for all occasions.


This naturally means that the Afghans are finicky about their ingredients and what goes into their food. Chef Zermaty couldn't agree more. Staples in an Afghan kitchen, he says are pure zeera, which I believe is very different from the slightly pungent cumin that we get in India. Also dried green chilli powder is common as is garlic powder and Kashkash or poppy seeds.

Afghani food, he explains cannot really be compared with any other cuisine despite the influences being there. The food though rich, is not spicy and at times can even be described as plain. So with such a rich culinary heritage, what could possibly be Chef Zermaty's most memorable meal (of course I gave him the option of choosing outside his specialty) - surprisingly, the answer is the Butter Chicken he tasted when he got to Mysore. Its a dish he is most fascinated with and enjoys.

So then I must ask, if Chef Zermaty were entertaining guests at home, what would find its way to his table. Of course, the Kabuli Pulao without doubt, he said. Next would be the Bolani - somewhat similar to the dosa, but made with flour, served with potatoes and a coriander chutney. He would also have some Mantau - which can be made with chicken or mutton. A variation of a dimsum, Mantau is served topped with dal and yogurt. And can we finish a meal like this without a sweet - baklava will definitely be on the cards as will Sheer Berinj, an Afghani sweet rice pudding.