Bamian restaurant, Falls Church, VA

Bamian Restaurant, Afghan cuisine

The food of Afghanistan reflects its ethnic and geographic diversity.
The climate of Afghanistan allows a variety of crops throughout the seasons.
Coriander, garlic, onions, tomatoes, potatoes and fruit are widely available and
form an important part of the diet. Milk from cows and goats is used for making
yogurt, which is added to many dishes.
Meat-filled dumplings, kebabs and qormas (stew casseroles) are typical Afghan foods.
Most meals are accompanied by naan, an oval shaped bread baked in a
tandoori oven.

Bamian Afghan restaurant

Interior of Bamian Restaurant

The Bamian Restaurant offers Afghan cuisine
at 5634 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, Virginia.
The restaurant is open daily from 11am to 10:30pm.
The Bamian restaurant provides a family atmosphere featuring Halal food.
The restaurant attracts a large Muslim clientele, and the dining room fills
quickly after sunset during Ramadan.
A typical meal consists of an appetizer, the main entrée and
a dessert. The appetizer may be a bowl of soup such as mashawa
or some meat-filled dumplings topped with a sauce with chick peas.

Interior of Bamian Restaurant

The Bamian Restaurant has ample seating space

Mashawa Soup

The Mashawa soup has a variety of beans and herbs topped with meat sauce and spicy yogurt.

Mantu dumplings

The mantu dumplings are filled with ground beef and scallions. They are topped
with homemade yogurt, meat sauce and mint.

Sambosas

The Sambosas are fried pastries stuffed with potatoes, chickpeas and herbs. They are
served with a spicy, slightly acid green sauce.

bamian boneless chicken thighs
Boneless chicken thighs

Boneless chicken thighs

The chicken thigh dish is typical of how the kabobs are served.
Pieces of boneless chicken thighs marinated in herbs and spices are broiled on a skewer
and placed around a serving of Basmati rice with a garnish of lemon, tomato and
sliced onions.

bamian qaubili palau
Qaubili Palau

Qaubili Palau

The lamb pilaf, or Qaubili Palau, consists of seasoned Basmati rice with tender chunks of lamb
under a cover of blanched sweet carrot strips and raisins, served with meat sauce (qurma) on the side.

bamian meat sauce
Meat sauce (qurma)

Meat sauce (qurma)

The sauce for the qurma or qorma at Bamian is based on tomatoes. Although the sauce looks
like an Italian pasta sauce, it has different spices. The word “qurma”
corresponds to the word “korma” of Indian and Pakistani origin.
A korma is a dish of meat or vegetables braised with water, stock and yogurt.

The meals are accompanied with a basket of warm Afghan flat bread.

Baqlawa

The baqlawa is like the Greek baklava, just with a different spelling and not so intensely sweet.

Call the Bamian restaurant at (703)820-7880.
Find more information about the restaurant at its web site:
www.bamianrestaurant.com/