DINING REVIEW: Rumi's Kabab borrows from several countries, including Afghanistan

The menu at Rumi’s Kabab is emblazoned with a photo of the Buddha of Bamiyan, a 121-foot statue carved from the raw rock of an Afghan cliff in the sixth century. In this central Asian country along the Silk Road, the statue’s flowing robes were influenced by the ancient Greeks and Persians. The Buddha came from China and stood for ages as a reminder that Afghanistan is a crossroads of civilization. In 2001, the Taliban decided the statue was an idol and destroyed it with dynamite.

Still, the Buddha is a good analogy for Afghan culture. It is a meeting of east, west, north and south. And while sometimes the clash of cultures has been bitter, the cuisine is delicious.

At Rumi’s Kabab, which opened in September, diners will find dumplinglike aushak ($5) influenced by China, spicy lentil daal, basmati rice, heavily seasoned spinach influenced by the Indian subcontinent, and garlicky lamb, chicken and beef kebabs, courtesy of Iran and points east. It is a lovely mix, and generally, Rumi’s pulls it off quite well. If you are looking for a new culinary expedition, this is the place.

Rumi’s is owned by Shams Forough, an Afghan who has lived in Colorado Springs for more than 15 years. For much of that time, he has worked as an interpreter and cultural advisor for the U.S. Army in his home country, facilitating meetings between various generals and potentates, including President Hamid Karzai (who speaks perfect English, but still ... ). At a recent lunch, Forough was recommending books on the Afghan language to an airborne sergeant in full fatigues. When the sergeant asked if Forough would give lessons, he said Mondays and Tuesdays after the lunch rush would work best.

“What do you say to $15 an hour?” he said.

“Is this one of those things where I say $8 and we eventually settle at $12?” the sergeant asked.

“Please, my friend,” Forough said with a chuckle. “If that was the case I would have started at $30.”
Rumi’s has a daily lunch buffet from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and a dinner menu with a number of delectable, but more delicate, extras. The buffet ($9) usually has about a dozen things.

Start with lovely palau — basmati rice seasoned with cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg and cumin. Then pile on whatever moves you. The daal is basically refried beans, but made with lentils. Rumi’s version is spicy and more chunky than those found at most Indian places. A really unusual treat is the kadu — a general word for squash.
Here, it is deep-orange banana squash, slow-roasted until the starchy flesh is almost candy sweet, then drizzled with a light yogurt sauce. The buffet usually also includes two vegetable dishes, such as curry-like kormah with cauliflower or slow-roasted eggplant and tomatoes, and two or three meat dishes, usually an Afghan version of chicken curry called Lawang e Murgh, and some kind of beef kebab.

Dessert comes as a sweet rice pudding with cardamom and pistachio. Technically, it is called Sheer Birenj. I just call it delicious.

Many of the same dishes show up at dinner, though the evening menu also includes more fragile dishes that I have not seen at lunch.

The aushak — dumplings filled with leeks and scallions and drizzled with garlic-mint yogurt sauce and seasoned ground beef — are a real treat, as are the Mantu ($10) — homemade pastry shells filled with onions and ground beef topped with carrot, yellow spit peas, and a spicy, savory ground beef sauce.

The Koura Challau ($12) is tender lamb chunks in a currylike sauce. The Koufta Kabab ($11) is a sort of Middle Eastern meatloaf — ground beef mixed with garlic and a ton of spices, and cooked on a skewer. It is fantastic with rice.

It is worth it to order tea ($2) because the steaming pot arrives brimming with the aromas of cinnamon and cardamom.

Only a few dishes missed their mark. The Theekha Kabab, prime rib beef chunks marinated with spices, is the most expensive dish on the menu ($14), but mine was over-marinated and sour-tasting on the outside and tough on the inside. The dishes tend to be on the heavy, oily side, with few light options for balance.

On some lunch visits, the smoky smell from the kebab-laden grill followed me around all day. And the service can be a bit too subtle. Walk in at lunch and you may grab a plate at the buffet and make several visits, then pay without ever being formally welcomed. But these are small quibbles, especially for a family-owned restaurant that brings an entirely new cuisine to our city.

RUMI'S KABAB
3 stars out of 5
(A new flavor)
Address: 36 E Bijou St.
Phone: 635-7749
Hours: Lunch 11 a.m.-2 p.m., dinner 4:30-9:30 p.m., Mondays-Saturdays
Entrees: $9-$14
Vegetarian: Dominant
Alcohol: No
Credit cards: Yes