Maria NasirAfghani Bolani bread is my second most favourite recipe from the Afghani cuisine, while Kabuli pulao still remains the first choice.I love Afghani cuisine for its simplicity of ingredients and its rustic charm. It is very different from the Pakistani and Indian cuisine for its use of minimal spices. It abundantly uses the produce of the land, cereal crops, vegetables, and fresh and dried fruits, and blends together Central Asian, Eastern Asian, South Asian and the Middle Eastern cuisines.
Afghani Bolani bread is quite similar to the Indian style stuffed paratha or Mexican quesadilla, except that it has fewer and simpler ingredients.
The recipe for dough below is enough for four Bolani breads. I stuffed them with different fillings. Besides the suggestions given here (lamb mince, potatoe and spinach) you can also use cooked lentils, kale, eggplant, pumpkins or leeks.
Bolani is made for special occasions like parties or holidays, but is also ideal for a lunch box and picnics.
Ingredients:
For Afghani Bolani Bread:
- 2 cups plain flour
- 3/4 cup water
- a pinch salt
- 1/4 cup olive oil for frying
For Potato Filling:
- 4 medium potatoes, boiled, peeled
- Salt and pepper to taste
- A handful coriander leaves
- 1 green chilli pepper, chopped
- Fills 2 Bolani breads
For Spinach Filling:
- 1 cup spinach after blanching and squeezing out the liquid
- Or 1 cup canned spinach
- Salt and pepper to taste
- A handful coriander leaves
- 1 green chilli pepper, chopped
- Fills 1 Bolani bread
For Lamb Mince Filling:
- 1 cup of cooked lamb mince (you can find a recipe here)
- 1 small onion, caramelised
- A bunch coriander leaves
- 1 green chilli pepper, chopped
- Fills 1 Bolani bread
This Is What You Do:
- Add the flour and salt to a mixing bowl, add water slowly and knead by hand till the dough is elastic and smooth.
OR
Add flour and salt to a food processor, add water slowly with the motor running till the dough comes together and makes a ball. - Cover and leave to rest for 30 minutes.
- Prepare the filling of your choice by mixing all the filling ingredients.
- Flour a clean work top, divide the dough into four equal portions.
- Make balls with the dough portions, flatten them on the work top, one at a time. Roll out with a rolling pin into a slightly oval shaped, thin flat bread.
- Spread the filling generously on half of the rolled out bread, leaving 1/2 inch margin near the edge.
- Wet the edges of the bread with your finger tips, fold the other half of the bread over the filling half. Seal the edges by pressing slightly.
- Heat oil in a large, non stick frying pan, 2 tablespoons at a time for I bread. Fry the bread till golden and crisp on one side, flip and repeat with the other side.
- Repeat with the rest of the dough.
- Cut the half moon shaped bread into two pieces with a sharp knife or pizza cutter.
- Serve hot or at room temperature with yogurt raita and green tea.
Tip:
Afgani Bolani bread is even more delicios served with some yogurt raita, which you can whip up in a minute: Chop onion, tomato, green chilli and mint leaves, add to the yogurt, season with salt and pepper.
Makes 4 breads
Wow I love the different stuffing options. By far I think I will go for the potatoes and spinach filling but love the suggestions of pumpkin and eggplant. 2 veggies not much appreciated here. Absolutely delicious and yet so simple to make. Thanks to you Sunday meal is fixed now.
I have heard so much about bolani bread and recently seeing it everywhere. This looks like a filling and tasty bread to pair with any side dish.
Potato filled bread sounds good. But never tasted this before. I will try your vegetarian version:)
Wow, this bread is like a meal in itself! Loved all the different filling ideas 🙂
Now this is interesting! Loved the choice of stuffing – spinach and minced meat. I am a vegetarian so would go with a mix of mushrooms and spinach with some potatoes, sounds good to you? Excellent share and looks delicious Maria. I must try this for sure. Bookmarking the same.
Lovely recipe with different types of fillings – all the fillings are flavouful. Nice clicks
WE prepared this bolani bread only a couple of years ago, we all loved it so much, Obviously being a vegetarian I had to use potato but nowadays we don’t consume many potatoes, any other vegetarian options can you recommend for me?
Even Bolani is my favourite stuffed flatbread from Afghani cuisine, its been a while i dished out these flatbread, you are tempting me to make some soon.
Bolani bread sounds delicious and very interesting which is something similar to our stuffed parathas like we do for aloo and spinach paratha..loved the lamb filling , this is really a great post 😊
This Afghani stuffed bread sounds flavorful with different fillings ! Wonderful share !
Afgani bolani name is new but you are right its something like stuffed paratha. Loved your presentation and click. Thanks for different ideas of filling.
This is a half recipe I found on my mom’s old diary and since I really love the Afghan cuisine, I always felt I wanted it. Thanks for the full details, will try soon.
Interesting bread.. It is really amazing to see different kinds of stuffed breads globally.
This flatbread has been on my list of ‘to try’ for a very long time. A delicious preparation. I didn’t know that it could be filled with different fillings.
Lovely pics and it is so similar to our aloo paratha’s yet so different. loved all the different fillings.
I feel like trying all the fillings, each of them sound lipsmacking delicious…
Bolani bread sounds interesting something similar to the stuffed parathas we make, the different types of fillings to choose from is just too goo. Awsome share.
I want to make lentil baloni. What spices do I use? Thank you
Hi Sandy,
boil the lentils with a little salt till tender. Drain all water. Mash up the lentils a roughly with a fork. Add chopped onions, green chilli pepper, fresh coriander or mint, red chilli powder or Black pepper to suit your taste and cumin powder. Mix and fill up like in any other bolani breads.
Hope you will enjoy 😊
Hi, I only discovered this dish yesterday and want to make a whole bunch of it at once. Do you know how long they last refrigerated?
Thank you, Paul! 😊 This bread is pretty irresistible, right!
It can easily last for 2-3 days in the fridge when properly wrapped up and a lot longer in the freezer. Freeze with butter paper or plastic wrap in between the layers so that it’s easy to remove and thaw only as many as you want at one time.
Enjoy! 😊
Moc děkuji za všechny recepty,fotografie vždy lákavé,hned mám chuť vyzkoušet:-).
Tento chleba opravdu hodně podobný Paratha,se špenátem vynikající.Díky
Thank you so much, dear Olga 🙂 I’m so glad you like my recipes and want to try 🙂 Yes, it’s kind of like stuffed paratha, I’m sure you will love it 🙂
Love this bread.. Yes its very similar to parata but the filling is much milder..superb post:)
Thank you Shubha 🙂 and I love how it’s folded over like a quesadilla, makes it perfect to pack for a lunch box or picnic 🙂
Oh I love bolani bread, you have given versatile filling options that makes the best. Video tuitorial well explains the concept. Thank you for recipe share
Thank you so much, dear Anitha for stopping by the blog and taking time to watch the video tutorial. Watching something cooked really makes it easier to follow the steps 🙂
Loved all the filling dear :)Its very tempting, Yummy!
Thank you dear Kushi! 🙂 So glad you like it! My favourite is spinach 🙂
“Thanks for the Lamb idea as a filling option other than sometimes using this bread to make Gyros”.
Wonderful recipe and an outstanding food and culture website as well 🙂 This bread is good for many things including just a quick snack and sometimes I have even grilled it instead of frying.
Thanks for the Lamb idea as a filling option other than sometimes using this bred to make Gyros (our lamb and bison blend) I haven’t tried lamb in Bolani.
Thanks a bunch, Brandon for visiting the blog and your kind words 🙂 glad you like the blog, I try to offer something for everyone 🙂