Category: Recipes

Egg Salad – Vegetarian Style Salad Olivier
Egg Salad – Vegetarian Style Salad Olivier

A vegetarian version of the traditional Salad Olivier. A simple appetiser or sandwich filling, served with Nun Barbari or on a long roll.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour

Course Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine Persian

Servings 6 servings
Calories 600 kcal

Ingredients

8 eggs
1 kg potatoes
1 cup cooked frozen green peas
6 dill cucumbers Kheeyar Shoor
3/4 cup mayonnaise
salt and pepper
Extra mayonnaise and dill cucumber to decorate

Instructions

Hard boil the eggs for about 10 minutes and leave to cool.
Peel eggs and finely mash.
Peel and and cut potatoes into quarters.
Boil with about 1 tsp salt in enough water to just cover until tender, then mash and leave to cool.
Place dill cucumber in the bowl of a food processor and process till roughly chopped.
Tip into a large bowl and stir in the mashed potatoes and eggs.
Stir the mayonnaise through and add salt and pepper to taste.
Gently stir through the green peas.
To serve, tip into a flat dish similar to a lasagne dish, and smooth the surface. Spread with extra mayonnaise and decorate with the dill cucumbers, sliced lengthwise.

Nutrition
Calories: 600kcalCarbohydrates: 35gProtein: 13gFat: 46gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 25gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 241mgSodium: 956mgPotassium: 925mgFiber: 6gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 658IUVitamin C: 44mgCalcium: 98mgIron: 3mg

Keyword Chicken

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July 13, 2013
Shirazi Salad – Persian Tomato & Cucumber Salad
A great refreshing mixed salad. Great with Koobideh Kebab or other grilled meats and rice. Originally form Shiraz, this salad is distinct with it’s crushed dried mint and lemon juice.

The finer the salad is cut the more the salad is admired by guests.
Shirazi Salad – Persian Tomato & Cucumber Salad

A great refreshing mixed salad. Great with Koobideh Kebab or other grilled meats and rice. Originally form Shiraz, this salad is distinct with it’s crushed dried mint and lemon juice.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 30 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Course Side Dish
Cuisine Persian

Servings 4 serves
Calories 56 kcal

Ingredients

3 tomatoes
2 Lebanese cucumbers
1 medium white onion
2 tbls dried mint
.5 Lemon (juiced)

Instructions

Chop the cucumber, tomato and onion into small pieces.
Finely crush the mint in the palm of your hand and sprinkle on top.
Stir through the lemon juice
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Let stand for at least one hour before using to allow the flavours to develop.

Notes
I often add other salad vegetables into this dish, such as radish and green shallots, but to remain as a typical Shirizi salad only tomato cucumber and onion are used.

Nutrition
Calories: 56kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 2gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 12mgPotassium: 513mgFiber: 3gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 1014IUVitamin C: 26mgCalcium: 55mgIron: 2mg

Keyword salad

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July 13, 2013
Polo – White Persian Rice
Polo – White Persian Layered Rice

A good rice is important in the Persian Cuisine. This is the basic recipe for Polo rice.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 30 minutes
1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Course Side Dish
Cuisine Persian

Servings 6 people
Calories 368 kcal

Equipment
1 Persian Rice Cooker

Ingredients

3 cups white basmati rice
2 litres boiling water
1 tsp salt
2 tlbs ghee or olive oil
1 med potato
¼ tsp saffron powder

Instructions

Wash the rice well, until the water runs clear.
Place the rice in a large saucepan with the salt and pour enough boiling water over the rice to enable the rice to move freely after expansion from cooking.
Bring rice to the boil until it is 3/4 cooked. Still a little hard in the center to bite.
Rinse the rice under running water in a colander until the water runs clear.
Peel the potato and slice.
In the bottom of a Persian rice cooker pan, or a non-stick saucepan, brush half the ghee or olive oil and then layer the potato totally covering the bottom of the pan.
Gently spoon the rice over the potato, sprinkle the saffron powder over the rice, and add the remainder of the ghee or olive oil to the top of the rice.
Cover the rice cooker lid with a tea towel or cloth and place on the top of the pot.
Run the rice cooker through its cycle, if using a non stick saucepan, initially bring the heat to high until steam is formed in the saucepan, then reduce the temperature to low-med for about 30 minutes.
When the rice is ready, invert the pot onto a flat round serving dish, taking care to retain the tahdig.

Notes
When cooking rice it is important to prepare it gently and with care resulting in individual grains, steamed to perfection.

Nutrition
Calories: 368kcalCarbohydrates: 80gProtein: 7gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 411mgPotassium: 256mgFiber: 2gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 1IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 40mgIron: 1mg

Keyword rice, safron

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July 13, 2013
Adas Polo
Adas Polo

A traditional layered rice dish with lentils, sultanas and lamb.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 30 minutes
1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Course Main Course
Cuisine Persian

Servings 6 people
Calories 653 kcal

Ingredients

3 cups basmati rice
2 tlbs salt
1 cup sultanas
1 cup lentils (cooked)
2 tsp saffron powder
2 med potato
4 tlbs olive oil
1 cup chopped dates

Instructions

Wash the rice in water and then cook in rapidly boiling water until half cooked
Strain and wash rice under running water to remove any remaining starch
In the bottom of a heavy based saucepan, or a Persian Rice cooker, liberally pour olive oil (around 2 tlbs)
Cover with a layer of sliced, peeled potato to form the Tahdig
Place a layer of rice on the potato layer
Mix 1tsp of Saffron powder with ¼ cup boiling water and pour over the rice
Add a layer of lentils, sultanas and dates, then another layer rice
Repeat finishing with a layer of rice
sprinkle with saffron powder and a pour around 2 tlbs olive oil over the top
Poke holes in the rice to encourage the steam to escape
Place a tea-towel or a cloth under the lid to absorb any excess moisture while the rice is steaming.
Cook on a high heat until the sides of the pan are hot to touch, then reduce the heat to low and cook for about 30 – 45 minutes. Alternately if using a Persian Rice cooker, allow to run the full cycle.
Place the bottom of the saucepan or rice cooker pan in about 3 cm of water in a sink to loosen the tahdig.
Turn the pan upside down onto a round serving dish to serve.

Notes
A Persian rice cooker makes this dish much easier as the Tahdig is formed perfectly each time with out the risk of either soggy or burnt Tahdig.

Nutrition
Calories: 653kcalCarbohydrates: 143gProtein: 18gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 143mgPotassium: 1052mgFiber: 15gSugar: 31gVitamin A: 17IUVitamin C: 16mgCalcium: 75mgIron: 4mg

Keyword dates, lentils

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July 13, 2013
Sabzi Polo
Sabzi Polo

Sabzi Polo is a great accompaniment to fried fish, and is traditionally served around the Persian New Year, Naw Ruz, on the 21 st March

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 1 day 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 minute

Course main
Cuisine Persian

Servings 6 people
Calories 382 kcal

Ingredients

3 cups white basmati rice
2 litres boiling water
1 tsp salt
2 tbls ghee
1 med potato
2 tsp each of dried parsley dried coriander and dried dill
½ tsp saffron powder

Instructions

Wash the rice well, until the water runs clear.
Place the rice in a large saucepan with the salt and pour enough boiling water over the rice to enable the rice to move freely after expansion from cooking.
Bring rice to the boil until it is 3/4 cooked. Still a little hard in the center to bite.
Rinse the rice under running water in a colander until the water runs clear.
Peel the potato and slice.
In the bottom of a Persian rice cooker pan, or a non-stick saucepan, brush half the ghee and then layer the potato over the Ghee totally covering the bottom of the pan.
Gently spoon the on third of the rice over the potato, sprinkle one teaspoon of each of the dried herbs, and some saffron powder over the rice,
Repeat the layers of rice and herbs, the finish with a layer of rice.
Add the remainder of the Ghee to the top of the rice.
Cover the rice cooker lid with a tea towel or cloth and place on the top of the pot.
Run the rice cooker through its cycle, if using a non stick saucepan, initially bring the heat to high until steam is formed in the saucepan, then reduce the temperature to low-med for about 30 minutes.
When the rice is ready, invert the pot onto a flat round serving dish, taking care to retain the tahdig.

Notes
Sabzi Polo is just one version of layered rice, this recipe can be recreated with many other ingredients.

Nutrition
Calories: 382kcalCarbohydrates: 74gProtein: 7gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 392mgPotassium: 107mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 3IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 26mgIron: 1mg

Keyword rice

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July 13, 2013
Bread – Nan-e Barbari
Bread – Nan-e Barbari

A flat bread loaf, great for sandwiches.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Course Side Dish
Cuisine Persian

Servings 4 pieces
Calories 888 kcal

Ingredients

480 ml water
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tsp salt
1/4 cup dried milk powder
760 g bread flour
2 tsp dried yeast
2 tlbs sugar
2 tlbs bread improver
1 egg
sesame seeds
nigella seeds
poppy seeds

Instructions

Place the first 7 ingredients in a bread maker and mix on dough cycle.
Turn bread out and knock out excess air.
With a sharp knife, cut into 6 portions.
Knead each portion and shape into a flat loaf about 6 cm wide, about 20 cm long and about 2cm think.
Place on a baking tray and brush each loaf with beaten egg.
Sprinkle each loaf with seeds of your choice.
Leave to prove in a warm place until the loaf is double in size. An oven heated to about 70 degrees is the best option.Remove before reheating oven.
Preheat oven to 180deg or 160deg for fan forced.
Bake for about 20 minutes until the loaves are golden brown.

Notes
Serve with feta cheese, herbs and yoghurt as a simple starter.

Nutrition
Calories: 888kcalCarbohydrates: 151gProtein: 26gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 49mgSodium: 1221mgPotassium: 383mgFiber: 7gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 134IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 114mgIron: 9mg

Keyword bread

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July 13, 2013
Fried Fish – Mahi
Sabzi Polo Mahi is a very traditional meal served on the Persian New Year (Naw Ruz). This fried fish traditionally accompanies the sabzi polo. But that doesn’t mean that you need to only have it at Naw Ruz
Fried Fish – Mahi

Sabzi Polo Mahi is a very traditional meal served on the Persian New Year. This fried fish traditionally accompanies the sabzi polo.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes

Course Main Course
Cuisine Persian

Servings 6 servings
Calories 284 kcal

Ingredients

1 kg hoki fish fillets
1 cup flour
1 tbsp turmeric
1 tbsp salt and pepper
2 tbsp ghee (for frying)

Instructions

Cut the Hoki fish fillets into serving sized pieces.
Pat over with paper towels to ensure they are dry.
Mix the flour, salt and pepper and the turmeric together until well mixed.
Heat the Ghee in a large non-stick frying pan until fairly hot.
Coat the fish fillets in the flour and cook in gently pace in the hot ghee.
When the fish is golden in colour, then turn over to cook the other side.
Turn the temperature down and continue to fry until the fish is fully cooked.

Notes
Any type of white fish fillets can be used for this recipe. I prefer to use the frozen Hoki fillets as these can be readily available in the freezer.

Nutrition
Calories: 284kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 36gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 96mgSodium: 1250mgPotassium: 555mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 23mgIron: 2mg

Keyword fish

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July 13, 2013
Grilled Chicken
Yumm. Who doesn’t love grilled chicken. Served with a salad, on a sandwich or wrapped in flat pitta bread. It just tastes good.

Marinating the Chicken

Just add all the ingredients to a food processor or a Nutri-Bullet. The oil will emulsify with the herbs and garlic and look quite green.

Make sure you score the chicken pieces in different places. This has 2 purposes. Firstly to make sure that the marinade penetrates the chicken evenly, and secondly, the chicken pieces are more evenly cooked. Try to leave the chicken marinating for at least 30 minutes, but a couple of hours is optimum.

Grilled Chicken

The best way to server this grilled chicken is with lettuce, tomato and cucumber on flat bread. Some Yoghurt and Cucumber gives it the finishing touches.
Grilled Chicken

A healthy grilled chicken with the delicate flavours of Basil and Garlic. We cook this grilled chicken on the Webber BBQ, making it a very quick and easy meal without having to light the charcoal used for the traditional Persian BBQ.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Marinating Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 45 minutes

Course Main Course
Cuisine Persian

Servings 4 Servings
Calories 670 kcal

Equipment
1 Webber BBQ

Ingredients

1 kg Chicken thigh fillet
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup fresh basil leaves
2 tsp crushed garlic
1 tsp salt

Instructions

In the bowl of a food processor place all the ingredients except the chicken. Process until well combined
To prepare the chicken fillets, slice through the thick sections and score the surface to enable the marinade to penetrate the flesh.
Preheat the grill BBQ to a high heat.
Turn down the heat and place the chicken fillets on the hot grill. Close the lid of the BBQ for about 5 minutes.
Turn the chicken and cook for a further 5 – 10 minutes until cooked to you liking.
Serve with flat bread and salad.

Notes
For interesting alternative, try this with different herbs – sabzi – like coriander with a touch of chilli, or garlic chives – tare.

Nutrition
Calories: 670kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 41gFat: 55gSaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 10gMonounsaturated Fat: 27gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 245mgSodium: 775mgPotassium: 536mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 512IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 34mgIron: 2mg

Keyword Chicken

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July 13, 2013
Mixed Grilled Vegetables
Grilled vegetables make an excellent accompaniment or vegetarian substitution for Persian Kebab. Again we have used our gas Webber making this a quick and easy meal.
Mixed Grilled Vegetables

Grilled vegetables make an excellent accompaniment or vegetarian substitution for Persian Kebab. Again we have used our gas Webber making this a quick and easy meal.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 15 minutes

Course Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine Persian

Servings 4 people
Calories 328 kcal

Equipment
1 BBQ

Ingredients

1 large eggplant
16 button mushrooms
2 red capsicum
2 zucchini
1 bunch shallots
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tsp crushed garlic
1 tsp salt and pepper
1 lemon, juiced

Instructions

Peal and slice the eggplant lengthwise.
Slice the zucchini lengthwise.
Half the mushrooms.
Cut the excess green tops of the shallots.
Quarter the capsicum and remove the seeds.
In a large bowl combine all remaining ingredients and whisk to mix well.
Stir the vegetables through the marinade and leave to marinade for a minimum of 30 minutes.
Preheat the grill BBQ on high.
Turn down to a moderate to high heat and place the vegetables on the grill.
Cook covered for about 5-7 minutes. Turn and cook for a further 5-7 minutes until cooked to your liking.
Serve as an accompaniment to grilled meats or as a main course with humus, bread and salad.

Nutrition
Calories: 328kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 6gFat: 28gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 20gSodium: 600mgPotassium: 950mgFiber: 7gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 2121IUVitamin C: 113mgCalcium: 45mgIron: 2mg

Keyword grilled, vegetables

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July 13, 2013
Chicken with Orange
Khoresht Naranj – Chicken with Orange

This is a variation of the traditional Khoresht Naranj.

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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Course Main Course
Cuisine Persian

Servings 0
Calories 3129 kcal

Ingredients

1 whole chicken 1.5kg – 2kg
4 navel oranges
1 cup of mixed dried fruit and nuts including
sultanas
dried apricots
prunes
slivered almonds
2 carrots
1 green apple

Instructions

Wash chicken and split the chicken by cutting the breastbone from top to bottom.
Place the split chicken in a roasting pan that has a good fitting lid.
Spread the dried fruit and nuts over the chicken.
Core the apple, slice and place over the dried fruit.
Slice 2 oranges and lay over the sliced apple.
Peel the carrots and cut into matchstick size pieces, and spread around the chicken.
Juice the remaining oranges and pour the juice over the chicken, and sprinkle with salt and cinnamon.
Roughly chop the orange skins and add to the dish.
Secure the lid and cook in a slow oven for about 2-3 hours till well cooked.

Notes
The surprising thing about this dish is how tasty the cooked orange skin becomes after absorbing the flavours of the other ingredients.

Nutrition
Calories: 3129kcalCarbohydrates: 324gProtein: 168gFat: 142gSaturated Fat: 35gPolyunsaturated Fat: 31gMonounsaturated Fat: 64gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 571mgSodium: 649mgPotassium: 5959mgFiber: 45gSugar: 225gVitamin A: 27315IUVitamin C: 364mgCalcium: 661mgIron: 15mg

Keyword Chicken

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July 13, 2013
Lamb Stew with okra – Khoresht Baamieh
Lamb Stew with okra – Khoresht Baamieh

A traditional tomato based Lamb stew with Okra. For a special friend Briar. Enjoy.

5 from 1 vote

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Course Main Course
Cuisine Persian

Servings 6 people
Calories 1691 kcal

Ingredients

2 large onions diced
1 kg diced lamb
1 tlbs salt
2 tlbs oil
2 tsp turmeric
1 crushed dried lime
440 g tins crushed tomatoes
2 tlbs tomato paste
500 g okra

Instructions

In a heavy based frying pan, fry the onion, salt and pepper, turmeric and dried lime until the onion is transparent.
Add the lamb and fry until the surface of the lamb is sealed.
Add the tinned tomatoes and tomato paste.
Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat to a slow simmer until the lamb is tender, about an hour.
Wash the okra well. Top and tail them as you would a green string bean.
If required, using a potato peeler, peel the hard knobbly edges.
Cut into bite size pieces.
Rinse well.
Add to the stew, khorest, and and continue to simmer until the is tender.

Notes
Okra gives off a gluttonous jelly type liquid. If you are using small, baby size okra there is no need to cut them and the goo stays intact. Otherwise don’t try to wash it all away, rather just rinse the cut okra and toss into the saucepan with the cooking stew. Okra is very high in calcium.

Nutrition
Calories: 1691kcalCarbohydrates: 76gProtein: 218gFat: 57gSaturated Fat: 19gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 23gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 650mgSodium: 978mgPotassium: 5369mgFiber: 25gSugar: 26gVitamin A: 4049IUVitamin C: 151mgCalcium: 627mgIron: 26mg

Keyword okra

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July 13, 2013
Khoresht Bademjan – Lamb Stew with Eggplant

Khoresht Bademjan – Lamb Stew with Eggplant

A delicious tomato based lamb stew with eggplant. Great served with either rice or bread. This was one of the first Persian dishes I learnt to cook and would have to be the most popular Iranian dish in our household.

Prep Time:30 minutes
Cook time:1 hour
Yield: Serves 6

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July 13, 2013