Choopan Grill

The Kabuli palau is a majestic dish that features slow-cooked lamb shank under a bed of rice that’s scented with cardamom, tossed with sliced almonds and draped with ribbons of carrots and plump raisins at Choopan Grill in Selden.

Choopan Grill is tucked in the back of a Selden shopping mall.

Choopan Grill in Selden changed hands three years ago with Rona Mirzai and her daughters taking over the space.

Choopan Grill owner Rona Mirzai is one of the metropolitan area’s Afghan-cooking pioneers. 

Afghan-style naan is baked in the tandoor oven at Choopan Grill in Selden.

Badinjan Burani is a silken fried eggplant dish finished in a curry of tomatoes, onions and jalapeños at Choopan Grill in Selden.

Kadu, chunks of caramelized pumpkin finished in a tomato, garlic and cayenne curry, is drizzled with yogurt and dusted with dried mint at Choopan Grill in Selden. 

At Choopan Grill in Selden, the platter of sambosa, a less doughy version of a samosa, comes with fillings that include ground beef, ground chicken, spinach or crispy onion laced potatoes. 

The Sultani Kebab at Choopan Grill in Selden is a heaping platter of tender lamb tikka chunks, meaty chicken kofta and basmati rice.

Aushak, boiled hand-made dumplings, are filled with a garlic-laced leek mixture, topped with a tomato-rich ground “chicken sauce,” drizzled with yogurt and garnished with dried mint at Choopan Grill in Selden.