Fesenjan, the stew of pomegranate and walnuts

With a few ingredients Fesenjan (or Fesenjoon) is one of the most deliciouse stew of Persian cuisine. With the pomegranate concentrate and walnuts, it taste sour, sweet, and salty in the same time. Because of the natural oil of the walnuts, we don’t add any oil to this stew. 

For Fesenjan you are free to use any type of meat, either chicken or meatballs the choice is yours. Traditionally in north Iran, where this stew comes from, they use wild poultry meat like goose, duck, quail etc.

In case you can’t find Pomegranate concentrate also the Pomegranate molasses is fine. The elegant and sophisticated taste of Fesenjan, makes it the stew of celebrations and formal occasions. That’s why, in this recipe, we opted for duck’s breast to maintain the level of sophistication.

This stew is served with rice

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Ingredients | 2-3 servings

• 170g/6oz Walnuts
• 2 tbsp Pomegranate concentrate/pomegranate molasses (adjustable to taste)
• 1 tsp Turmeric
• 1 Onion
• 1 Duck big breast (or chicken or 300g/10oz meatballs*)

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➡️ Here is the recipe for basmati rice to prepare which will be served with Fesenjoon.

Preparation

– Blend walnuts, to form a paste.

– In a pot, stir the walnuts on medium heat gently, for around ⏳ 15 minutes. Their color becomes darker.

– Grate half onion, add turmeric, salt, and pepper stir to combine all ingredients.

– Add the duck breast (you can either add chicken or sautéed meatballs*) and the other half onion to the pot.

– Pour cold water till it covers all ingredients.

➡️ Water should be very cold, you can even add 1 cube of ice too. This thermic shock helps the walnuts to release more Natural oil to the stew.

– Stir gently and bring the stew to a simmer.

– Add the Pomegranate concentrate or molasses and stir.

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⏳ On medium-low heat, cook for ⏳ 1.5 hours.

– Stir occasionally to avoid Fesenjoon sticks to the bottom of the pot.

When the stew has a dense consistency with a thick layer of oil on top and its taste has a good balance between sweet & sour, the Fesenjan is ready!

Notes

• Fesenjoon/Fesenjan is served with saffron rice, a mix of fresh herbs aside, raw onions, white yogurt.
• The taste of Fesenjan depends on the concentration of Pomegranate, if it’s from north Iran they are sour. If it’s from central Iran it’s sweet. Feel free to adjust the sweetness if you prefer by adding a bit of sugar.

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Noosh-e-jan (in farsi: buon appetite) ☺️

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*How to prepare the meatballs: combine minced meat (lamb or veal), salt, black pepper, and half of a grated onion. From this sticky mixture create small balls (dimensions like a walnut), sauté on high heat to have grilled surface, add them to the Fesenjan. ⏳ The time of cooking will not be less, because the focus is on the taste of pomegranate sauce that should be mature.