Amazing book, I real insight into this style of food and cooking. Lots of recipes I can’t wait to try

This is a marvellous book. Superb authentic recipes throughout, but the biggest appeal was the story behind the opening of a restaurant in Australia by an Afghani family. Whilst I have acknowledged Afghanistan as an ancient land situated at the centre of East and West with both spiritual and cultural significance, I have to admit to what the author describes as a “persistence in seeing Afghanistan predominantly through the lens of war”. So I found the information in the book a very readable, personal account of the history and culture of the country. It is a fascinating book that I would recommend even if you are not a cook!

Rating 4.5 Stars

Parwana is a part history and part recipe book of Afghanistan.

There are lots of recipes to choose from: lamb & chicken kebabs, breads, sambosas, soups, sweet dishes, vegetarian and drinks.

The recipe measurements are in both imperial and metric - though doesn't have gas marks for the oven, alongside easy to follow instructions and some of the recipes have extra photographs to show some of the steps taken. The colour photography throughout the book is great. Each recipe also includes an introduction which adds interest to the dish.

Pressure cooking is common throughout this book but if you don't have one it does generally provide details on how to do it in a saucepan.

There are a number of dishes I'd certainly like to try such as Morgh Lawang (Chicken kebab dish) made with a creamy yoghurt - sounds delicious.

I received this book from Netgalley in return for a honest review.

I didn't know much about Afghan cooking before reading this book but I have learnt so much. It's so full of colour and I loved the stories just as much as the recipes. Some of them are completely alien to me with ingredients I'd struggle to find in a small Italian supermarket local to me but others could be easily rustled up without too much forethought.
I really liked Parwana and think it would make an unusual gift for foodies. I predict Afghan cuisine to build in popularity in the next few years as it's a really rich culture.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I approached this more as a coffee table book and did not end up cooking from it because while the photography is beautiful it is laid out more like the above rather than a practical cookbook. However, the stories were interesting and the writing was enjoyable - a great book to read to learn about Afghan food, but I look for cookbooks that have great writing, photos and recipes that make you want to cook them, hence the three stars.

Really enjoyed this book. Durkhanai chats away about her family's homeland in Iran. She tells her history of how her family had to from Iran with the fall of the Shah into Peshwar and later onto to Australia where Durkhanai eventually sets up the Parwana restaurant in Adelaide. The recipes aren't traditionally subsectioned into breakfast/dinners or starters /mains but into chapters such as "Before Parwana " which has recipes for celebrations and are interspersed with the narrative. It makes this more than just a book of recipes, presenting them in historical, political and intimate family contexts. The food is colourful and fresh using simple spicing verging on Indian and Pakistani spicing but a bit milder and less fussy. There are lots of recipes that use lamb and many kebab recipes that are a variation on a theme. My biggest surprise was that many of meat kebabs and meatballs also have a dahl style sauce made from split peas which makes them a bit heartier and healthy and also enable less meat to be used. The recipes for the flat bread to wrap the kebabs in are also given. I really like the recipe for classic Persian rice, Challaw, as the method is different to the one I usually use when cooking rice as you coat the rice in oil before steaming.. It produces lovely results that complement the main dishes. There is also plenty for vegetarians such as Banjaan Burani, an aubergine and tomato dish as well as variations of the challaw/pullaw using nuts, dried fruits and vegetables. There are also Persian sweets and pudddings for those with a sweet tooth. The recipes are mostly quite heart warming, comfort type food. Really interesting.

I loved reading this book.
Yes, it is a cookbook of course but much more too as it gives a great insight into Afghanistan's history and culture through the story of the author's family. I loved the intertwining of History and family history together with lively pictures of real people and lovely food.
Through my adult life I always heard of Afghanistan as a country torn by wars, I had also seen strikingly modern pictures of Kabul 1960s 1970s... before the onset of what seems to have been conflict after conflict tearing that country apart ever since. This book put things into real life perspective with real people's anecdotes, traditions and of course food.
The recipes are easy to follow and the pictures really transport you to the Afghan table. I particularly liked the bread recipes together with the kofta, kebab and pilau recipes and there is still quite a lot to try in the book.
I must say I really enjoyed discovering that new (to me) culinary scene. Actually, not completely new as quite a lot of dishes seemed familiar but were still different in their own way, which is quite fascinating.
As the author brilliantly puts it "For most of its history Afghanistan was not a single country, but a bricolage of unlikely races and cultures, each with its own gods, languages and customs", this is also reflected in its food as you will discover in the book should you wish to dip in it (or more).

This is much more than a cookery book, telling both the family story, which is a story of courage in itself, and a potted history of Afghanistan, not to mention a spattering of Afghan poetry. All of this is interspersed with beautiful, colourful photography depicting many of the exotic dishes, alongside gorgeously authentic interior images of Parwana, the family restaurant in Adelaide.
I love cooking up new and unusual dishes and whilst some of the ingredients in the book are not readily available in the UK, there are still plenty of recipes I could try. I particularly like the sound of a side dish of orange rind rice, a main of Braised Eggplant with Yoghurt Dressing and on a sweet note, Elephant Ears, a crumbly , paper thin pastry sprinkled with pistachio, cardamom and icing sugar.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Murdoch books for a chance to review an altogether fascinating and enjoyable book.

What a delightful book! Loved everything about it. The combination between Afghan history and her family history, the beautiful photography and the mouthwatering recipes! Loved, loved, loved it!

A truly beautiful cookbook. The story of Parwana is as lovely as their recipes. The design of the book is perfect and I'm so glad to add it to my collection.

I wasn't sure at all what to expect when I started reading Parwana, but I am so happy I got the chance to read it! It's just the sort of cookbook that I love - a blend of history, personal information and recipes I want to try. The images are lovely, and the recipes were fascinating. I hadn't realised before how much of an influence Indian cooking had on Afghani traditional recipes. There's also a lot that reminds me of Middle Eastern cooking.

I read the digital copy and then went straight online to order a physical copy. I loved it.

The book is about half history - of Afghanistan and the author's family - and half family cook book. Both are well-written and work together neatly. The flavour of history is strong and gives us so much more than the typical war scenario we, in the west, get from the country today. The recipes are generally straightforward and not complex but would be a good place to start for some inexperienced cooks who, nonetheless, want to widen their repertoire. Ingredients are easily available in any good supermarket in the UK. Instructions are clear and the illustrations give an idea of what we should be aiming for. I especially liked the various bread and rice recipes, Whilst the chicken with rice was good I would not discard the chicken used to make the stock - there would have been meat on that there bird for soup if nothing else! I also especially liked the fasoolia recipe - akin to a Lebanese one I use for that glut of, in my case, runner beans. It makes a nice adjunct to that one. Thanks to NetGalley and Murdoch Books for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I haven't been this excited to review a cookbook in ages, and 'Parwana: Recipes and Stories from an Afghan Kitchen' has not only exceeded my expectations, it has taken me on an emotional journey that I completely wasn't expecting. If you read no further, do this: buy the book. Then buy it for any food-lover in your life.

I'm an experienced, resourceful cook - I grew up under an oppressive regime which meant everything had to be made from scratch (the only thing we didn't do was mill our own flour) and my household has several food allergies to contend with; add to that a love for learning about the diverse foodways in our world, and at current count I have just over 300 cookbooks to my name (and counting). Which is to say: I love food, I love cooking, and I love cookbooks; I've also seen every style, from recipes-only to 98% memoir. I'll admit I can be jaded and skip through to the actual cooking, but I always at least skim the intro and some of the author's asides. With this book, I'm so glad I did. I started skimming the intro; stopped, got myself a cup of coffee, and settled in to read. Durkhanai Ayubi then took me on a journey that was both incredibly educational and touching, weaving together the history of Afghanistan with that of her own family and their journey through time. My family were also political refugees, though never in the overt and direct danger that Ayubi's were, and we also left 'home' in the 80s; her family's journey brought up memories I hadn't connected with in ages, but you needn't have had the 'refugee experience' to understand the heartbreak and fear that surround leaving a place you love.

All of that is to say: this is so much more than a cookbook. You can, of course, buy it just for the recipes, but if you have a moment, please take the time to read it through.

Regarding the recipes, standouts at dinner have been: Sabzi (spinach/lamb curry) - tender, comforting, super delicious; Kebabeh Degee Morgh (chicken kebab in a tomato sauce) - gently spiced, super juicy, and disappeared before I could save some for leftovers; and Shorwa (broth with veggies) - exactly what we wanted on a cold day.

There is a photo for every recipe, and the recipes are written clearly and reassuringly. Some of the curry recipes recommend a pressure cooker - while the description makes it clear this is the stovetop version, I've used the same timings with my InstantPot to perfect effect. (If you wish to do the same, keep in mind that the PSI of the InstantPot is lower than a conventional stovetop pressure cooker; you may need to add a few minutes to cooking times if things aren't perfectly tender the first time 'round, but I haven't had this issue.)

All in all, a beautiful book, beautifully written, with beautiful food. A must have.

Advance reader copy kindly provided by Murdoch Books.

I'm still waiting for Afghan food to have its 'moment', so more people realise just how gorgeous and comforting it is - for the uninitiated (though it does the complex subtleties of Afghan food no justice) think an intersection of north Indian/Kashmiri and Persian - gentle spicing, gorgeous rice, dried nuts/fruit, curries/stews, grilled skewers of deliciousness, pillowy breads.

This book is delicious. The food, the pictures and the stories. All simply delicious!
My favourite recipe so far has been the breakfast eggs TOKHME BANJANROMI which we had for a family lunch with sourdough bread (in absence of the traditional naan) and everyone devoured it and asked for more.

I'm really excited to make my way through the kebab and rice recipes too, but this book is so much more than just recipes. The story of this family is heartwarming, and I felt honoured to be invited in to share their journey. Interspersed with the recipes it gave the feeling of listening to their stories around a feast at a party.
It is too easy as a British person in the 21st century to hear of Afghanistan and imagine only a war zone. This book brings to life the real people, normal families, and happy childhood memories that have existed here for generations. As well as giving an insight into the political situation, and the sudden terror and displacement that was thrust upon the, there was a strong undercurrent of hope. The way that food and their cooking traditions helped the family retain their identity is inspirational, and has given me a much deeper appreciation for these recipes and their importance.
In summary, this is a great cook book, but an even better story. And the excellent photography is the icing on the cake!

* * * many thanks to NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for my honest review * * *

This is more than just a cookbook. Usually, I get fed up with a chef sharing their life story when all I want is a recipe of chicken curry.

Parwana is different - this is the story of food and family, and the story of Afghanistan. I haven't cooked much (if any) food from that region before so I was keen to start experimenting in the kitchen.

Before I put on my apron though I took the time to read the backstory and enjoy the history of Afghanistan presented amongst the recipes. In depth, yet accessible, this history allowed me to begin cooking with a newfound understanding of the country I was cooking from.

Now, the recipes. They are varied, easy to follow and most importantly delicious. I loved the sheer number of dishes I was able to try and the author made sure to include advice on where to find those more tradotional Afghan ingredients.
Altogether I am a Fan and if I ever get to Australia I'll make sure to make a visit.

4.5 stars

The recipes look great, I liked all the colour photos. I found the ARC book a bit difficult to navigate and there was some overlapping of text over pictures but I think this is more a critic of the pdf viewer than the actual book. The historic content was interesting.

I think I'd need to buy the hardcopy to really appreciate the scope and beauty of this book., I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

How many of us have eaten food from Afghanistan? I certainly have never done so. This book is charming. Not only does it introduce the read to the cuisine, but to the wonderful family behind the Parwana restaurant in Sydney Australia.

Reading the stories, I came to realise why some of the dishes and ingredients seem familiar. There have been so many 'invaders' in the country over the centuries

I've so far tried a few of the dishes and particularly love the rice with orange peel - that is going straight on my list of recipes to bake often.

Recommended both for the fascinating stories and the recipes, I so wish I were near enough to go and eat at Parwana!