Kaleh Pacha

Ingredients

The head and feet

• 1sheep’s head, split, brain and tongue reserved, eyes removed by the butcher
• 4sheep’s trotters, cleaned and singed
• 3 tbspcoarse salt and 2 tbsp plain flour for scrubbing
• cold water for soaking

The pot

• 4 litrescold water
• 2onions, peeled and left whole
• 1 headof garlic, halved across
• 1 tspturmeric
• 1cinnamon stick
• 6black peppercorns
• 4cardamom pods
• 1 tbspsalt
• 1dried lime, pierced (optional)

To serve

• Afghan naan, torn
• 1lemon, cut into wedges
• ground cinnamon and black pepper
• chopped spring onion

Directions

1. Have the butcher split the head and singe the hair from the head and trotters. At home, run a gas flame over any remaining bristle and scrape it off with a knife until the skin is clean and pale.
2. Scrub every surface with the coarse salt and flour, working into the ear cavities and between the toes of the trotters, then rinse thoroughly.
3. Soak the head and trotters in several changes of cold water overnight, at least 12 hours, changing the water three or four times, until the water stays clear and the blood is drawn out.
4. Cover with fresh cold water, bring to a hard boil for 15 minutes and skim off the thick grey foam continuously, then throw that water away and rinse the pot and the meat.
5. Return everything to the clean pot with the 4 litres of cold water, the onions, garlic, turmeric, whole spices, salt and dried lime.
6. Bring back to the boil, skim once more, then hold at the barest simmer, lid ajar, for 7 to 8 hours. Traditionally it is left overnight on the last embers of a bread oven, which is why it is ready at dawn.
7. Add the brain, wrapped in muslin, for the final 30 minutes only; it needs no more and disintegrates if boiled long.
8. Lift everything out. Pull the cheek meat, tongue and the gelatinous skin from the head and strip the trotters, discarding bone; chop the tongue and slice the brain.
9. Strain the broth through muslin, skim off most of the fat but not all, and check the salt; it should be rich, faintly sweet from the gelatine and lip-sticking.
10. Tear naan into deep bowls, arrange the meats on top, ladle over the boiling broth, and serve at daybreak with lemon, cinnamon and pepper to add at the table.

Technique

• Cleaning is the recipe. An undersoaked, unsinged head gives a broth that smells of wool and cannot be saved; the two changes of boiling water and the long cold soak are non-negotiable.
• This is a breakfast eaten at first light, sold from specialist kaleh pacha shops that open at four in the morning and sell out by nine. It is considered a winter restorative and a cure for a hard night.
• The gelatine sets the broth to a jelly when cold, which is normal; reheat gently and it liquefies again.
• Offal spoils faster than muscle. Buy the head and trotters the day you cook them, keep everything below 4°C (40°F) until the pot goes on, and do not part-cook and leave overnight at room temperature.

Substitutions

• No sheep’s head available: a pot of 6 trotters plus 1 kg of shank and neck bones gives a similar gelatinous broth, though it lacks the cheek and tongue. Goat head is used interchangeably across the region.

Variations

• Some cooks add a handful of chickpeas for the last hour and mash them into the broth.
• In Herat the broth is thickened at the table with torn bread until it can be eaten with the hand, closer to a tharid.

History

Dedicated Kabul shops open before sunrise on Fridays; the dish is shared with Iranian and Central Asian kitchens.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kaleh Pacha?

Kaleh Pacha is a soup & stew from Afghanistan: sheep head and trotters boiled overnight into a rich broth eaten at dawn. Dedicated Kabul shops open before sunrise on Fridays; the dish is shared with Iranian and Central Asian kitchens.

How long does Kaleh Pacha take to make?

Kaleh Pacha takes 45 min plus overnight soaking of preparation and 8 hr of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated hard to make.

What can I substitute in Kaleh Pacha?

Yes, within limits. No sheep’s head available: a pot of 6 trotters plus 1 kg of shank and neck bones gives a similar gelatinous broth, though it lacks the cheek and tongue. Goat head is used interchangeably across the region.

What is the most important thing to get right in Kaleh Pacha?

Bring back to the boil, skim once more, then hold at the barest simmer, lid ajar, for 7 to 8 hours. Traditionally it is left overnight on the last embers of a bread oven, which is why it is ready at dawn.