Once-Exotic Afghan Fare Now Commonplace--and Redundant

Let’s say you’re at the office and the gang suggests lunching out.

This usually is a pleasurable suggestion, and one that reminds us that life is filled with options, since the mention of lunch typically is followed by such phrases as “Let’s get Chinese,” “Why don’t we eat Mexican today?” and “I’m on a diet so we have to find a place that serves salads.”

Seized by the urge to be both coy and a show-off, you brightly remark: “I could really dig into a plate of zamarrod chalaw , with maybe some fernee for dessert.”

Don’t be terribly surprised--or crestfallen--if one of your co-workers looks you straight in the eye and says: “Yeah, I could get into some Afghan food today, too.”

Exotic Becomes Familiar

It is odd, or amazing, or perhaps odd and amazing, how quickly the most remote and exotic cuisines become familiar when a few modest eateries begin promoting them. This isn’t to say that a contemporary Diogenes, out traversing San Diego County in search of a fellow who could honestly deny ever having heard of quabili palaw , would wear much leather off the soles of his sandals. However, if someone had predicted six years ago that in 1988 I would walk into a local Afghan restaurant, glance at the menu and remark, “Same old stuff,” I would have snickered at such a wildly unlikely scenario.

There weren’t any Afghan restaurants in the county six years ago, but today there are three, of which the newest is a cozy Solana Beach hideaway called Pamir (the others are Khyber Pass in Kearny Mesa and La Jolla’s handsome Pawinda). Their menus mimic one another to such a degree that, having read one, the names on the next should be immediately familiar, as should be the dishes they represent. They do, of course, vary somewhat in the quality of their cuisine (Pawinda wins hands down), but all are reasonably likable.

The cooking at Pamir is good, if not out of the ordinary--and it seems strange and wonderful just to be able to make this comment in a region that, until a few years ago, enjoyed an extremely limited selection of exotic cuisines.

Since Pamir’s menu is so like those at its sister Afghan places, one is led to wonder if Afghan cuisine is fairly limited, or, alternatively, if Afghan restaurateurs tend to offer only special or “company”-type dishes. (This syndrome is common among foreign restaurateurs, which usually feature the specialties that Mama made for Sunday dinner, but never offer what she fixed for Monday supper. And indeed, American restaurants are vastly more likely to feature prime rib than tuna noodle casserole.)

Resemblance to Minestrone

Pamir offers the usual litany of dishes, with the exception, rather sorely missed, of the grilled, spiced lamb kebabs that are a common offering elsewhere. For example, all meals include a bowl of aash , the only Afghan soup I have ever tasted (but surely not the only one they make?). Aash bears an almost unreasonable resemblance to minestrone, right down to the kidney beans and spaghetti-like pasta, except that, rather than being finished with a last-minute sprinkling of grated cheese, this one gets yogurt and finely chopped mint. The result is tasty, and, if the meal has not commenced with an appetizer, the soup will competently introduce the distinctive Afghan flavor combinations that season the entrees.

Since the appetizers tend to be light, however, there is no reason not to order one or two for the table; they are meant for sharing. The janiama , a truly typical item, makes an admirably devious approach to the taste buds with its gentle blend of yogurt, chopped cucumber and mint--there is an aftershock of heat when the minced jalapeno peppers belatedly reveal their presence. Although some restaurant patrons have been observed eating janiama with a spoon, the correct procedure is to use it as a dip for fingers of nan , the flat, chewy Afghan bread.

A cooler but stronger (how’s that for a seeming contradiction?) yogurt sauce accompanies the appetizer pastries called bulanee and sambusa . This one skips the cucumber, mint and jalapeno and replaces them with much cilantro and some subtle spicing; it is a wonderful dip for the spiced, mashed potato-filled bulanee , and the mild, meat-filled sambusa . (Diners experienced in Indian cuisine will recognize the crisp, crescent-shaped sambusa as first cousin to the Indian samosa .)

Interesting Listing

Aashak , which may be the most interesting listing on the menu, is served only on Friday and Saturday; because of the scheduling of the two visits made to Pamir, this situation relegated the dish to the realm of promising possibilities. But this entree certainly sounds interesting--the menu describes it as pastry shells filled with spiced leeks and scallions, the whole topped with a pair of sauces.

Most of the other entrees feature lamb, chicken or beef as a starring item, but always as an adjunct to one or more startlingly delicious rice preparations. While the Islamic world joins the Orient in making enormous use of rice, perhaps no cuisine deals with it so imaginatively as the Afghan. A festive plate will include several preparations, some quietly spiced, others cooked and tinted with a vegetable or fruit. One of the most intriguing versions, given a wonderful flavor and wild color by the inclusion of sour cherries, does not appear on the menu at Pamir. All are made with the distinctive, nutty-flavored basmati rice, which cooks to a beautiful firmness and is much costlier than ordinary grains.

A very savory, scented rice, which takes its color from spinach and its zest from spices, serves as a bed for the zamarrod chalaw , a stew of lamb, spinach and scallions. This is a rather good dish, especially for those who enjoy lamb (like several similar items, it also can be had with beef), and, while its flavoring hints at curry, the spices are muted and work to a much different effect.

Saffron lends its wonderful fragrance to the rice used in the qurma palaw , a mildly seasoned chicken stew that is set atop the rice and ringed with bits of dried, sour prunes and stewed lentils. The chicken is acceptable but unexciting, and the prunes too stingily apportioned to make a notable impact; the saffron rice then becomes the most interesting feature. However, it appears to better advantage in the quabili palaw , topped with a choice of lamb or beef flavorfully decorated with raisins, almonds and spiced carrot strips.

Vegetarian Dishes

Other good choices include the baked (as opposed to grilled) chicken kebab, which is tender, succulent and mildly seasoned, and the chicken curry, with its light yogurt sauce that tastes notably of turmeric, and more quietly of other spices. The menu also features a good number of vegetarian dishes, ranging from the spiced lentil stew called dal to the yogurt-sauced buranee kadu (sauteed banana squash) and buranee banjan (sauteed eggplant).

The chapli k e bab , or spiced ground beef patties, are done quite delicately at some Afghan restaurants, but here resemble tough, overcooked hamburgers that would be none the worse for a touch of ketchup.

The dessert list includes a less-sweet-than-usual rendition of baklava, here called baghlawa , and fernee , a simple but tasty pudding distinctively flavored with rose water, almonds and pistachios. The cardamom-scented Afghan tea is pleasantly refreshing.

PAMIR

524 Stevens Ave., Solana Beach

481-4040

Lunch served Monday through Friday, dinner nightly

Credit cards accepted

Dinner for two, including a glass of house wine each, tax and tip, about $25 to $45.