Muristek
Phase four takeaway: Explore Afghan cuisine at Ampang's Kabul Darbar Restaurant
Be adventurous and try out various Afghan dishes such as Ashak, Bolani and various kebabs for lunch or dinner — Pictures by Lee Khang Yi
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KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 21 — This was a random find but a good surprise as I didn't know we could get Afghan food in the Klang Valley. Thanks to the Instagram algorithm, this popped up one day in the feed as an Instagram friend had started following them.
Located in the heart of the Korean village in Ampang, this place opened last December and serves Afghan food, kebabs, Persian food and some old Middle Eastern favourites like chicken mandy. There's even pizza too.
It was hard to pare down my orders so I gave priority to the Afghan food items for my lunch spread. You will find the spices for the Afghan food items to be more subtle.
Start off with Ashak (RM19.90) which is their vegetarian dumplings. At one glance, they resemble thinner sui kows but the texture of the dumpling skin is silkier.
It is stuffed with chopped chives, onions and coriander. Pair it with a mint yoghurt dip and split pea stew for extra flavour. I enjoyed these as the flavours were subtle.
They also do a meat version called Manto (RM24.90) with spiced lamb and onions. This is only available from 4pm onwards though hence I didn't get to try them. Maybe next time.
The other item was the Bolani (RM19.90) which is usually eaten as a street snack. If it is part of a meal, the flatbreads are a side dish.
The Ashak are meatless dumplings filled with vegetables and accompanied with a yoghurt mint dip and split pea stew (left). The Bolani is essentially fried flatbread stuffed with mashed potatoes and spring onions (right)It may look uninteresting since it is just a pan fried flatbread but it was delicious. You get a slight crispy edge with the flatbread that is stuffed with mash potatoes, spring onions and green chillies.
Dip it in their green chutney known as chaini gazneesh made from blending coriander and green chillies that is super flavourful and balance it out with the creamy chakkah which is essentially a yoghurt and mint dip.
This item can fill you up substantially as you get three large pieces of flatbread.
Another item that is a must eat for Afghans is the Kabuli Palaw. The pilaf is good with steamed rice tossed in a mixture of grated coconut, raisins and spices for extra flavour.
The Kabuli Palaw is delicious with steamed rice mixed with grated carrot, spices and raisinsYou can order the rice on its own, which I did for RM12. If you're eating it as a solo meal, the rice can be paired with protein like lamb or chicken for RM30.90 or RM24.90.
From the Afghan menu, there's also Lamb Tika Kebab (RM34.90). This I must admit didn't keep so well for a takeaway and it is better eaten at the restaurant.
You have flatbread paired with meaty lamb skewers with sheep fat, which is enjoyed the traditional way. With the takeaway, the meat was a little too dry for me.
For a traditional Afghan taste, there's the Lamb Tika Kebab where meat is paired with sheep's fat (left). Each order of food comes with their homemade chicken soup that has a nice, comforting taste with shredded chicken and vegetables (right)Luckily they give you a free portion of homemade chicken soup for each order, which I enjoyed with the meat. The sunshine coloured soup is filled with vegetables, chicken shreds and mild spices.
If you prefer kebab, a better choice is the minced meat type like their Mix Koobideh Kebab (RM26.90). You get a lamb and chicken kebab fashioned from minced meat and spices that is delicious. Enjoy it with fluffy steamed rice tinged with saffron. If you prefer, you can also order it with naan.
Kebabs feature predominantly in their menu like this Mix Koobideh Kebab with lamb and chickenI'm most interested in their small selection of Persian dishes too which I plan to order next time.
There's Zereshk Polo with saffron rice studded with barberries and served with chicken, Ghurmeh Sabzi that is lamb topped with a mixture of herbs and dried lime, and Gheimeh which is lamb and split pea stew. You also can order chicken mandy or lamb mandy too.
Some new items have also been recently added to the menu. These dishes are fried fish, fish kebab, darbari kebab, karahi and a Persian dish known as dizzi that is hearty lamb stew with tomatoes and split peas.
Order the takeaway via their website for items like the kebabs, dumplings and rice (left). The items are packed in rectangular boxes to allow them to fit nicely (right)For orders, they are on Easy Eat which you can use to place an order for delivery at their website. If you prefer, you can also order via telephone.
Kabul Darbar Restaurant, B14-1, One Ampang Avenue Business Centre, Jalan Ampang Utama 2/2, Ampang, Selangor. Open daily: 12pm to 12am. Tel:+6011-36107004. Facebook: @kabuldarbarrestuarant Instagram: @kabuldarbar.malaysia You can place an order at https://easyeat.ai/r/kabul-darbar