r/afghanistan

On bed at 1AM watching something in English, then stopped that and started listening to a Hindi song, and I swear my brain just can’t take it anymore.

I was born in Pakistan, then went back to Afghanistan and lived there for 7 years. Then moved to India to study, did my bachelors and masters there, then moved to Germany for work, then moved to the USA for a girl.

I’ve lived in all these places, learned their languages, tried to be one of them. I never wanted to be the black sheep. But now I feel like I’ve lost my identity. My food choices, music choices, clothes, hair, values, basically everything has turned into some freaking salad with no taste and no actual personality. Like I can literally eat anything now because my mouth has lost its taste buds and just gave up.

I don’t use social media much, but even the content I watch is so mixed. Rarely Afghan stuff. It’s all soccer, basketball, cricket, random politics from those countries, their humor, their culture. I’m not funny to any of them, but all of them are funny to me.

Sometimes I remember my mom saying “sang da jay khod sangeen” a stone is heavy in its own place. And damn, I feel that. I wish I belonged somewhere. I wish all the friends I made throughout my life could at least be in the same country so we could actually see each other. Everyone is scattered everywhere and I can barely keep in touch with anyone properly.

I got married into another culture too and that didn’t work out, now I’m going through divorce.

Sometimes I feel like writing a book about my life, but then I’m like wtf man, just have some peace in your head first before you start venting to the whole world about your personal issues.

Anyways, please tell me someone relates. Come on. Don’t tell me I’m unique lol. How does this affect your life? Is your Spotify or music app also shuffled with half a dozen languages and completely random vibes?

I'm pashtun. I speak pashto. I was born in Peshawar. When I say I'm Pakistani, they say I'm Afghan. When I say I'm Afghan, they say I'm Pakistani. So you tell me where I'm from.

Hello again everyone. I've worked pretty extensively on this recipe now, and I'm hoping it is a good representation of what you would be happy to call truly authentic. I'll post it below for your review. Please feel free to give me any feedback at all. I'm looking to make this as accurately as possible. I realise the char masala might not be for everyone, but it does seem to reflect an authentic version of the meal in some areas of Afghanistan.

Afghan Kabuli Pulao

Ingredients

Char Masala

1 tbsp black peppercorns

1 tsp cloves

1 tbsp green cardamom pods

2 tsp black cumin / shah zeera

2 black cardamom pods

1 small cassia bark stick

Lamb and Stock

1kg boneless lamb shoulder, cut into large chunks

50–100g lamb tail fat, finely chopped

Optional: 1 marrow bone

3 tbsp ghee

2 large white onions, thinly sliced

1.3L water

1 tbsp char masala

2 tsp salt

Rice

4 cups sela basmati rice

Large pot water for parboiling

1.5 tbsp salt for rice water

2.5 cups hot strained lamb stock for final assembly

Carrot and Raisin Topping

800g carrots, julienned

1 cup raisins

2 tbsp ghee

Caramel Mixture

2 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp ghee

1/2 cup hot water or hot stock

Final Dum Spice Layer

1 tsp char masala

1 tsp black cumin / shah zeera

1/2 tsp ground green cardamom

Chaka

2 cups thick yoghurt or strained yoghurt

1 small Lebanese cucumber, finely diced

1 tsp dried mint

Salt to taste

Small squeeze lemon juice

Method

1. Wash and Soak the Rice

Wash rice thoroughly until water runs mostly clear.

Soak rice for 90 minutes, changing the water every 30 minutes.

Drain before cooking.

2. Make the Char Masala

Toast:

black pepper

cloves

green cardamom

black cumin

black cardamom

cassia

in a dry pan over low-medium heat until fragrant.

Cool slightly.

Grind finely.

Set aside.

3. Build the Lamb Stock

Heat 3 tbsp ghee in a heavy pot over medium heat.

Add lamb tail fat.

Cook slowly until rendered and aromatic.

Add sliced onions.

Cook slowly for 20–30 minutes until deeply caramelised and dark brown, almost mahogany coloured, but not burnt.

Add lamb shoulder and optional marrow bone.

Brown lightly for several minutes.

Add:

1 tbsp char masala

1.3L water

2 tsp salt

Bring to a gentle simmer.

Cook uncovered or partially covered for 1.5–2 hours until lamb is tender but still holds shape.

Remove lamb.

Strain stock.

Measure out 2.5 cups hot stock for final assembly.

Keep extra stock aside only in case the rice needs a small splash during dum.

4. Prepare the Carrots and Raisins

Soak raisins in water for 30 minutes.

Drain.

Heat 2 tbsp ghee in a pan over medium heat.

Add carrots.

Cook slowly until glossy, lightly caramelised and slightly translucent.

Remove carrots.

Add raisins to the remaining ghee.

Cook briefly until raisins puff slightly.

Combine carrots and raisins.

Place the carrot and raisin mixture into an aluminium foil parcel.

Seal the foil packet and set aside.

5. Make the Caramel Mixture

Add:

2 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp ghee

to a small pan.

Cook slowly until the sugar turns deep amber.

Remove from heat.

Let the sugar and ghee mixture cool slightly.

Carefully add:

1/2 cup hot water or hot stock

Return briefly to low heat if needed until smooth.

Set aside.

6. Parboil the Rice

Bring a large pot of water to boil.

Add:

1.5 tbsp salt

Add soaked rice.

Boil for 5–7 minutes until: outside softened and grain elongated while centre still slightly firm

Drain immediately. Do not rinse.

7. Assemble the Pulao

Add a small splash of stock to the base of a heavy pot.

Add a loose layer of rice.

Add some lamb pieces.

Continue layering:

rice

lamb

rice

Do not compact the rice.

Pour 2.5 cups hot stock mostly around the edges and lower layers of the rice.

Sprinkle evenly over the top layer:

1 tsp char masala

1 tsp black cumin / shah zeera

1/2 tsp ground green cardamom

Make 4–5 steam holes using the handle of a wooden spoon.

Drizzle the caramel mixture mostly over the top layer.

Place the sealed foil packet of carrots and raisins on top of the rice.

8. Dum

Wrap the lid with a clean kitchen towel and cover tightly.

Cook:

5 minutes medium heat

then 20–30 minutes very low heat

Do not stir during this stage.

Rest off heat for 10 minutes with the lid on.

9. Make the Chaka

Combine:

yoghurt

cucumber

dried mint

salt

squeeze lemon

Chill before serving.

10. Serve

Remove the foil packet.

Gently lift rice from the pot without fully mixing the layers.

Plate rice first.

Arrange lamb through and around the rice.

Finish with the carrot and raisin topping.

Serve with chaka on the side.

I hope you enjoyed the recipe! I more so hope it is accurate 😄

I know that there were thousands of both Kazakhs and Kyrgyz in northern and northeastern Afghanistan before the civil wars, but are there any left today?

Edit: Taliban crimes

https://x.com/PROSECUTOR_ALI/status/2053815020715176126 beating up a person

https://x.com/asifakbari176/status/2053812645401129122 beating a man for sitting next to a woman's hospital

https://x.com/PROSECUTOR_ALI/status/2053510505059234192 beating a man unknown reason.

https://x.com/PROSECUTOR_ALI/status/2052709698005037278 beating a young man for unknown reasons

https://x.com/ArashMehrbann/status/2049392424397508924 beating a young man in Herat

https://x.com/AhmadSharifzad/status/2051527944120812016 Talib woman part of the morality police beating women for not wearing the hijab properly

https://x.com/Afghan609/status/2052391159474078041 beating a child with an AK.

https://x.com/PROSECUTOR_ALI/status/2051992426856788006 Talib teacher slapping student

https://x.com/PROSECUTOR_ALI/status/2052720948369928437 Protesters clashing with Taliban in Nuristan

https://x.com/womenaidafghan1/status/2052303115718672409 women killed because of the conditions created by the Taliban and no rule of law.

https://x.com/sanam_kabiri/status/2052568880632275002 woman killed by armed men

https://x.com/AFIntlBrk/status/2053451487661969852 Youtuber arrested

https://x.com/AfghanAnalyst2/status/2053456928718676409 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗝𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀, 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝘄𝗼 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗧𝗼𝗹𝗼 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀, 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗯𝗮𝗻

https://x.com/afg_uprising/status/2053886364714938370 beating a young man

https://x.com/PROSECUTOR_ALI/status/2049903491888361628 Taliban forces attacked athletes over their sports attire

https://x.com/ZawiaNews/status/2047349977752744170 Taliban health officer in charge of Kama district in Nangarhar forcing himself upon women

https://x.com/aamajnews_EN/status/2044292414261674353 Taliban letting Pakistan takeover Nuristan and Kunar

https://x.com/KhushalGurbaz/status/2053851355756818552 Animal abuse

https://x.com/AFIntlBrk/status/2052998284944306600 Protesters clashing with Taliban in Badakhshan

https://x.com/Mubariznoori1/status/2053902616904540193 Dog getting killed for fun

https://x.com/BWBailey85/status/2014375257050673611 girl arrested for teaching TaeKwondo for defending yourself against the Taliban.

https://x.com/PROSECUTOR_ALI/status/2044341184449929234 newborn was thrown into the Kabul River in a plastic bag due to the conditions created by the Taliban.

https://x.com/afintlpashto/status/2047001975812669951 Afghan female patients visit Peshawar's hospitals for the reason that most of the doctors here are women. Taliban banned schools and university for women and there is a shortage of 25000 doctors and teachers.

https://x.com/PROSECUTOR_ALI/status/2054138508340552030 Taliban beating an elderly man and other Hazara men

Hi new here, I'm just wondering and curious to a question I can't seem to find anywhere else on the internet... I am wondering why so many rural Afghani boys seemed to have their heads shaved? It's very common in photos taken of usually more rural boys. I know it is Sunnah to shave Muslim babies hair after 7 days... Most the boys are 6-12yrs old.

Please help and THANK YOU FOR ANY RESPONSE! 🙏🏼

Assalamualaikum

I’ve lived in UK all my life and I’ve always been fascinated by Afghan culture and the different tribes there are. In last few years I’ve noticed a lot of afghans who have recently came to UK but I can’t help but notice that they’re predominantly from one group, they’re almost all Pashtuns which I can tell because they speak Pashto on the streets. Why are there barely any tajik, hazara, Uzbek migrants to UK?

And on the rare occasion I do see Tajiks or Hazaras, I don’t really see them with Pashtuns. Is there still animosity between these groups in Afghanistan? It makes me wonder, how common is ethnonationalism within each group? I understand if intermarriages between groups are taboo but not even be friends with each other and live in the same country I find odd.

I was talkong to an afghani person and he kept saying “I’m hungry, let’s go to a hotel” and I was confused.

After clarification it turns out according to him, some afghanis refer to restaurants as hotels, which confused me.

What’s the reason and story behind naming restaurants hotels?

Officially Ahmad Shah Duranni is the founding father of Afghans, but do all ethnicities view him like this if not who do they consider their Father instead?

And with which do you identify more with?