Each day at Kabul is turning out to be a gastronomic adventure of sorts, for instance, today I got to eat Khoujoor for dessert and what a unique dish it was – not too sweet, not too oily, wholesome yet not heavy, and above all a shape that’s difficult to describe! Eating Khoujoor kind of reminded me of our good old doughnuts, but then, I think the Khoujoors were way more exotic. Read on to know more about this delectable Afghan dessert…

Khoujoor, (also spelt as Khajoor or Khajur) does not refer to the famous Afghan dates (also known as Khajur in parts of India and Pakistan) rather, it’s a type of Afghan pastry made from lightly leavened dough. It is one of the popular Afghan desserts, which is made for special festive occasions like religious festivities, birthdays, wedding feasts, etc. In fact, sweets like Khoujoor, Baamieh, and Jalebi play an important role during the religious fasting month of Ramdan – every household will prepare at least one of these sweets for Iftar or the evening meal, as a sweet way of breaking the day long fast.

To prepare Khoujoor, sugar is caramelized in oil and mixed with flour, activated yeast, and salt to form soft dough. Small balls of the dough are then lightly pressed onto a sieve and the resulting roundels are loosely sealed to form the Khajoor-seed shape (a date seed like shape). The Khoujoors are deep fried and cooled over wire racks. 

The Khoujoor (also called as Bosrauq or Bosraak, in some parts of Afghanistan), is usually served cold at the end of the meal along with other traditional sweet dishes or fresh fruits and nuts. To eat the Khoujoor, break it into pieces and savor the bites or just eat it off like a puff pastry – the choice is yours. 

So, this is how you eat Khoujoor, follow this link to find Afghan Restaurants that serve Khoujoor. If you wish to prepare Khoujoor at home, then do refer to this recipe link. 

Image credits: afghancuisinebook.com