Kadu Bouranee (Afghan pumpkin) Recipe

My good friend - C. B. - is always there when I need her. She will play Guitar Hero with me, go shopping with me, or make dinner with me. We pretty much hit the town running, and have a great time doing it. The other night, she prepared this delicious Afghan pumpkin dish for us. With those little sugar pumpkins, or pie pumpkins, that are available right now.

Sugar pumpkins are small and sweet, with dark orange-colored flesh. They're perfect for pies, soups, muffins and breads. A medium-sized (4-pound) sugar pumpkin should yield around 1½ cups of mashed pumpkin. Field pumpkins, which are bred for perfect jack-o'-lanterns, tend to be too large and stringy for baking.

I suspect the true Afghan version is made with lamb, rather than the ground beef sauce, or it could just be served with rice. The mixing and matching of the sweet pumpkin with the fresh yogurt and the spicy, complex meat sauce help this stand up by itself. It's filling enough that you could serve it as its own meal, or include a salad, some fruit, or an easy rice pilaf to help it feed more folks.

Last Year: Ranch Pork Chops
Two Years Ago: Gluten Free Chicken Tenders!


The photo is a little dark - I was really hungry :)

 Kadu Bouranee, or Afghan Pumpkin Recipe
made by my awesome friend C.B.
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One 2 to 2.5 pound sugar pumpkin

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup plain yogurt
1 clove garlic, crushed
Salt & pepper to taste

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium onions, chopped
1 pound lean ground beef
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 inch freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon coriander
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut the pumpkin into quarters. Remove the insides, then peel the skin with a vegetable peeler, and cut down into about 2-inch chunks.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a skillet. Brown the pumpkin pieces, turning frequently, until golden brown (about 5 minutes.)
Transfer pumpkin to a roasting pan. Mix sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle over pumpkin. Cover  and bake for 30 minutes, or until tender.

While the pumpkin is baking, make the yogurt sauce and the meat sauce.

Yogurt sauce. Mix together yogurt with one clove of crushed garlic in a bowl; season to taste with salt & pepper.

Meat sauce. In a skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil and cook the onions until lightly browned. Add ground beef, the second clove of crushed garlic, and salt & pepper. Mix well and cook until beef is browned. Add tomato sauce and water, mix thoroughly and bring to a simmer, lower heat, and cook about 20 minutes until it cooks down to a thick sauce.

Serve it up. Spoon cooked pumpkin onto plate, then add yogurt sauce, and top with meat sauce. Serves 4.