For this recipe I followed my friend’s suggestion Nastaran and added grate ginger! It has a beautiful harmony with the flavor of beetroot and yogurt. I also added black onion seeds that combines well with the rest of the ingredients but it’s optional.

This Borani is a good option also as breakfast with cereal but without onion seeds. 🙂

Ingredients | 4-5 servings

• 8 tablespoons of yogurt (whole, no sugar)
• 1 medium beetroot.
• 2 g grated ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon of onion seeds
• to taste Salt, pepper

Preparation

– Cut in dice the beetroot, some prefers to grate them. It’s up to you.

– Mix all the ingredients in a bowl: yogurt, beetroot, salt, pepper, ginger and onion seeds. You’re done!

I took this photo the day after. It’s always so much work to do when you have guests at home and want to serve a Persian banquet. So Borani is one of those choices that you can prepare a day before so you may work on other dishes. Time also helps to have a more tasty and colorful Borani!

Notes:

• Some grate garlic instead of ginger. Do as you prefer. The main ingredients are yogrut and beetroot for the rest you are the boss! 🙂
• The proportions between yogurt and beetroot is subjective. For more creamy result add more yogurt.
• When you prepare beetroot Borani the day before, it probably thickens because beetroots and onion seeds absorb the humidity of yogurt. Add 1-2 tbsp of yogurt to adjust Borani’s creaminess.

Noosh e jan

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Halim helps to resist the hunger for long hours. The traditional Halim is without grain peel but here we didn’t remove them so it’s quicker and healthier 🙂

The most important characteristic of Halim is its elasticity. It should shine and stretch! The cut of meat used in Halim helps to have such consistency. The best choices are sheep neck or ribs because they are tender and fatty. Some people like to use turkey too.

Ingredients | 4 servings

• 1 cups Shelled Wheat
• 1/2 cup pearled Barley (optional)
• 300g Sheep ribs or neck
• 1 Onion
• black pepper (to taste)
• half tsp Turmeric (optional)
• 1 tbsp Salt
• 1.5 L Water
• Cinnamon (for garnish)
• Sugar (for garnish)
• Butter (for garnish)

Preparation of meat

– In a pot place onion and meat.

– Brown the meat for 10 minutes on high heat. It helps to have more flavors in broth.

– Add a bit of turmeric stir a few seconds then pour half liter of boiling water.

– On low heat cook for ⏳ 3 hours.

The meat should become extremely tender that separates from the bones.

– Remove all the unwanted bonds, skins etc.

– Place the meat in a bowl and add a bit of broth and with a masher make a paste.

Cooking wheat (in parallel with meat):

– In a big pot, pour 1L of water add wheat and salt.

– Cook for ⏳ 2 hours.

– Add barley and cook for another ⏳ 1 hour. (optional)

– At the end we have a very starchy and thick mix in the pot.

– Ground the wheat base with food processor or a Minipimer, or by hand with a masher to have a creamy paste.

– Add the meat paste and broth to the wheat base and mix.

– Simmer for ⏳1 hour. Stir every 10 minutes to avoid it sticks to the bottom of the pot.

At the end Halim should be shiny and dense.

➡️ Check the seasoning before serving.

Notes

• Better to soak wheat a night before.
• The longer wheat cooks we get a better texture and richer flavors.
• Avoid buying sterilized wheat. They are tasteless and poor in minerals.
• Place a knob of butter while Halim is still hot and add sprinkle of cinnamon.
• It’s fun to eat Halim, starting with a salty version and whenever you feel like having “dessert” sprinkle sugar on top and enjoy!

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This recipe is the most common type of Eshkeneh in Iran but other versions, like the Booshehri (south Iran) with garlic and coriander, the version with the quince or with yogurt and even with mung beans which is from Khorasan etc. are worth to try.

Ingredients | 2 servings

• 1 big Onion (chopped)
• 2 Potatoes (diced)
• 2 Eggs
• 1tsp Turmeric
• 1 tbsp Flour
• 1 tsp Fenugreek leaf (or 1/2 tsp Fenugreek seeds)
• 2 tsp Salt
• Ghee/clarified butter
• Black pepper
• 5 cups of water (more or less)

Preparation

– On a gentle fire, stir fry for ⏳ 10 – 15 minutes chopped onions until golden.

– Add turmeric, flour, fenugreek, salt, and black pepper. Stir for some more seconds

– Add potatoes and hot water that completely covers 1 cm above the ingredients. Simmer for ⏳ 20 minutes.

– Add eggs and gently mix the soup while they are spreading. Cook for another ⏳ 2-3 mins and the Eshkeneh is ready.

Notes

• Instead of flour, you can use corn starch/potato starch for a gluten-free version
• Eshkene is a quick dish if the potato’s cut are small.
• The more the base of onion cooks it taste becomes better
• Fenugreek leaves can be found in Iranian supermarkets or online. In case you don’t have the fenugreek leaf, use the seeds in a smaller portion because they are bitter
• Usually it’s one egg per diner

Eshkeneh is served with bread.

Noosh e jan (buon appetite)

The post Eshkeneh, quick Persian soup with onion base appeared first on Foodcraftz.

It’s rich, without making you feel stuffed. Livers and other internal organs are usually overlooked in Italy, where I live. That’s why they are so cheap! (and I don’t complain about it)

⏳ This dish is ready in 15 mins, perfect for hectic days.

Ingredients | 2-3 servings

• 350g/12.3oz Chicken livers and hearts
• 1 Onion
• 1 teaspoon Turmeric
• 1 tbsp Tomato paste
• 2-3 tbsp Clarified butter / oil
• Salt and Pepper

Preparation

– Remove the white parts from the livers.

– Cut the hearts in smaller pieces because they need more time to cook.

– Chop the onion too

Cooking process

On medium heat:

– Stir fry onions till they become slightly golden

– Add turmeric, salt and black pepper

– Add heart pieces and stir fry for 5 mins ⏳

– Add livers and continue to stir for some seconds till they change their color and releases their juice

– The last ingredient is tomato paste which gives sour taste and a nice red color to the dish.

Stir fry for ⏳ 5 minutes, adjust the seasoning and it’s ready to serve!

Notes

• Traditionally it’s served with flat bread, chopped fresh onions and vinegar, plain greek yogurt and fresh herbs

Noosh e Jan! (in Farsi: Buon Appetite ☺️)

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• Traditional/Formal style (this recipe): it’s more laborious because we drain the rice. This type of preparation is common for celebrations and formal occasions, or when there are guests at home.
• Kateh style: rice cookes in the pot in 1 hour. It’s easier to cook since we don’t drain anything. The rice will be slightly sticky.

Important: you’ll need a thick bottom nonstick pot to distributes the heat evenly. If the bottom is thin the rice will burn.

Ingredients | 4-5 servings

• 500g/17.6oz Basmati rice
• 2 tbsp Salt
• 2-3 tbsp Ghee/clarified butter
• 2 knobs of Butter

video recipe:

Preparation

– Wash rice until the color of water, is no longer opaque.

– In a big pot boil water and add salt. (just like pasta water).

– Add rice to the pot and wait till it grows in size and floats on water.

– Save 1 cup of rice’s starchy-water, and add a knob of butter to melt (set aside for later).

– Drain the rice, don’t rinse! (to maintain the taste and salt).

– In a nonstick pot, on low heat, add 2-3 tbsp of ghee or oil, followed by 2 knobs of butter. (a greasy bottom helps to have a thicker tahdig and avoids burnings).

– Sprinkle all the rice, and at the end create some holes in it, which helps the humidity to come out more easily.

– Pour in the mix of butter and starchy water (that we saved before).

– Cover the lid with a clean kitchen cloth (in persian it called “Damkoni” دمکنی). It absorbs the humidity, preventing water to return on rice and helps the tahdig becomes crunchy.

– Cook on low heat for at least⏳ 1 hour. If you like a thicker and darker tahdig cook for 2-3 hours.

When the basmati rice comes off the edges, and its color turns to a golden brown, that’s when the Tahdig is ready!

➡️ Grip both pot and serving plate together and overturn. The tahdig falls on the plate and it’s ready to be served.

Notes

• It’s important to save a bit of starchy water from rice to have a beautiful compact tahdig
• The tahdig takes around 1 hour to cook but its color will be pale. Longer cookings makes tahdig more colorful.
• Long-grain rice is usually used for tahdig like: Jasmin, Thai, Basmati, etc.
• It is more authentic, if you serve the rice with saffron.
• People serve tahdig with stews (ghormeh sabzi, khoresh gheimeh, baghali ghatogh, zereshkpolo etc.) but it tastes good even with a fried egg! 🙂

noosh-e-jan ☺️

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Fish: Traditionally the white meat fishes are used for this recipe like the Caspian sea fishes: Mullet (کفال), Whitefish (ماهی سفید), Trout (قزل‌آلا), but almost any kind of fish (salmon, mackerel, sea bass, …) taste great with Sabzi polo.

In this recipe I used Common Dentex (Dentice in Italian) because that was the freshest fish I could find in the fish market.

Ingredients | 4-5 servings

• 1 Fish fillet per person
• 500g/17.6oz Basmati rice
• 1 clove of Garlic
• 2 knobs of Butter
• 60g/2.1oz chopped Dill
• 60g/2.1oz Coriander
• 60g/2.1oz chopped Parsley
• 100g/3.5oz chopped Chives or Leek
• Saffron
• Pickled Garlic as accompaniment (optional)

Preparation

– Herbs: combine all the chopped herbs together (dill, coriander, parsley, chives).

– Grate a clove of garlic and mix.

– Wash the rice till it’s the color of water is longer opaque.

– Add the rice to salty & boiling water (just like pasta).

– When it boils and the rice doubles in size and float on the surface, it’s ready.

– Drain the rice (don’t rinse to maintain the salt and aroma of rice).

– Add the mix of chopped herbs and mix all together gently.

– In a small glass pour hot boiling water.

– Add a pinch of ground saffron and a knob of butter and mix till butter melts completely and saffron gives its color to the mix.

Combine all together

– On medium-high heat, place a non-stick pot.

– Add the mix of saffron & butter (for a good saffron tahdig).

– Followed by mix of rice & herbs.

– Put the lid on, wait a few minutes, until it starts to sweat.

– Set the heat to lowest. Cover the lid with a clean kitchen cloth = damkoni, (it absorbs the humidity and helps to have a better tahdig).

– Cook for ⏳ 1 hour.

Preparation of Fish

– Clean and debone the fish fillets.

– Make some cuts on the skin, sprinkle salt and pepper.

– Place the fish on the hot pan with clarified butter/oil.

– First from the meat side when it becomes golden turn over to the other side until it gains the same color and preferably the skin gets crunchy.

– When the skin becomes crunchy it’s ready to serve.

Serving

– Overturn the pot of rice on a big flat plate (finger’s crossed you’ll have good Tahdig!).

– Decorate the sabzi polo with a bit of saffron rice.

– Bring fish and rice to the serving table in two separate plates so each diner can take the amount she/he wants to eat.

Notes

• Some cook the fish in the oven with herbs, garlic and lemon. In this case the skin of the fish doesn’t become crunchy and usually is removed.
• The best accompaniment for sabzi polo mahi is: pickled garlic, which is a typical delicacy of north Iran

Noosh-e-Jan & happy Nowrooz ☺️

The post Sabzi polo mahi – rice with herbs and fish recipe appeared first on Foodcraftz.

In this recipe the sauce is very important because it makes the chicken moist and gives a sour kick, that transform the “not-so-tasty” chicken breast into a flavorful dish. The origin of this recipe is northern Iran.

Ingredients | 2-3 servings

• 1 Chicken breast
• 1 teaspoon Turmeric
• 2 Eggs
• 1 onion
• a pinch of saffron
• 4-5 Clarified butter
• 1 Lemon
• 2 tbsp Tomato paste
• Aromatic herbs: roasemary, sage etc.
• 1 clove of garlic
• salt and black pepper (to taste)

Video Recipe

Preparation

– Cook the chicken breast, in a pot with 1 cup of water, salt, pepper & aromatic herbs for ⏳ 1 hour.

– In a pan, sauté chopped onion, when golden, add salt, pepper, and turmeric, stir for some more seconds and the onion base is ready.

– Saffron water: pour hot boiling water in a small glass with a pinch of ground saffron. after ⏳ 5 mins it’s ready to use.

– Red sauce: In a pan stir the tomato paste/concentrate, add half a cup of water when the sauce becomes thick add the juice of a whole lime, stir and it’s done.

In a bowl:

– Split the chicken breast in chunks by hand (to maintain its texture), add saffron water, stir fry onions, salt, pepper, and 2 eggs.

– Mix all together (feel free to use a masher to make it like a rough paste).

– In a pan pour generously clarified butter/oil (on medium heat), add the chicken mix. 

– Cover with the lid, cook for 10 mins, until eggs solidify, then remove the lid for 5 mins until sizzling.

– Divide kuku into 4 pieces and turn them over.

– Add more clarified butter/oil and cook the other side for ⏳ 10 minutes or till it becomes golden.

– Pour tomato sauce.

– Wait a few minutes so kuku absorbs the sauce, flip the kuku once again so the other side also absorbs the sauce.

When no more sauce is left in pan, the chicken kuku is ready!

Notes

• This recipe is great for antipasto, wraps and sandwiches.
• Chicken kuku if combines with grilled veggies or fresh salads, can be a treat for low carb diet.
• Traditionally it’s served with pickled garlics and yogurt with bread.

Noosh-e-jan & enjoy! ☺️

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There are many variations of Adas polo عدس پلو ( = Lentils Rice) this is a vegetarian recipe.

This recipe is with saffron tahdig.

Ingredients | 3-4 servings

• 150g/5.2oz Lentils
• 1 Onion
• 350g/12.3oz Basmati rice
• 1 teaspoon Turmeric
• 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
• 2 knobs of Butter
• Clarified Butter
• Pinch of Saffron

For topping

• 3-4 chopped Dates
• a handful of Sultanas (raisins)

Video Recipe:

Preparation

– Cook the lentils in a pot with water and salt for ⏳ 30 minutes.

➡️ The lentils should maintain their shape (be careful to not overcook)

– Make saffron water: In 1/3 cup, add a pinch of ground saffron, pour hot boiling water, wait for 5 mins, when saffron gives its full color to water and becomes red it’s ready.

– dice an onion.

– In a pan, add clarified butter and fry them.

– Add turmeric and salt and the cooked lentils followed by cinnamon.

– Stir fry for some minutes, then turn off the heat.

– Pour half of saffron water to the mix of lentiles.

Making rice & combine with lentils:

– Wash the rice.

– In a big pot, boil salted water and add the rice to it (just like pasta).

⏳ When water starts to boil, and the rice grows in size and floats on the surface, drain the rice (do not rinse)

Final pot

– Place a non-stick pot on medium heat.

– Pour half cup of boiling water and clarified butter with the rest of the saffron water.

– Add the layers: first goes a layer of rice (for a good tahdig), followed by a layer of lentils. Continue, till all the ingredients are finished.

➡️ The heat should be on medium for the first ⏳ 5 minutes.

– With the bottom of a spoon make deep holes in the lentils rice.

– Melt 2 knobs of butter in a cup of salty boiling water.

– Pour it over the pot.

– Cover the pot with the lid and a clean kitchen cloth (= damkoni) to absorb the humidity.

– Cook on low heat, for ⏳1 hour and it’s done.

Toppings

– Fry the chunks of dates for 2 minutes on medium heat.

– Next add sultanas raisins (they are softer and burn quicker).

– Stir fry for a minute all ingredients and they are ready.

Notes

• Some people like it without the sweet topping so sometimes the topping comes aside from the platter (as you see in the photo it’s not my case! lol)
• For the meaty version: stir 150g/5oz of minced meat with turmeric and chopped onion. Add the meat layer alongside others to the pot.
• Serve Adas polo with pickles, Shirazi salad, and white yogurt.

Noosh-e-jan ☺️ (in Persian: Buon appetite )

The post Lentils with Rice – Adas Polo Recipe appeared first on Foodcraftz.

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

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*)

➡️ 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.

⏳ 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.

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

*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.

The post Fesenjan, the stew of pomegranate and walnuts appeared first on Foodcraftz.

Khoresh bademjan is served with white rice (Kateh style or Traditional style). The rice is cooked alongside the stew.

A popular variant of this recipe called: Gheimeh bademjian which is with the split chickpeas . It gives a richer structure to the stew, I put that optional because it’s not the main ingredient.

Ingredients | 4 servings

• 2 kilos/4.4oz Eggplants
• 400g/14oz Lamb or Veal
• 2 Onions
• 2-3 limu amani or 2tbsp ghooreh or half cup of lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Turmeric
• 2tbsp Tomato paste
• 4 big Fresh Tomatoes
• Clarified butter
• Salt and Black pepper
• 2-3 tbsp Split Chickpeas (optional)

Preparation

– Peel the eggplants and cut them in half.

– Add a generous amount of salt and leave them in a sieve for ⏳ 2 hours so they lose water.

Then you can cook the eggplants either:

• Frying (Traditional way): the eggplant in a big pan.
• In the Oven (None traditional): Coat them with oil and put them in the oven for ⏳ 1 hour at 180C°/350F°.

– In both cases: The eggplant cooks and gain a dark brown color.

Cooking the meat

– In a pot place the meat and add one onion, turmeric, 2 cups of water, salt, and pepper.

– Cook for⏳ 2 hours.

No need to chop the meat in smaller size, because in the end, it will be so tender that it divides with a spoon.

➡️ Meanwhile cook the rice so it will be ready when the stew is cooked.

➡️Prepare the sour ingredient: Place the limoo amani in a glass and pour hot boiling water on it after 1 hour they become soft. Create wholes on its skin and add them later to the final pot. If you have ghooreh (sour grapes) or you have lemon juice, you can add it directly to the final pot.

The final pot

– In a big pot, stir fry chopped onion.

– When it turns golden brown add turmeric, salt, pepper, tomatoes paste, and 2 fresh tomatoes cut in half. Stir fry for some minutes.

– Add the cooked meat & its juice (remove the onion, it helps to absorb the smell of the meat).

– Add the split chickpeas (optional).

– On top of them place fried eggplants so they soak in the meats juice.

– On the eggplants goes: the other pieces of fresh tomatoes.

– On low heat, Cook for at least ⏳ 1 hour without stirring!

Be careful with the shape of eggplants: This is challenging, especially when you want to adjust the salt but if you stir gently without mashing the eggplants it will be ok.

The main characteristic of the Khoresh Bademjan stew, visually is, the form and shape of eggplants. They should be maintained intact until you serve them. This is how you show your guest a flawless eggplant stew! This will be very challenging because they become very soft at the end of cooking.

When the stew is dense, and the flavors are well combined, the eggplant stew is ready!

Serve the stew with rice.

Notes

• To cook the meat, if you use a pressure cooker the cooking process will be much quicker.
• This dish is usually served with raw onions (not very socially accepted), fresh herbs, pickles, plain yogurt, and salad. The usual Persian mazzes مزه / چاشنی on the table

Noosh-e-jan ☺️ (in persian: Buon appetite)

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