What are some good Congolese or Afghan recipes?

I'm doing a project for one of my classes and we have to bring in a food from either the Congo or Afghanistan/Iran. Now of course I've googled it already, but there are a billion things I don't even know where to begin to look! Preferably an appetizer, something not incredibly heavy, I need something that's relatively easy to make (although I don't mind making things that are more complicated, I'm a pretty good cook), but preferably doesn't have meat (although I'm flexible with that too). Any suggestions?What are some good Congolese or Afghan recipes?
I'd suggest making Spicy Fried Plantains as a Congolese appetizer. All of the ingredients are easily found in any grocery store and it doesn't take to much effort to make.





Ingredients


4-6 plantain bananas slightly ripe, peeled and cut into bite-sized cubes


陆 tsp cayenne pepper or red pepper


陆 peeled, grated fresh ginger root


1 teaspoon salt


2 tbsp water


1-2 cups vegetable oil for frying





Directions


Grind together grated ginger root, pepper, and salt, and then mix with water. In a glass bowl toss together the plantain cubes and spice mixture. In a deep skillet, heat oil up to 350 degrees F. Fry plantains, turning once, until golden brown on both sides. Drain on absorbent paper, keep in warmed oven until all the plantains are fried. Serve immediately.What are some good Congolese or Afghan recipes?
here are some congo appetizers recipes


african tomato sauce


Ingredients


3 teaspoons oil (for frying, palm oil is most authentic)


2 medium onions, finely chopped


1 (4 ounce) can tomato paste


3 tomatoes, chopped and mashed


1 bay leaf


grated nutmeg (to taste)


salt (to Taste)


cayenne pepper (to taste)


Directions


1Heat oil in a frying pan.


2Fry onions for a 3 minutes.


3Stir in all other ingredients.


4Add water as necessary to make a smooth sauce.


5Season to taste.


6Stir.


7Bring to a slow boil, reduce heat, simmer for ten minutes.


8Serve with grilled or roasted chicken, fish, or meat, or fried Plantains or Yams.





swordfish kebabs


Ingredients


2 lbs swordfish steaks, cut into large cubes


3 tablespoons olive oil


1/2 lemon, juice of


1 clove garlic, crushed


1 teaspoon paprika


3 tomatoes, quartered


2 small onions, cut into wedges


salt %26amp; freshly ground black pepper


Directions


1Place fish in a large dish.


2Blend together the oil, lemon juice, garlic, paprika and seasonings in a small bowl.


3Pour over the fish.


4Cover loosely with clear film and leave in a cool place to marinate for up to 2 hours.


5Thread the fish cubes onto skewers, alternating with pieces of tomato and onion.


6Grill the kebabs for 7 to 10 minutes, basting frequently with the remaining marinade and turning occasionally.
AFGHAN LAMB %26amp; VEGETABLE KEBOB DINNER





2 lbs. lamb, cubed


15 med. mushrooms, cleaned


1 zucchini, thick sliced


15 cherry tomatoes, tops removed


2 green peppers, seeded %26amp; chunked


15 pineapple chunks


1/2 c. soy sauce


1/4 c. green onion tops, minced


3 tbsp. rice wine vinegar


2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce


2 tbsp. honey


2 tbsp. cilantro, minced (fresh coriander or Chinese parsley)


1 1/2 tbsp. sesame oil


1 tbsp. ginger root, shredded


1 tbsp. garlic, minced


1 tbsp. hot pepper oil





Arrange lamb, mushrooms, zucchini, tomatoes, green pepper and pineapple on wooden or metal skewers. Combine remaining ingredients in a blender and whip until well mixed. Place kebabs in deep dish, pour marinade over all and chill, basting every 1/2 hour or so. About 3 hours later, broil or barbecue kebabs until tender. Reserve remaining sauce for passing at the table. Serving suggestion: this dish goes well with rice. Extra sauce is excellent served over the rice. Garnish with lemon wedges.





OR





AFGHAN NOODLES





8 oz. wide curly egg noodles


1 c. low-fat yogurt, drained in a fine-meshed sieve or a cheesecloth lined sieve for 30 minutes


4 tbsp. chopped fresh mint or 2 tbsp. dried mint


2 1/2 tsp. chili powder


1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice


1 tbsp. safflower oil


1 onion, finely chopped


1 lb. lean ground beef


1/2 tsp. salt


1 ripe tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped


1 tbsp. unsalted butter





To prepare the sauce, combine the drained yogurt with 3 tablespoons of the fresh mint or 1 1/2 tablespoons of the dried mint, 1/2 teaspoon of the chili powder and the lemon juice.


Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion and saute it for 3 minutes. Add the beef, the remaining 2 teaspoons of chili powder and the salt, and cook the mixture for 6 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the tomato and cook for 2 minutes more.





Meanwhile, cook the egg noodles in 3 quarts of boiling water with 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt until they are al dente, about 9 minutes. Drain the noodles and return them to the pot. Add the butter and stir gently until it melts and the noodles are coated.





To serve, transfer the hot noodles to a warmed serving platter. Pour the sauce over the noodles in a ring an inch or two in from the edge of the noodles, then arrange the beef mixture in the center of the ring. Sprinkle the remaining mint over the top of the assembly and serve immediately. Serves 6.





JM
Kishmish Panir (Cheese with Raisins)


Ingredients


1 gallon of milk


White vinegar


Cheesecloth


1 box black seedless raisins


In a large stockpot, add a small amount of water to barely cover the bottom of the pan. Add1 gallon of regular whole fat milk to the pot and bring to a boil. Stirring helps the bottom not to burn and the milk to boil faster. NEVER LEAVE UNATTENDED.





As the milk begins to steam, take about 1/4 cup of white vinegar and put it next to the stove. When the milk starts to rise in the pan, add the vinegar in a circular pattern. Take the pan off of the heat. Take a slotted spoon and start helping the curds and whey separate (some people like to lightly salt the cheese, if you would like to, add two good pinches of salt at this point).





After about 5 minutes you should have a good amount of separation. In the sink and over a colander, double fold a cheesecloth and press into the shape of the colander. Using thick, new kitchen gloves (the kind used for washing dishes), slowly pour the contents of the pot into the cheese cloth, when all of the curds are in the cheesecloth, gather the ends of the cheesecloth together and twist. The VERY hot whey will come out and shape the curds into a ball. Press to make it smooth and round. Twist and press two or three times only and the place the cheesecloth on a plate in the refrigerator.





You do not want to twist too much or else the cheese will be crumbly. When the ball has cooled, take it out of the cheese cloth and wrap it in foil until you are ready to cut. Cut the cheese in slices down the ball so that you end up with thick slices, and then cut the slices into cubes. Fill half of the plate with cheese and place raisins on the other half of the plate and serve. The cheese can last 2-3 days, slightly longer if salt was added.