-
Tahdig
Read more: TahdigTahdig, literally “the bottom of the pot”, is the crunchy crust formed at the bottom of the rice dish resulting from the temperature increase at the end of the cooking cycle for the rice.
-
Spinach
Read more: SpinachA green leafy vegetable high in iron. Use either English spinach or Baby spinach leaves.
-
Salep
Read more: SalepA white flour made from grinding the dried tubers of an Orchid species. Salep is the “secret ingredient” to Persian Ice cream or Bastani Salabi. salep is more commonly used in a traditional Turkish drink when mixed with hot milk. Sometimes salep is hard to find, but look in Turkish grocers as a drink mix…
-
Rose Water
Read more: Rose WaterRose water, a by product of the production of Rose Oil is used extensively in Persian and Middle Eastern Cuisines. Rose Water can have an overpowering effect, so use sparingly until you are used to the strength. Rose Water is available at Persian or Middle Eastern grocery stores. Be careful when using rosewater purchased at…
-
Tomato Paste
Read more: Tomato PasteTraditional Tomato Paste is strong, thick and slightly sour. It is used to add a rich summer flavour to the winter soups and stews of Iran. Always try to use a Persian or Middle Eastern variety of Tomato Paste as it seems to be richer and slightly more sour than the varieties produced in the…
-
Dried Lime
Read more: Dried LimeLimoo Amani, or dried lime is used extensively in Persian recipes as a souring agent. Used either whole, or crushed, these dried limes are available from Persian or Afghani grocery stores. They are easily dried at home with details in the Hints and Tips pages.
-
Khiar Shoor
Read more: Khiar ShoorA salted pickled cucumber in brine and herb. These range in size from small, gherkin size to as big as a dill cucumber. Specifically, these do not have any sugar added in the pickling process.
-
Kashk
Read more: KashkA thick buttermilk. Available as a dried powder or bottled. kashk can be found in Persian or Afgani grocery stores. Substitute kashk with thickened fresh buttermilk, sour cream or thick yoghurt.
-
Ghee
Read more: GheeGhee or clarified butter is butter that has been slowly boiled to remove excess water. Ghee has a higher boiling point than butter making it a fair better choice for cooking with high temperatures. Ghee is available from the supermarket, or Indian, Persian and Afghani grocery stores. Also know as Clarified Butter
-
Okra
Read more: OkraOkra is a green vegetable that is eaten widely in the Middle East and Northern Africa. It is well known for its slimy goo that the seed pod produces once cut. The green okra seed pods are a tapered, oblong shape with ridged skin.Look for fresh okra smaller than about 10-12cm long otherwise if they…
-
Almonds
Read more: AlmondsAlmonds are widely used in Persian Cooking. They are used in a variety of forms from salted almonds in adjil to slivered almonds in the Shireen Polow and ground almonds in the delightful Almond Macaroons.
-
Adjil
Read more: AdjilAdjil is a mix of nuts, seeds and dried fruits. The mix is totally a personal thing with some families preferring more seeds (tokhmeh), pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds etc, while some families will add more nuts. There are two types of Adjil, sweet or salty. The sweet mixture lending heavily towards a variety of dried…