Afghan eatery evokes flavours of the Silk Road
Moonah’s Zafira Fine Foods not only gives locals the chance to sample Afghani food but also acts as a community hub for the approximately 300 Hazara people who have settled in Hobart
Taste Tasmania
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ZAFIRA FINE FOODS
35 Gormanston Rd, Moonah
Opening hours: Monday-Wednesday 11.30am-3pm; Thursday 11.30am-8pm, Friday-Saturday, 11.30am-9pm
ON THE MENU
Bolani, $7; Tasting Plates, $16/$22; Qabli Pilau (lamb shanks with pilau), $22; Chicken wings with rice or chips, $10
As we approach our dinner destination in a semi-industrial area in Hobart’s northern suburbs, we’re met by a plume of fragrant smoke, redolent of the spices of the Silk Road – cumin, cardamom, saffron and turmeric. Skewers of beef kebab are cooking atop a simple charcoal grill, the coals fanned by hand and sending a welcome beacon into the cool night air. We slide open the door of the former takeaway shop and enter a fluorescent-lit world of Afghani culture and cuisine.
The food of Afghanistan is largely influenced by Persia (now Iran), India and Mongolia and despite now being best known for its years of conflict, it has a rich culinary and cultural heritage. We start with a serve of bolani ($7) – a flatbread stuffed with potatoes, green onion and coriander. They’re shallow-fried to golden deliciousness and are one of the most popular items on the menu.
Everything is available individually but we decide to dive right in and order a Silk Road tasting plate ($16) of three vegetarian dishes with rice and a Zafira tasting plate ($22), two meat and one vegetable dish served with rice.
Our meals arrive promptly and restaurant manager Reza, who’s manning the kitchen takes the time to explain each dish to us.
Our vegetarian plate includes a rich chickpea stew, zucchini that has been melded together with onions and spices, and a hearty dish of kidney beans braised with turmeric, coriander and cumin. Bright yellow turmeric-spiced rice is on hand to mop up the sauce.
The Zafira platter includes braised cauliflower with just a hint of chilli, chunks of chicken and potato in a spiced tomato sauce and a beef kebab fresh off the charcoal grill.
Pro tip – some dishes sell out fast and once they’re gone, they’re gone. We’d love to try the slow-cooked lamb shanks but that will have to wait for our next visit, so instead we order a serve of grilled, turmeric-spiced chicken wings ($10), which are moist, full of flavour and have just the right amount of char.
Zafira opened about four years ago, when Kirsten Singleton, who had been doing volunteer work with Hobart’s Hazara Afghan community decided to purchase a takeaway store and turn it into an Afghan restaurant.
“There was nowhere else in Tasmania selling Afghan food and it was really about creating an employment opportunity for the Hazara community,” she explains. “I was trying to give refugees a chance to work and learn about the locals, and give the locals the opportunity to learn about the Hazara too. We’ve had a great response and have a broad spectrum of customers.”
In addition to the restaurant, Zafira (which means “success” in Arabic) also acts as a community hub for the approximately 300 Hazara who have settled in Hobart.
There’s a large plot of land behind the restaurant that has been turned into thriving vegetable gardens and Singleton is thrilled to be offering horticulture qualifications to some of those tending the plot.
“It’s huge,” she says with excitement. “A lot of women in the community have very little education because of the Taliban (who banned girls from attending school), so these women are really excited about getting a qualification. We’re lucky to be working with a trainer who is teaching for free. We get so many amazing people working with us.”
For those wanting to learn more about the Hazara – who are believed to have descended from Mongol soldiers left behind by Genghis Khan in the 13th century – Zafira offers monthly cooking classes and cultural experiences.
Although it’s slightly cool inside – don’t forget your Tassie tuxedo – the atmosphere is warm and welcoming. There are flyers advertising craft and chat sessions, a poster with some simple Hazara phrases, including “hello” (assalamu alaikum) and “what are you saying?” (cheez khel mughi?), and one part of the room is carpeted and strewn with cushions around a low table for a no-shoes group dining experience. Afghan music plays softly in the background and there’s a constant flow of customers coming in for both takeaway and eat-in orders.
Moonah isn’t the Silk Road, but if you close your eyes and let the spiced smoke waft past, you can almost smell it from here.
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