Afghan Gosh-e Feel Sweet Fried Pastry

About This Recipe

Gosh-e feel, meaning 'elephant ears' for its shape once fried and rippled, is a delicate Afghan pastry made from a thin, slightly enriched dough rolled out and cut into wide ovals, then fried briefly in hot oil until it puffs into a crisp, blistered, lightly golden shape. It's a festive treat prepared especially for Eid and Nowruz, the Persian and Afghan new year, when households make large batches to share with visiting family and guests. The dough is rolled very thin, since a thick dough won't achieve the characteristic light, crisp, rippled texture that defines a good gosh-e feel, and it fries quickly, needing close attention so it doesn't overbrown before the center cooks through. A dusting of powdered sugar and finely crushed pistachios, sometimes with a few dried rose petals, is the classic finish, though some households drizzle a light sugar syrup over the top instead for extra sweetness. The frying step is the main technical challenge: getting the oil to the right temperature so the thin dough puffs and blisters attractively rather than frying flat and greasy. Made ahead of celebrations and stored in airtight tins, gosh-e feel is treated as festive, special-occasion food rather than an everyday dessert.

Ingredients

Serves 8

• 2.5 cupsall-purpose flour
• 2eggs
• 3 tbspbutter(melted and cooled)
• 2 tbspsugar
• 0.25 tspground cardamom
• 0.25 tspfine sea salt
• 3 tbspwater(as needed)
• 3 cupsvegetable oil(for deep-frying)
• 0.5 cuppowdered sugar(for dusting)
• 0.25 cuppistachios(finely crushed)
• 1 tspdried rose petals(optional, for garnish)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dough

   Combine flour, eggs, melted butter, sugar, cardamom and salt into a firm dough, adding water a spoonful at a time as needed. Knead 6 minutes, cover, and rest 30 minutes.

2. 2

   Roll very thin

   Divide the dough into small portions and roll each out as thin as possible into wide ovals, about 12 to 15cm long.

   Roll the dough as thin as you possibly can without tearing it — thickness is the main factor separating a light, crisp gosh-e feel from a dense, doughy result.

3. 3

   Heat the oil

   Heat vegetable oil in a deep pan to 175°C (350°F).

4. 4

   Fry quickly

   Fry each piece of rolled dough for 30 to 45 seconds per side, until puffed, blistered and light golden. Fry in small batches to keep the oil temperature steady.

5. 5

   Drain and cool

   Drain on paper towels and let cool slightly.

6. 6

   Dust and serve

   Dust generously with powdered sugar and scatter with crushed pistachios and dried rose petals if using. Serve at room temperature.

Variations

• •

  Drizzle with a light sugar syrup instead of powdered sugar for a sweeter, glossier finish, a variation some households prefer.

• •

  Add a few strands of saffron steeped in warm water to the dough for extra fragrance and color.

• •

  Use finely crushed almonds instead of pistachios if that's what's on hand.

Storage

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks — like many festival sweets, gosh-e feel is meant to be made in advance and keeps well until celebrations begin.

Frequently Asked Questions