Bolani: Afghan Potato and Scallion Turnover Recipe

Tuesday, May 18, 2010


Hi fellows,
today i cooked bolani , it was so delicious.
Bolani , unleavened bread stuffed with potato, scallions and cilantro is one of my favorite Afghan snacks. in Turkey we call this "gozleme", but we normally dont put scallions and cilantro inside.
Afghans make bolani for special occasion such as birthday parties, engagement parties or holidays. i cooked this as honor of my dear afghan friend Samim who put efford for this blog:)
tx Samim for all your helps....

Bolani e Kachaloo
3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup water room temperature
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. olive oil
1 lb. russet potatoes (about 2 medium-size potatoes)
1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro
1/2 cup finely chopped scallions white and green parts¼ cup plus 2 tbsp. olive oil1 ½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
Instructions:Mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Slowly add the water and the teaspoon of oil and mix the dough together, kneading it a little until it forms a ball. If the dough is too dry to come together, add more water, a tablespoon at a time. Once the dough is formed, knead it for 10 minutes on a lightly floured cutting board. If you are impatient like us, set the timer so you won’t reduce the kneading time. Put the dough back in the bowl, cover with a cloth and let it rest for one hour.
In the meantime , boil the potatoes until soft in the center when pierced with a small knife. Remove from the water and when cool enough to handle, slip the skins off the potatoes. Put the potatoes, cilantro, scallions, 2 tbsp. of the olive oil, salt and pepper in a bowl and mash together with your hands or a potato masher until thoroughly combined. Some lumps are ok. You can also make this the night before and keep it refrigerated until ready to use.
Take a small amount of dough the size of a small apple and roll into a smooth ball. Spread some flour on the wood board and roll out the dough using a rolling pin. Continue to flatten the dough until it takes a round shape, is as thin as a tortilla, and about 10-12 inches across. The thinner the dough the better. If you have trouble rolling the dough to the shape you want, use a lid from a pot to trace a perfect round shape.
Spread ¼ cup of potato mixture on one side of the dough, leaving a 1/4 inch border around the rim. Fold the other half over and press the dough together with your finger to form a seal.
Heat the remaining ¼ cup of oil in a medium-size sauté pan over medium-high heat. Brown the bolani, two at a time, until golden on both sides. The bolani should sizzle when they hit the pan. Lay cooked bolani on a paper towel. Add more oil to your pan if your oil starts to reduce. These are best served warm but are tasty at room temperature.
and serve as u wish..
bon appetit....

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi, I just tried your boulani and it was delicious! A restaurant nearby serves them and I'm trying to duplicate their recipe. I don't know anyone from Turkey, but I like your blog. Cheers!

Unknown said...

Ate this daily in Afghanistan. Thanks for posting. Nobody serves this anywhere near me.

Unknown said...

Added a little garlic....yum

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