Kaddo Bourani

About This Recipe

Kaddo bourani is one of Afghanistan's most distinctive dishes — pumpkin or squash halves are pan-fried and then slow-baked in a sweet-spiced sugar crust until caramelised, served over a ground beef and tomato sauce and topped with cool, garlicky yoghurt. The contrast of sweet pumpkin, savoury meat and tangy yoghurt is a hallmark of Afghan cuisine and shows the sophistication of the country's cooking.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 800 gpumpkin or butternut squash(cut into thick wedges)
• 3 tbspsugar
• 1 tspground coriander
• 4 tbspvegetable oil
• 300 gground beef
• 2 mediumtomatoes(chopped)
• 1 largeonion(chopped)
• 1 tspground cumin
• 0.5 tspturmeric
• 250 mlplain yoghurt
• 3 clovesgarlic(minced)
• 1 tspdried mint
• 1 tspsalt

Instructions

1. 1

   Fry pumpkin

   Heat 3 tbsp oil in a wide oven-safe pan. Fry pumpkin wedges on both sides until lightly golden.

2. 2

   Bake sweet

   Sprinkle sugar and coriander over pumpkin. Bake at 180°C for 40 minutes until caramelised and tender.

3. 3

   Make meat sauce

   Fry onion until golden. Add ground beef, tomatoes, cumin, turmeric and salt. Cook 20 minutes until thick.

4. 4

   Make yoghurt

   Mix yoghurt with garlic, dried mint and a pinch of salt.

5. 5

   Plate

   Spread meat sauce on a platter. Arrange pumpkin wedges on top. Pour yoghurt generously over everything. Serve with flatbread.

Variations

• •

  Make vegetarian by replacing meat sauce with a spiced chickpea sauce.

• •

  Add a swirl of chilli oil over the yoghurt for heat.

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

• •

  Spicier: add a finely chopped fresh chile or a teaspoon of crushed Aleppo/Urfa pepper to the aromatics for warm, layered heat instead of a single sharp hit.

Storage

Each component stores separately for 3 days. Assemble fresh.

Frequently Asked Questions