Kolche ab-e-dandaan are cardamom and pistachio biscuits from Afghanistan. As they are made with oil, this means that they are also vegan. I found on a blog that mot-à-mot translation from Dari into English is “water from teeth”, as in “melt in the mouth”. I have to agree, these biscuits really melt in the mouth.

Before making these biscuits for the first time, I’ve searched online. This is what I always do when I’m making a new recipe for my Taste the World challenge. I want the recipes to be as close to the traditional recipes as possible. Sometimes that involves using google translate and it can be quite a challenge in itself if I try to translate from Arabic.

Ingredients for 15 Kolche ab-e-dandaan biscuits:

– 175g flour
– 85g icing sugar
– 110ml oil
– 1 tsp baking powder
– 1 tsp cardamom
– 30 pistachio nuts

Mix the flour with the icing sugar, and the baking powder. Add in the cardamom and pour the oil on top. Knead for about 10 minutes, until it is a slightly crumbly dough. It has a bit of an odd texture, but don’t worry, this is how it should be.

Preheat the oven at 180C or 160C if you have a fan assisted oven.

Meanwhile, weight in the dough and divide it in 15 equal parts. Make it into a ball and put it on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Press two pistachio nuts on each ball of dough. Put the baking tray in the oven and leave to bake for 15 to 20 minutes. The biscuits should retain their pale colour on top, being slightly coloured on the bottom.

When the biscuits are ready, take the baking tray out of the oven. Leave the biscuits to cool on the tray, before transferring them on a serving plate.

Did you ever make Kolche ab-e-dandaan? Or is it something you’d like to try?