Friends Mohammad Qasim Rahimi and Mohammad Zubair Alemyar have introduced the greatest hits of their native cuisine to Buffalo through pop-up Khoshmazeh Afghan Cuisine, which serves from noon to 4 p.m. Fridays in the Kitchen @ the Market at the Broadway Market (999 Broadway).
Khoshmazeh has served takeout – focused on preorders through calling, emailing or Facebook messaging – since early February from the test kitchen tucked away near Camellia Meats in a corner of the market. It's best accessed from the free parking lot behind the market, accessible from Gibson Street, and then walking in the door to the right.
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The eventual plan, Rahimi said, is to open a brick-and-mortar restaurant in Amherst later this year. These weekly pop-ups, which will run until they open their own space, will act as an introduction to a cuisine unfamiliar to most Buffalonians.
Khoshmazeh (pronounced roughly "coash-moz-AH"), which translates to "delicious" in the common Afghan language of Dari, is the friends' first food business in the United States. Rahimi did catering in Afghanistan long before he and Alemyar served as interpreters and translators for the U.S. armed forces in Afghanistan, a position that permitted them visas to America four years ago.
[Read more: International offerings broaden mealtime appeal of Broadway Market | Photos of Apa's and Khoshmazeh at the market]
In their interpretation of Afghan cuisine, there's a greater emphasis on flavor combinations than on spiciness, which makes the cuisine especially attractive for adventurous eaters who are wary of heat.
"All of these foods we are offering are known nationally in Afghanistan, and almost all Afghanistan people know them and like them," Rahimi said in describing his four-item menu, which has rotated in recent weeks to allow the friends to introduce new flavors.
Qabuli Palow is lamb buried in rice pilaf with candied shredded carrots, raisins and chopped almonds and served with a side salad at Khoshmazeh Afghan Cuisine.
Qabuli Palaw ($11.99) is the traditional rice dish, a similar concept to what bibimbap is for Koreans and biryani is for Indians. The standout ingredient is fork-tender lamb – refreshing because dry lamb seems to rule in Buffalo – complemented by candied shredded carrots, raisins and almonds for bursts of flavor. Served separate is a small container of salatah, a freshly chopped tomato-cilantro-onion-lime blend that mimics Mexican pico de gallo.
Another twist, Zamrud Palaw, sees the rice and lamb cooked with spinach, lending an emerald green color associated with the rare emerald stones found in Afghanistan's northern mountains. Khoshmazeh explains the background and significance of the new dishes when they're announced on Facebook.
"Any party or lunch events without Qabuli Palaw is not interesting," Rahimi said. While there are many ways to make the dish, the Khoshmazeh owners prefer to cook the rice with the lamb and its juices for a richer meaty flavor. Although other versions are more aesthetic, with each major ingredient occupying its own area of the dish – like a smoothie bowl's setup, for instance – Rahimi and Alemyar rely on the traditional presentation by mixing it all together.
Mantu are steamed dumplings filled with beef and covered with a split pea sauce, fresh mint and a cooling yogurt sauce. They come six dumplings to an order.
Mantu (six for $7.99) are small minced beef steamed dumplings most notable for how they're topped, smothered in a tomato-based yellow split pea sauce and then a healthy helping of yogurt sauce and finished with chopped mint. When all of those ingredients mingle in one bite, the flavors are anything but boring – even if it might take a few bites to become acquainted.
The inside of Mantu, which are steamed beef dumplings.
Originally meant as a special dish served to celebrate friendship, Bolani ($2.50) has evolved into popular Afghan street food, Rahimi explained. The flatbread, a little thicker than a crepe, is stuffed with potatoes, leeks or both, and is now common as a quick lunch for Afghanistan's outdoor workers – a parallel to the American hot dog cart – because of its affordability, quick preparation and meatless nature.
Mohammad Zubair Alemyar and his friend Mohamad Qasim Rahimi have started Khoshmazeh Afghan Cuisine as a pop-up in the Broadway Market on Fridays. They plan to open a restaurant in the Northtowns later this year. Raw video supplied by Khoshmazeh Afghan Cuisine, editing done by The Buffalo News. The video is 2x faster than its original shooting.
Bolani is a tradition during Ramadan for Afghan Muslims, eaten to break their fast in the evenings, Rahimi added. Its topping is versatile with a cool creamy yogurt sauce (can be made vegan) or a spicier salsa verde.
Rahimi and Alemyar just introduced Aushak (nine for $7.99). It's similar to Mantu but vegan friendly, replacing minced beef with leeks – which taste faintly like onions – and flipping the yellow split pea sauce for kidney beans.
For customers' planning purposes, Khoshmazeh has added the estimated preparation time to each of its menu items – Aushak takes 25-30 minutes to prepare – while the others take roughly 5-10 minutes.
For eaters in search of a broader introduction, the pop-up also has a sampler platter ($23) that includes Qabuli Palaw, three pieces of Bolani, and either one order of Mantu (six dumplings) or Aushak (nine dumplings).
When Khoshmazeh opens its restaurant, the plan is to add Chopan Kabob, another Afghan street food where lamb ribs are grilled over charcoal, as part of a larger menu.
Khoshmazeh Afghan Cuisine
Noon to 4 p.m. Fridays in the Kitchen @ the Market in the Broadway Market (999 Broadway). 901-4308.
