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Shor nakhod
شور نخود (shor nakhod): Kabul's street-cart chickpea and potato salad in a sharp vinegar, coriander and chilli dressing
Push a wooden cart through the lanes around Kabul's Mandawi bazaar and you will find vendors ladling shor nakhod into small bowls for schoolchildren and shoppers, a snack that is half salad, half sour little soup. Soft chickpeas and cubes of boiled potato sit in a pool of vinegar sharpened with raw onion, green chilli and a fistful of coriander, so every spoonful is salty, tart and fresh at once. It is eaten on its own with a spoon, or beside naan, and it turns up at iftar during Ramadan because it is light after a day of fasting. Most home versions disappoint because the potatoes are dressed cold and the vinegar just slides off them, so toss them while they are still warm. Chef's tip: keep a spoonful of the chickpea cooking liquid or tin water in the dressing, which gives it the slightly cloudy body of the street version.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the salad
- 14 oz waxy potatoespeeled and cut into 1.5 cm cubes
- 4 ¼ cups water
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 lb cooked chickpeasdrained (2 tins), keep 3 tbsp of the liquid
- 1 red onionvery finely chopped
- 2 green chilliesfinely chopped
- 1 oz fresh corianderchopped, stalks too
For the dressing
- 4 tbsp white vinegar
- 1 /2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 /2 tsp red chilli flakes (optional)
- 4 tbsp Afghan green chutney (optional)to serve
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What you'll need
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Put 14 oz waxy potatoes in a pan with 4 ¼ cups water and ⅞ tsp salt, bring to the boil over a high heat, then simmer for 8–10 minutes until a knife slides into a cube with no resistance but the edges have not crumbled.
12 minStep 2: Add 1 lb cooked chickpeas for the last 2 minutes to warm through, then drain both into a sieve.
3 minStep 3: While the potatoes are draining, stir 4 tbsp white vinegar, 3 tbsp chickpea liquid (from the tin), 1 /2 tsp ground black pepper and the rest of the ⅝ tsp salt together in a large bowl until the salt dissolves.
Step 4: Tip the hot potatoes and chickpeas into the dressing and turn them gently so the warm potato drinks up the vinegar.
Step 5: Leave to stand for 10 minutes, turning once, until the potato is tinged with dressing all through.
10 minStep 6: Fold in 1 red onion, 2 green chillies and most of 1 oz fresh coriander, then taste; it should be distinctly sour and salty, so add a splash more vinegar if needed.
Step 7: Spoon into small bowls with some of the dressing, scatter with the rest of the coriander and 1 /2 tsp red chilli flakes, and add a spoonful of 4 tbsp Afghan green chutney on top if you like.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 230 kcal
- Protein
- 9 g
- Carbs
- 40 g
- Fat
- 3 g
- Fibre
- 9 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
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Good to know
- How long does shor nakhod take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of waxy potatoes?
- Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
- What can I use instead of cooked chickpeas?
- Cannellini or butter beans, same amount.
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