Limoo 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.
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Khiar Shoor
A 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.
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Kashk
A 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.
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Ghee
Ghee 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
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Okra
Okra 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 are any larger, they may be tough and fibrous. okra is becoming more readily available in fruit and vegetable shops when in season. They are available canned or frozen.
Also know as
- Baamieh
- Lady Fingers
- Okra
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Almonds
Almonds 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.
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Adjil
Adjil 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 fruits and unsalted nuts and seeds and the salty mixture mainly roasted and salted nuts and seeds.
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Spinach Pastry
A simple and easy pastry to serve as an appetiser or a simple lunch.
Spinach Pastries
A simple and easy pastry to serve as an appetiser or a simple lunch.Ingredients
- 1 bunch of English spinach
- 1 bunch of shallots
- 2 eggs
- 250 g ricotta cheese
- 250 g feta cheese
- 1 cup of flour
- 6 sheets of frozen puff pastry
- 1 egg beaten for glazing
- sesame seeds
Instructions
- Lay out frozen pastry on a flat surface, separating each sheet with a sharp knife. Leave to defrost while preparing the filling. Preheat oven to 160deg fan-forced.
- in the bowl of a food processor, process the spinach and the shallots,
- Add the eggs and the cheeses and process further.
- Add the flour to create a slightly thickened paste.
- Cut each square of pastry into 4 smaller squares.
- Place a dollop of filling into each pastry square and fold the corners in to create a smaller square and pinch the corners.
- Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- Bake in a preheated oven for about 30-40 minutes till golden brown.
- Cool on a wire rake to prevent them going soggy.
Notes
These can be frozen after step 7, just lay them on a flat baking try and freeze over night. Then pack into freezer bags and bake as required.Nutrition
Calories: 410kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 8gFat: 28gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 35mgSodium: 288mgPotassium: 70mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 130IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 83mgIron: 2mgTried this recipe?Let us know how it was! -
Marinated Persian Feta Cheese
Marinated Persian Feta Cheese is a wonderful accompaniment to a light lunch or breakfast. And it is a healthy choice. Feta cheese is considered to be one of the healthiest cheeses available.
True Persian feta cheese is made from goats or sheep milk making it easier to digest than cows milk based cheeses, combined with olive oil this side dish a healthy addition to a salad or with Persian Barbari Bread as a popular breakfast.
I usually keep this oil mixture constantly adding more feta cheese when it is finished, and topping with more oil and herbs and spices. The perpetual marinating oil.
Keep the jar in the fridge for longer storage. The olive oil will solidify when in the fridge. Just leave it on the shelf for an hour or so before serving to return the olive oil to liquid.
The marinating olive oil itself is wonderful as a dipping oil for bread, and can be used as a salad dressing mixed with a little lemon juice or the tart verjuice often used on Persian kitchens.
Marinated Persian Feta Cheese
Marinated Persian Feta Cheese is a wonderful accompaniment to a light lunch or breakfast. And it is a healthy choice. Feta cheese is considered to be one of the healthiest cheeses available. True Persian feta is made from goats or sheep milk making it easier to digest than cows milk based cheeses and combined with olive oil this side dish a healthy addition to a salad or with bread as a popular breakfast.Ingredients
- 500 g feta cheese
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
- 2 tbls fresh chopped basil
- 3 sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 tsp rock salt
- 1 cup olive oil
Instructions
- Cut the feta cheese into cubes about 1cm square.
- Wash and sterilize a glass jar.
- Pack the feta cheese gently into the glass jar.
- Gently place on top the peppercorns, chopped basil, sun-dried tomatoes, salt and the rosemary around the feta cheese
- Pour sufficient olive oil over the cheese to entirely cover the ingredients.
- Seal and store in the refrigerator.
- Allow at least 2 weeks to allow the flavors to develop.
Notes
I usually keep this oil mixture constantly adding more feta cheese when it is finished, and topping with more oil and herbs and spices. The perpetual marinating oil. Keep the jar in the fridge for longer storage. The olive oil will solidify when in the fridge. Just leave it on the shelf for an hour or so before serving to return the olive oil to liquid. The marinating olive oil itself is wonderful as a dipping oil for bread, and can be used as a salad dressing mixed with a little lemon juice or the tart verjuice often used on Persian kitchens.Nutrition
Serving: 50gCalories: 326kcalCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 7gFat: 32gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 45mgSodium: 804mgPotassium: 56mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 239IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 249mgIron: 1mgTried this recipe?Let us know how it was! -
Torshe – Mixed Pickles
Mixed Pickle or Torshe Makhloot is only one of the many versions of pickles coming from the Persian Kitchen. Generally any fresh, in season vegetable can be used. The torshe is traditionally made once a year when the required vegetables are fresh and the family would make enough to last the year.
Mixed Pickle – Torshe Makhloot
Mixed Pickle or Torshe Makhloot is only one of the many versions of pickles coming from the Persian Kitchen. Generally any fresh, in season vegetable can be used. The torshe is traditionally made once a year when the required vegetables are fresh and the family would make enough to last the year.Ingredients
- 3 large carrots
- 1 large eggplant
- 2 large zucchini
- 2 stalks celery
- 1 large onion
- 1 whole cauliflower
- 1 large red capsicum
- 1 large green capsicum
- 3 small green chilli
- 3 tlbs salt
- 1 bunch parsley
- 1 bunch coriander
- 2 tlbs dried mint
- 1 tlbs nigella seeds
- 1 tlbs dill seeds
- 2-4 litres cider vinegar (as required)
Instructions
- Sterilize the jars.
- Peel and thickly slice the eggplant, brush with oil and grill on both side till cooked. Put aside to cool.
- To prepare the remaining vegetables, peel and dice the carrots, zucchini, celery and onion. Remove the seeds from the capsicum, and dice. Break the cauliflower into small florets.
- Slice the cooked eggplant into long strips.
- Place all vegetables into a large bowl.
- Finely chop the herbs, including the stalks and add to the bowl.
- Roughly stir to ensure that they are well distributed.
- Sprinkle on the top of the vegetables, the salt, dried mint, nigella seeds and dill seeds and stir through.
- Firmly pack all the vegetables into the jars to about 2 cm from the top.
- Cover with vinegar to the top of the jar and seal.
- Store for at least 2 months to allow the vegetable to soften and for the flavours to develop.
Notes
The secret to good torshe is generally the length of time the torshe is left before opening. The longer the jars are left unopened the more developed the flavours.Nutrition
Calories: 160kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 4gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 341mgPotassium: 1063mgFiber: 7gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 8190IUVitamin C: 98mgCalcium: 99mgIron: 3mgTried this recipe?Let us know how it was! -
Yoghurt & Cucumber – Mast-o-Khiar
Yoghurt & Cucumber – Mast-o-Khiar
Mast-o-Khiar (tzatziki) is a wonderfully, cool and refreshing side dish to serve with Persian khoresht and rice. This dish is traditional in many middle eastern countries, and here is the Persian version.Ingredients
- 2 small Lebanese cucumbers
- 500 ml Natural Greek Style Yogurt
- salt to taste
- 2 tsp dried mint
Instructions
- Dice cucumbers finely and drain in a colander to remove excess liquid.
- Place the yoghurt in a bowl, and stir the cucumber through.
- Finely crush the dried mint in the palm of your hand, or in a pestal and mortar, and stir into the yoghurt.
- Add salt to taste.
Notes
Yoghurt & Cucumber – Mast-o-Khiar is great served with rice or have simply as a light meal with breadNutrition
Calories: 351kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 48gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 168mgPotassium: 1497mgFiber: 3gSugar: 24gVitamin A: 753IUVitamin C: 17mgCalcium: 580mgIron: 3mgTried this recipe?Let us know how it was! -
Yogurt and Spinach – Borani Esfenaj
Spinach and yogurt goes really well together. This simple recipe combines the flavours of spinach, garlic and yogurt to makes a simple dip, and using frozen spinach makes it a quick and easy accompaniment to a trio of dips.
In this recipe I use powdered garlic, not only does this make it quicker to prepare, but the flavour of the garlic is easily mixed into the yogurt.
Yogurt & Spinach recipe
Place the frozen spinach in a microwave jug, and microwave for 30 – 60 seconds until defrosted.
Stir through and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
Add to a mixing bowl with the thickened yogurt, salt, pepper and garlic powder.
Gently stir together to combine well. Be careful not to mix to vigorously as this will release the liquid from the yoghurt, making it watery.
Enjoy with Persian barbari bread or pita crisps or as a side dish to Persian layered rice or with grilled vegetables for a delicious vegetarian meal.
Yogurt and Spinach – Borani Esfenaj
Borani Esfenaj or mast-o-esfanaj is an interesting side dish to compliment many main meals.Ingredients
- 125 g frozen spinach
- 250 g natural yogurt Greek style
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- Microwave the spinach for around 1 minute till defrosted
- Drain in a colander to remove excess liquid
- Place the yogurt in a bowl with the salt and garlic powder drained, cooled spinach
- Gently stir through
Notes
Any natural yogurt can be used to make this delicious yogurt dip, but the Greek style yogurt is a thicker yogurt making a better dipping consistency.Nutrition
Calories: 48kcalCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 3gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 343mgPotassium: 207mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 3726IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 116mgIron: 1mgTried this recipe?Let us know how it was!Traditionally borani is a dish where a vegetable has been boiled, then sautéed with garlic and topped with yogurt. Borani Esfenaj is simply a dish where the spinach is boiled, and then sautéed with garlic.
This recipes is a quick adaptation of the traditional Borani Esfanaj using frozen spinach and garlic powder.
Learn more about traditional borani on Wikipedia.