Durkhanai is involved with the day-to-day responsibilities of the family-run eating places in Adelaide - Parwana and Kutchi Deli Parwana. She also writes freelance opinion-editorial pieces for a range of newspapers and websites, and is undertaking a Fellowship for Social Equity funded by the Atlantic Institute in New York.
'The story, with recipes, of how the Ayubi family fled Afghanistan
for Australia and opened a restaurant, Parwana, both to hold onto
their culture and to share it. It's the story of Afghanistan too,
the country where, as author Durkhanai Ayubi writes, has long been
known as the 'graveyard of empires.' India, Mongolia and the
countries of the Middle East have all left their stamp on Afghan
food so you'll find kebabs, dahls, dumplings and rice pilafs. I
read this cover to cover, feeling grateful that someone had taken
such care with both the story and the recipes. Then I make bolani -
flatbreads - stuffed with coriander-spiced pumpkin. Parwana stole
my heart. Out October 1.'- Diana Henry
'I believe fervently that cookbooks have to be more than just
compilations of recipes. (But then, I also believe that a recipe in
itself tells a story, so I'm certainly not meaning to disparage the
notion of the recipe, but there's no need to get into that now!)
Social history is conveyed vitally through food, as is, so
crucially, emotional resonance. Parwana tells many stories: of the
flight of a family from Afghanistan to Australia; the setting up of
a restaurant in Adelaide; of the troubled history of the Afghani
people; of the flavours and dishes that give a vital sense of
belonging. When you have your country taken away from you, home has
to reside in family and food. This is the refugee experience, but
it is - though less painfully, of course - to a certain extent true
of all of us, I think.
But Parwana is more than an elegy, it is a celebration: the recipes
in it bulge with colour and flavour and life. It's as rewarding to
cook from as to read, and there is so much I do want to cook: the
luscious dumplings, Mantu; chicken kebab on flatbread (Kebabeh
Degee Morgh); sticky rice with lamb (Sholeh Gosht), Cream Rolls and
all the flatbreads. Indeed, it's a flatbread recipe I bring you
now, the Bolani, hand-rolled and stuffed, and quite irresistible.'
' - Nigella Lawson
Daughter-mother duo Durkhanai and Farida Ayubi intertwine history
and food, and the personal and political, in this rich collection
of Afghan recipes. "Of the millions of families displaced, mine was
one," she says of their flight in 1985 from Afghanistan, when "the
aura of the nation had been scrambled." Tying together the threads
of their journey (they now own two restaurants in Australia) are
family photos and an enticing array of dishes pictured in bold
colors, with their recipes. Ayubi's maternal grandfather cooked
spicy coriander-scented lamb kebabs "over hot coals in the garden"
to celebrate Eid, the end of Ramadan; intricate steamed dumplings
(mantu) filled with cabbage and carrots and topped with tomato and
lamb sauce capture "cross-cultural pollination" along the Silk
Road. Recipes are loosely organized by theme; for example, the
final chapter covers the author's return to Afghanistan in 2012 and
features foods said to represent the "bridging" of influences.
Overall, the dishes, which include sweets such as semolina halwah
with nuts, are traditional in flavor, but Ayubi doesn't shy from
modernity: many, such as one for the Afghan national dish Kabuli
palaw, a platter of rice with chunks of lamb "buried beneath,"
suggest using a pressure cooker for convenience. Parwana-the name
of the family's first restaurant-is Parsi for "butterfly," and
Ayubi's family's story is one of metamorphosis, elegantly told and
deliciously accompanied. (Sept.)
Booklist
Restaurateur Durkhani Ayubi's Afghani relatives fled their native
country to settle in Adelaide, Australia, supporting themselves via
their restaurant Parwana (meaning 'butterfly') and, later, a deli.
Ayubi begins the book with a narrative of the Afghan nation, its
domination by the Brits, Russians, and others; the violence there;
and the peoples displaced. In these skilfully told stories, Ayubi
weaves the cross-pollinating of foods, culture, and recipes there.
Many of the 90-plus dishes here will be recognized by global
eaters: kebabs, naan flatbread, curry, halwah, and other foods.
Other dishes will intrigue: a chutyney without traditional
sweetness, three different categories of rice, and street-wise
traditions like stuffed flatbreads and dumplings. Elegant and
personal color photographs expand each recipe's presentation with
occasional step-by-step directions accompanying more difficult
items like breads. This is an homage to the strength and spirit of
refugees, as well as a delicious reminder of what adventurous US
cooks can create.
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