gluten-free afghan sweet cornbread – roht e jowaree

i’ve never made afghan food before. lots of arabic and german loanwords in the recipes i’ve glanced over today – made me realize i don’t know shit about afghan history. time to learn!

this is a gluten-free sweet cornbread that looks wonderful from the photos.

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Roht e Jowaree

1 cup corn meal

1 cup finely ground corn flour (note: masa!)

1/4 cup butter at room temperature

1 to 2 tablespoons milk

1/2 cup brown sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 eggs

1 teaspoon nigella seeds (optional; note – author says to sub sesame seeds if you don’t have these.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Fit your food processor with the dough blade. Put all dry ingredients in the food processor, pulse a few times until all ingredients are mixed well.

Add butter and pulse several times until mixed well. Scrape the sides of the food processor, add the eggs, and mix until the dough is formed. If your dough is dry, add 1-2 tablespoons of milk to add some more moisture. You may not need the milk at all. You might have to stop periodically to scrape the dough off the sides. After a few minutes, the dough will come together in one smooth lump and move around the food processor.

Remove the dough from the food processor and pat it into a smooth ball. Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Divide the dough into two balls and work gently into a circular flat shape, about ½- inch thick. Poke little holes in a circular pattern on top of the dough with a fork, about 20 pokes per loaf. Sprinkle the loaves with nigella seeds. You can also divide the dough into 12 small balls and make approximately 4 inch round mini rohts.

Bake in the middle rack for 25-30 minutes until the corn roht is golden brown. Let it cool to room temperature before serving.

Cut into 6 wedges. Enjoy with a cup of tea.

Store roht in an airtight container or Ziploc bag. I find it tastes even better the next day.