House of delights House of delights (March 24, 2000)

by Jim Harrington

For meat and potato lovers, Afghan food is a dream come true: it's simple, filling, and, when done right, quite tasty.

It's definitely done right at Sunnyvale's Afghani House. The place might look modest from the outside, but inside a wonderful world of hearty food awaits.

Appetizers are a big part of Afghan cuisine and definitely should not be skipped. In fact, it's fine by me if you never get past the appetizer menu--especially since many of the items are so reasonably priced. Try the aushak ($4.25), leek- and scallion-filled dumplings topped with yogurt, meat sauce and fresh mint; bulanee-e-katchalu ($3.95), a turnover filled with potatoes, ground beef and herbs; or the aush ($4.25), a vegetable, noodle and yogurt soup sprinkled with dill and topped with meat sauce.

Two of my favorite appetizers are the pakawra-e-katchalu ($4.50) and the sambosa ($3.95). The pakawra-e-katchalu consists of sauteed slices of potatoes lightly tipped in batter, fried, and topped with yogurt and a tomatoey meat sauce. Like its cousin, the Indian samosa, the sambosa is a stuffed, fried pastry. However, the Afghan version is filled with ground beef, not lamb or potato, and the pastry topping is much less the focus.

The entrees, which come with doughy Afghan bread and a green salad, are dominated by kabobs. Served off the skewer, the kabobs feature large cuts of lamb, veal, chicken, and lean and meaty beef. The meat is finely marinated in herbs and spices, charbroiled on skewers and served with plenty of pallaw (seasoned brown rice). Some of the best options include the combination chicken and lamb ($16.50), the kabob-e-chupan (lamb loin chop) ($17.95) and the kabob-e-chapandaz (veal loin chop) ($17.95). No matter what you choose, the meat is all very succulent and delicious. From the vegetarian side of the menu, there are plenty of good options, all of them served with challaw (white rice). Go with the challaw gulpi ($9.50), a cauliflower stew cooked with onions and tomatoes; challaw sabsi ($8.95), a spinach stew cooked with onions and garlic; or the challaw shalgham ($9.95), a turnip stew with onions and yellow split peas.

Also, don't pass up such side dishes as the kadu ($4.25), sauteed butternut squash topped with yogurt and meat sauce; badenjan ($4), an eggplant stew topped with yogurt and meat sauce; or the katchalu ($3.50), a potato stew with onions, tomatoes, cilantro and garlic.

For dessert, after what will probably be a very heavy meal, cool down with the firnee ($3.50), a light pudding served chilled with almonds and pistachios. In addition to its delicious menu, the restaurant has an attractive interior with colorful rugs and paintings on the walls, nice drapery, white linen tablecloths and an abundance of live greenery.

My only complaint was that there is no lunch menu (the restaurant could really one so diners don't have to drop so much cash during the noon hour); the service was also a bit slow and not very attentive. Still, such things can be overlooked when the offerings are as tantalizing those as at Afghani House.

The Afghani House, 1103 E. El Camino Real, Sunnyvale, (408) 248-5087. Hours: Mon. through Fri., 11:30 a.m to 2 p.m.; daily, 5:30-10 p.m. Credit cards are accepted.