A tantalising aroma of sizzling kebabs and freshly baked bread wafts from the hot clay ovens of the dozen or so eateries in what has been dubbed Little Afghanistan , a cluster of around 100 Afghan refugee families in the Lajpat Nagar neighbourhood of southern Delhi. Mutton simmers away in large vats while the local naanwai s, or street bakers, do a brisk business selling doughy Afghan naans. In recent years, Little Afghanistan – also known as “Little Kabul”, has seen a proliferation of restaurants run by people from the war-torn nation that is now under Taliban control. According to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, 15,000 Afghan refugees currently call India home. The migrants started arriving soon after the Soviet-Afghan war began in 1979, with more following after the United States invaded Afghanistan in 2001. Most of these displaced Afghans are now settled in middle-class areas of Delhi, such as Lajpat Nagar, Bhogal and Saket, where they run pharmacies, clothes shops and food joints. Salim Peerzada, 36, owns the Darbar restaurant in Lajpat Nagar. He is a third-generation cook who migrated to Delhi from Kandahar a decade ago with his parents and wife Razia. “I consider myself lucky that I escaped the country when I could,” he said. “Today I make a good living here while my two brothers are still trapped in Kabul. When they called last night, we could hear gunshots in the background.” How I left Afghanistan, with a Taliban escort to the airport The eatery offers quintessentially Afghan fare such as rajma, a curry made from black beans; qubuli, a chickpea pulao; bolani, or stuffed flatbread; borani, a dish made from aubergines and tomatoes; as well as an assortment of kebabs and breads such as naan, roghani and lavasa. Chopaan kebabs – Pashtun lamb skewers roasted over a traditional Afghan charcoal brazier called a mankal – are one of Darbar’s top sellers. Also popular is mantu, a ravioli-shaped, yogurt-slathered dumpling filled with softened leeks, a delicate interplay of muted flavours typical of Afghan cuisine. Next door, at Mazaar restaurant, diners can even watch Afghan soaps beaming from televisions on the walls while eating off tables or a dastarkhan , a dining space in the middle of the restaurant where families can sit on the floor to have a meal and offer namaz prayers. Its most popular dish is Kabuli pulao, a fragrant rice dish studded with succulent mutton pieces and plump raisins that burst pleasantly in the mouth. Owner Mazaar Malik explains that Afghan food is rich not just in taste, but in history too. “Each dish has a story behind it. People think our food is meat-centric, but we have an array of vegetarian dishes as well including Kabuli-style rajma and borani banjan, a deep-fried aubergine served with yogurt and dried mint leaves.” Unlike spicy Indian cuisine, Malik adds, Afghan food is light and allows the taste of the meats and veggies to shine through. “Bread is the soul of our food,” he said. “In Kabul, no one makes bread at home. It is our tradition to buy bread from the naanwai s down the lane, usually men who knead the dough and make fresh bread throughout the day.” Apart from being used as a vehicle to mop up sauces or an accompaniment to Afghan soup – a bubbling pot of yellow gravy, shredded chicken and chickpeas – bread is also integral to the Afghan burger, a towering creation of chapli kebabs, roughly cut potato fries, salad and a tangy salsa, all wrapped in a naan. India debates Taliban engagement as Russia, China extend influence Indian cuisine has a profound Afghan influence, according to Amit Bagga, the co-founder of Daryaganj, a pan-Indian restaurant chain launched in the 1950s that serves Afghan-inspired food. “Kebabs were brought to India by the Afghans. Seekh kebabs and chapli kebabs both trace their provenance to the country’s Pashtun region,” he said. “Arab travellers passed through Afghanistan on their way to India along the Silk Route that criss-crossed Central Asia. A rich culture took hold at this crossroads, and with it was born a complex cuisine that has survived the ravages of war, invasion and internal upheaval.” Bagga added that the creamy chicken tikkas popular in India, marinated in a rich cashew paste, originated in Afghanistan. “Even the tandoor, now intrinsic to Indian cuisine, as well as the concepts of roasting birds, and barbecuing food, were all brought in from Afghanistan,” he said. Other Indian foodies recall how generations of the compatriots grew up on Afghan produce. For Delhi-based home cook Asha Bhandari, 58, there’s no asafoetida better than the “Kandahari hing” imported from southern Afghanistan. “It lends magic to satvik dishes [cooked as per Ayurvedic principles without onion or garlic] by pure vegetarians like me,” she said. “My mother loved making Kabuli pulao with chickpeas, carrots, raisins and saffron.” Bhandari recalls how Kabuliwalas, or Afghan traders, carrying jhola s (sling bags) filled with premium quality dried fruit such as raisins, figs, cherries, prunes, and mulberries frequented her traditional home in Kolkata. “All the ladies would congregate excitedly around the vendor to buy top quality nuts, hing and saffron,” she recalls. “The dried fruit went into the kheer and halwa while the rest was fed to the kids to protect them from the winter chill.” To understand China’s plans for Afghanistan, take a look at Somalia Even today, Afghan dried raisins, almonds, figs, pine nuts, pistachios, and apricots – apart from fresh fruits such as pomegranates, apples, apricots, and cherries – are an integral part of the Indian diet. These commodities also comprise the bulk of trade between India and Afghanistan. Indian traders rue that the volatile situation in Afghanistan has sent their prices soaring at the onset of the festive season amid surging demand. “The price of Mamra almonds from Afghanistan, which were selling for 2,100 rupees [US$28] per kilogram in July, skyrocketed to 4,000 rupees [US$53] within weeks,” said Idris Khan, a trader in Delhi’s Khari Baoli spice market who imports spices and dried fruits from Afghanistan. “The price of pine nuts and prunes has almost doubled, while Kabul black grapes have gone from 400 rupees per kilogram to 800 rupees. I hope this wretched war settles down soon.”