Kaddo Bourani (Pumpkin with Yogurt and Meat Sauces)
Perhaps the best Afghani restaurant I have ever been to is Helmand in Cambridge, MA. Bamiyan in NYC has a special place in my heart, because we discovered it when Dave was trying to keep me fed while I was taking the bar exam, but Helmand won me over with their Kaddo Bourani.
The way Bamiyan makes their Bouranee Kadu, it is sauteed butternut squash with this perfect mint garlic yogurt sauce. I love it, and order it every time I go there. But when I went to Helmand, I found that they called their version Kaddo Bourani, and it was translucent caramelized sugar pumpkin with both that perfect yogurt sauce and a meat sauce on top of that.
Bamiyan’s version is incredibly good; Helmand’s version is a transcendent experience.
I found Helmand’s recipe in the SF Gate archives, and to be honest, I followed it exactly. I couldn’t bring myself to risk disappointment by experimenting too much the first time around.
It worked out perfectly. This is a dish so good it made me shift my Afghani restaurant allegiances. So good that I will probably serve it at my next serious formal dinner. So good that we may have to get a second freezer just so that we can make this dish after pumpkins go out of season. This goes on my shortlist of favorite recipes of all time.
Kaddo Bourani
For the pumpkin
2 Sugar Pie pumpkins, each about 3 pounds
6 tbsp corn oil
3 C sugar
For the yogurt sauce
2 C plain yogurt (we used lowfat, which was fine)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp dried mint
1/2 tsp salt
For the meat sauce
1/4 C corn oil
1 large onion, finely diced
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 large tomato, seeded and finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 1/4 tsp ground coriander
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 1/3 C water
Make the pumpkin:
It helps to have a serious vegetable cleaver for this bit.
Preheat your oven to 300º.
Wash off the outside of the pumpkins. Cut them in half. Scrape out the stringy stuff on the inside. Cut the halves into 3″-4″ pieces or so. Peel them - you can actually use a regular peeler for this, though it helps to have a sharp paring knife to get the stem and hard-to-reach rind bits off. Peel it deeply enough that you get rid of all the green and rind.
Find a baking pan large enough to hold all the pumpkin pieces in a single layer. Use multiple pans, if need be. Cover the pumpkin pieces in the oil (yes, really, use all of it), and place them hollow side up in the pan(s). Pour the sugar evenly over the pumpkin pieces (yes, really, just grit your teeth and use all of it; if you have a small child, you may find it easier to have them do this part for you, and you can look away until they’re done).
Cover the pan(s) with aluminum foil. Bake for 2 1/2 hours, then baste the pieces with the pan juices, cover them up again, and bake for another 45 minutes.
The sugar will all melt away and end up partially absorbed. The pumpkin pieces will turn dark orange and translucent. They will have a stunningly novel texture. It is a beautiful thing.
Make the yogurt sauce:
Mix all the ingredients together. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve.
Make the meat sauce:
Brown the onions in the oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the meat and cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until it is broken up into small pieces and the pinkness is almost entirely gone. Add all other ingredients (except for the tomato paste and water) and cook, stirring, for another 5 minutes or so. Stir in the tomato paste, then add the water and bring to a boil. (Really, it will probably boil as soon as it touches the pan.) Lower the heat and let simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes.
Serve:
Hot pumpkin, topped with cold yogurt sauce, topped with hot meat sauce.
October 20th, 2006 at 9:56 am
Wow! I’ve always wanted to try that recipe but was a little freaked out by the sugar quantity (alas, I never got around to going to Helmand while I lived in SF). Good to know it’s a keeper! I’ll definitely try it out this pumpkin season.
October 20th, 2006 at 1:35 pm
Thanks for the recipe! This is going on my Thanksgiving menu.
October 21st, 2006 at 2:38 pm
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October 22nd, 2006 at 11:48 pm
I tried this with just one little change - switched ground quorn for the ground meat since im veg. Absolutely delicious! I think we will add it to the thanksgiving-table-of-too-much!
October 23rd, 2006 at 9:01 am
Stephanie - It is pretty scary! But it doesn’t taste nearly so sweet as you’d expect.
shreyas - Enjoy!
Michele - I’ve never heard of quorn before. I’m glad to hear that worked out for you! I’ll have to recommend it to my vegetarian friends as a safe alternative.
November 1st, 2006 at 10:26 pm
I made this tonight, despite being a bit wary (it doesn’t quite sound like something that would be my style), and it was a huge hit. I was really amazed at how well all the flavors came together.
Actually, it was “orange food a la Danielle” night; we also had carrot cake. Scrumptious :)
November 2nd, 2006 at 12:20 pm
Kelli - This comment really made me smile. Thank you for trying the recipe out even though you were wary of it, and thank you for letting me know how it all worked out! I’m so glad you enjoyed everything.
November 14th, 2006 at 9:36 pm
I’m eager to try this recipe. Can you suggest some possible sides to go with it for those of us not familiar with afghani cuisine? No need to suggest recipes, just what did/would you pair it with?
November 14th, 2006 at 11:37 pm
Tom - It actually works best as an appetizer, so you’d probably do well to match an entree with it, rather than a side. My current favorite Afghani main dish is Fesenjan, which is chicken in a thick, intense pomegranate walnut sauce. Or, I quite like lamb with couscous and caramelized onions. It’s so versatile, though - this could even be an appetizer for a traditional American turkey dinner this Thursday.
November 19th, 2006 at 11:21 am
My husband & I were in Boston Oct 5th and went to Helmands by accident. We had the Kaddo appetizer with the Dwopiaza entree (Lamb sauteed with yellow split peas,onions garlic mushrooms and pallow (rice)vinegar marinade?) and loved it! Thanks for publishing the recipe! We can’t wait to try it! Also we will go to Helmand next time we go to Boston!
December 16th, 2006 at 7:41 pm
Helmand’s in SF is my favorite Afghani recipe. After taking my husband there for the first time, and ascertaining that he would like it, I tried the recipe from SF Gate. It’s always surprising how well it turns out every time! I even cheat and use pre-cut sweet potato fries that I drizzle with honey before baking. :)
January 1st, 2007 at 2:41 am
If you ever get ot the South Bay - try Kabul Restaurant
in Sunnyvale. They make a fabulous Kaddo.
Thanks so much, I had been looking for this recipe-
it is really perfect. Try ground lamb with it, if you’re
into lamb. I think that’s what Kabul uses.
January 2nd, 2007 at 12:56 pm
nina - What a very lucky accident!
michelle - That’s a fascinating cheat. Thanks for the idea.
mox - Thank you for the recommendations, I’ll definitely check out both the restaurant and the lamb variation.
January 27th, 2007 at 11:54 am
the kaddo is my favorite dish serverd at helmand in cambridge, ma. i’d love to make it at home, but pumpkin isn’t always available. has anyone tried butternut squash as a substitute, and if so what adjustments needed to be made/what were the results? thanks!
January 27th, 2007 at 12:18 pm
rachael - Why not give it a try? It sounds like it would work.
February 20th, 2007 at 9:53 am
[…] Appetizers and Snacks French Onion Soup Dumplings Garlic Scape Tartlets Kaddo Bourani (Pumpkin with Yogurt and Meat Sauces) Onion Jam Thumbprint Cookies Roasted Red Pepper Chipotle Egg Rolls with Tzatziki Dipping Sauce Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms (Cheese) Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms (Duck) Sweet Roasted Káposzta Töltött Paprika (Cabbage-Stuffed Peppers) […]
August 3rd, 2007 at 9:27 am
My Afghani colleague (originally from Kabul) makes this recipe in a frying pan, with the raw pumpkin cut up into smaller pieces so it will cook quickly. She also uses substantially less sugar-but then it isnt going to become as transluscent. You can eat it without the meat, and she says that its fine to use acorn squash, but that sugar or pie pumpkins taste best.
August 10th, 2007 at 1:17 pm
Thanks so much for posting this recipe! I went to Helmand in Cambridge for the first time recently, got the kaddo, and immediately thought, “Wow! How can I make this?” Thanks for answering that question.
October 30th, 2007 at 6:55 pm
Thank you for publishing this recipe. It’s a quirky wonderful dish-and something we periodically crave (Helmand’s in Cambridge being our supplier). I prefer it without the meat sauce, and with fresh mint in the yogurt. You can also add a touch of cilantro and onion, and ramp up the savory/sweet connection. pomegranate seeds on top add additional color and flavor. With toasted walnuts, a side salad it’s an ample main dish. I also think it’s a wonderful side dish with simple grilled lamb and roasted greens
November 6th, 2007 at 12:53 am
What a great recipe! There’s an amazing Afghani restaurant here in the Silicon Valley that my husband and I go to every so often and I always end up wanting more and more and more kadu! I had a big beautiful butternut squash sitting in my kitchen today and I decided that it was time I tried making it into kadu. This was a perfect recipe and my husband and I were duly impressed with the result! It went really well with basmati rice, garlic naan and sauteed brussel sprouts in browned butter. Delicious!
April 23rd, 2008 at 1:51 pm
Thank you so much for posting this recipe. I can’t wait to try it! We just went to Helmand in Cambridge last weekend and loved it. How great would it be to replace that icky sweet potato/marshmallow gunk with this at Thanksgiving?!
October 4th, 2008 at 9:15 am
I made this for our annual family pumpkin spree yesterday, and 19 out of 20 people say it was absolutely delicious.