Aushak, Kourma Challow, Lamb Lawand, and Sheerberaing at The Helmand in Cambridge, MA

Afghan cuisine reminds me of a fusion between Indian cuisine and everything else - you have the lamb cooked in curry/sauce like Indian food, but then you have interesting twists on pasta like the Afghan ravioli - aushak. The aushak noodle tasted almost like rice noodle, and it was filled with beef, yogurt, and scallions! Online recipes call for gyoza wrapper skins, but the one at the Helmand was much thinner and smoother.

The consistency of the sheerberaing - rice pudding, was so creamy that it actually tasted really similar to panna cotta, especially mixed in with the orange rinds and pistachio garnish. And again, the dessert reminded me of Italian cuisine!

When it comes down to the Afghan restaurants in Boston, there are 2: The Helmand in Cambridge and Ariana in Allston. I’ve been to Ariana before, so when I saw the menu of The Helmand, I thought they were related somehow, but they are not! I guess Afghan cuisine is just quite homogenous in their offerings. So if you’re debating which one to go to, both are actually very good - I would recommend The Helmand for tastier/better cooked dishes and Ariana if you like an intimate atmosphere. Regardless, I have grown fond of Afghan food and would love to learn how to make it some day!

I apologize for not being able to update recently, the final stretch between Thanksgiving break and the end of the semester is a busy time. But since I’m procrastinating with finals, here was an update with Thanksgiving this year.

Here was the menu of the night:

• Honey-glazed ham
• Pear Gorgonzola Salad with Walnuts
• Deviled Eggs (since Jonathan doesn’t like mayo, I found a mayo-free recipe!)
• Pumpkin Mac-and-Cheese (compliments of our friends)
• Mashed sweet potatoes
• Scalloped Potatoes
• Asparagus Hollandaise
• Dessert: fresh pecan pie (compliments of our lovely friends again)

Cooking wasn’t that bad at all - we prepped around 4:30, was done with cooking around 6:30 since a lot of things called for the oven (always a relief!), and ate by 7:15pm. It was a pleasant, traditional Thanksgiving, considering last year when I took Jonathan out for dim sum for the first time for Thanksgiving brunch, haha.

Chocolate Chip Cannoli @ Mike’s Pastry in North End, Boston

To think that one day we’ll have no more fish… Oh our planet…

100days-of-sushi:

I’ve not actually seen this documentary yet, but it is certaily on my to do list.

Tomorrow I’ll be writing about what to look out for when buying fish in terms of what is and isn’t sustainable.

Has anyone seen this documentary though? What did you think?

amyblogschow:

Have a favorite restaurant server who always makes your day? Tell us about him or her for a chance to leave them a $100 tip this Thanksgiving…

I’m so proud and happy about this Foodspotting campaign.

foodspotting:

This week, Foodspotting is celebrating Restaurant Staff Appreciation Week to show our thanks for the passionate individuals who make a great meal – and great foodspotting – possible.

From now until Monday, November 28th, tell us about your favorite restaurant service experience and about the individual who made it happen. Leave your story on the Foodspotting blog, Twitter, Facebook or Google+. Be sure to include the tag #tipitforward so we can find your entry.

Our favorite entry will receive a $100 gift certificate to that restaurant and the staff member who provided the service will receive a $100 American Express gift card aka a $100 “tip”…

Photo via Flickr.