Mast-o-Laboo - Persian Beet & Yogurt Dip

There are many types of street food vendors here in NY. They sell fruits, soft pretzels, hot dogs, toasted chestnuts and so on. We took a stroll down Fifth Avenue and Rockefeller Center, looking at the holiday decorations and lighting. My daughters bought some roasted peanuts from a vendor on the street. It reminded me of my growing up in Iran and the time that my mother would buy me fresh

Shir Berenj - Persian Milk & Rice Pudding

In our language Persian/Farsi,  "shir" means milk and "berenj" means rice.  Placing rice, the staple of Iranian cooking, in a pot along with milk and simmering it till well-cooked with the right consistency is what this pudding is all about. The recipe that I'm offering here is the one that my mother used to make frequently. Using short grain rice is preferred for this dish. As for the

Persian Yalda Celebration: Celebrating The Longest Night of the Year!

Night of Yalda (shab-e Yalda) refers to the longest night of the year, the beginning of winter and the triumph of light over darkness. Monday, December 21, is the winter solstice (yalda) which  has been celebrated in our culture for hundreds of years. On the eve of yalda, families and friends gather together, stay up till midnight, tell stories, reminisce and read poetry while sipping hot

Fesenjoon - Pomegranate Walnut & Chicken Stew

Khoresh-e fesenjoon is one of the most delicious Persian dishes. Biting into a tender piece of a well cooked sweet and sour chicken covered with tangy pomegranate and finely ground walnut sauce is to experience a piece of Persian culture, its food and heritage. In researching pomegranates, its history and its use in our culture, I've learned that it dates back to 3300 BC, here. Fesenjoon is

Khoresh-e Beh - Quince Stew

I like autumn mostly for its beautiful color changing foliage, crisp weather and also for its seasonal fruits such as pomegranate, persimmon and quince. Quince is one of  my favorite fall fruits. Of course, quince is basically used in cooking and making jams and is one of those kinds of fruits that all  parts of it is edible. It also has a warm and happy color too. I'm so tempted to take a

Kashk-e Bademjan - Persian Eggplant & Whey Dip

Today is my first blogoversary! Food blogging has been a journey as well as a healing process for me while I've been chopping onions, frying eggplants, pickling garlic, steaming rice and grounding threads of saffron and the whole lot of other things that cooking entails. I had started this blog exactly a year ago as a tribute to my late mother who had passed away six months prior due to an

Shirin Polow - Persian Sweet Rice

Shirin polow - Persian sweet rice is a traditional special-occasion rice dish which is usually served with chicken and goes well with turkey too. This delicious sweet rice is perfect for Thanksgiving dinner. Thanksgiving is all about getting together with the people you love and care about. Spending time together, telling stories, laughing, giving thanks and of course eating delicious

Chicken Soup & Other Persian Home Remedies

With the flu season upon us, I thought it is the best time to write about the home remedies for the common cold. There are many herbal solutions for many different kinds of ailments in our culture that date backs to many centuries ago. However, today, I'll mention a few things we use in case of sniffling, coughing , sore throat, etc. These cold solutions have been generally passed down

Sobhaneh - Persian Breakfast

Noon o Paneer o Gerdoo





Breakfast has been called the greatest meal of the day. I couldn't agree more. It only takes a little time early in the morning out of our busy schedule to boil some water in order to brew a fresh cup of loose leaf tea or make a aromatic delicious cup of coffee. Warm up some pita(lavash), barbari bread or sangag (if it's available where you are), serve feta

Seer Torshi - Pickled Garlic

The other day I stopped at a new grocery store on my way home. I had no plans to make garlic pickles but I was excited to see these clean garlic bulbs without the dusty stems at the end. That meant I didn't have to wash them and risk getting the moisture in between the cloves. All I only needed to do was to remove the loose and dried outer layers as much as possible. I think a jar of pickled

Dopiazeh

I learned to cook this recipe several years ago from one of the mothers at my daughter's Persian school. We were there to pick up our children and our conversations turned to what we were going to make for dinner that night. I said something like "I don't have much time and I don't know what to make." That's when she introduced me to this simple and delicious Shirazi food and gave me the

Khorak-e Morgh - Chicken with Green Beans and Carrots

I sometimes fall into the trap of making the same kind of food one too many times. Don’t you think most of us have a set menu of our favorite foods that we tend to stick with a majority of the time? If you give me chicken, the first thing I make is salad olivieh! However, this time I’m resisting the temptation of cooking the same thing over and over and instead made this wonderful chicken

Adas Polow - Rice with Lentils

Adas polow is one of the traditional Iranian dishes that I grew up with. It's a great rice dish to prepare when you don't have a lot of time on your hands yet you want something delicious. Rice with lentils is not usually served in formal gatherings. However, you can make it for your family, close relatives and friends. That's what I do. Adas polow can be served with cooked ground beef. You

Mast-o-Sabzi - Yogurt with Herbs, Raisins and Walnuts

Today, it really feels like summer. It’s hot, humid and sticky. It’s the kind of weather that makes you not want to step into the kitchen, let alone cook a gourmet meal. Therefore, I’m sticking to a cool, smooth, and healthy yogurt and herbs dish for dinner. The combination of plain yogurt, aromatic and flavorful vegetables, crunchy walnuts and tasty sweet raisins makes a light and

Shevid Baghali Polow - Dill & Lima Beans Rice

Combination of fresh finely chopped dill along with preferably fresh baby Lima beans or Fava beans and aromatic rice make a very delicious meal. I think the person who came up with the idea of throwing these ingredients together must have been a culinary genius of her time. This mixed rice could be served as a vegetarian dish along with some yogurt and cucumber (mast-o-khiar) side dish. Dill

Torshi Bademjan - Quick Pickled Eggplant

I grew up eating torshi with my meal. I make pickles all the time and I have several jars of torshi stored away in a cool place. I adore pickled eggplant as well. My mother was an avid torshi maker. Every time she came here to visit making pickled eggplant was one of the first things she did. She believed eating torshi with your meal enhance the flavor of food and health benefits. My mother's

Herbed Koofteh

I make koofteh 3-4 times a year, perhaps once every season, and every time I serve it I tell myself that I should make it more often but I don’t follow up on that. However, it is such a joy to gather the ingredients, chopping the onions, making the sauce, preparing the vegetables, mixing them all together, making small balls and finally letting them cook slowly. The aroma of fresh herbs,

Khoresh Karafs - Celery Stew

Celery stew (Khoresh Karafs) is another healthy and delicious Iranian dish. It's a combination of meat, evenly sliced celery, finely chopped parsley, a little bit of mint (preferably fresh), fresh squeezed lime juice and the right amount of seasoning. In my opinion, what makes Iranian food tasty, especially for most of the casseroles and stews (khoreshes), is the slow cooking process and

Tas Kabab

Tas kabab is usually an autumn/winter meal when quince is in season and readily available in the market. This combination of meat and vegetables is tastiest when made with fresh quince. I like tas kabab very much and I make it frequently regardless of the season. Sometimes, I would use granny smith apples instead of quince. I think it’s a rather good substitute when quince is not

Kabab Deegi - Iranian Pan Kabab

With nice days of spring ahead, kabab/kebob is one of the great dishes to make outdoor parties. There are a variety of kababs such as koobideh (ground meat kabab), barg (beef tenderloin), joojeh kabab (chicken) or fish  kabab to name a few. 

However,since we haven’t had a chance to assemble our new grill yet, therefore I have to settle for kabab digi/deegi (stove-top pan kabab) for now. I

Kalam Polow - Cabbage Rice

This is another great variation of rice that is a staple in Iranian cooking. Even though I've had kalam polow in the past, I must say that I didn't particularly care for it until recently. I think liking cabbage is an acquired taste. Now that I have grown to like it, I add plenty to the pickles (torshi) I make. I eat it raw as a snack or mix it with rice. For this dish, vegetarians can skip

Torshi Makhloot - Persian Mixed Vegetable Pickle

Mixed vegetable pickles are usually served with rich and meaty dishes like abgousht (lamb stew), polow khoresh (rice and stew) dishes. Torshi is a very appetizing side dish and a great flavor enhancer. There are many different kinds of torshi. This is a traditional combination of vegetables, dried herbs and spices.

Torshi Makhloot - Mixed Vegetable Pickle

Ingredients:


3 large carrots,

Khoresh Bademjan - Eggplant Stew

Any dish with the combination of eggplants and tomatoes is just divine. If you happen to love eggplants and tomatoes this stew has them both, in addition to meat, split peas and sour grapes (ghooreh), which can be found in most Iranian grocery stores. This is a rich, flavorful recipe and one of the favorites among many Iranians.

Khoresh Bademjan - Eggplant Stew

Ingredients:
Serves 6

1

Kookoo Sabzi

Kookoo sabzi is another vegetable dish served during the Persian New Year (Nowruz) celebration. It's also a great one meal vegetarian dish made of several herbs (sabzi) and if you bake it in the oven rather than frying it on the stove it would absorb less oil, which is always a good thing for the heath conscious cook. Once you have all the vegetables cleaned, washed and chopped finely, the

Sabzi Polow Mahi - Herb Rice with Fish

Sabzi polow (herb rice) and mahi (fish) is one of the main traditional meals for Nowruz - Persian New Year. There's only few weeks left before Nowruz and I'm all ready for the cold winter to be over. The weather is still very cold, the grass is brown and there are no blossoms on the trees. However, yesterday I made Sabzi polow -herb rice with fried fish. These are traditionally served on New

Persian Shaami

My grandmother used to make the best kind of Shaami that there is out there. They were not only delicious but looked interesting too. Shaamis are meat patties that look like donuts. I call them donut burgers. Grandma's kitchen consisted of a small portable gas cook top next to her bed and a small table filled with spices and the entire cooking gadget she needed because of her severe case of

Mirza Ghasemi

Mirza Ghasemi is a tasty and delicious dish from the northern region of Iran. Once you taste this dish you are going to fall in love with it, especially if you like eggplants and garlic. It's one of my favorites but of course I love any dish that has eggplants in it. This is a vegetarian no meat casserole, a combination of tomatoes, lots of garlic, mashed grilled eggplants with salt

Abgousht - Traditional Iranian Lamb Stew

Abgousht/abgoosht is a hearty soup that is very popular in Iran especially on a cold winter day. However, abgousht is made throughout the year regardless of the weather or season. Abgousht is a great dish to share with close friends and family members.





 Abgousht consists of two great meals in one.The main dish is the strained soup itself, and the side dish (goosht koobideh) is all the

Saffron Ice Cream

Growing up in Iran, there weren’t all these special and unique kinds of flavored gourmet ice creams that is available today in the market. However, we’d get to taste the plain and delicious vanilla ice cream flavored with saffron and rose water and some chunks of frozen heavy cream for the added taste and texture. That was a great summer desert that was served either in a small bowl or placed

Persian Macaroni

Persian-style macaroni is one of our favorite dishes. This is a simple and delicious recipe for pasta with a meat sauce. I usually make macaroni with the thin spaghetti noodles. However, you can use any kind of pasta for this dish.





Persian Macaroni

Ingredients:
Serves 4

1 pound lean ground beef
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 bunches of fresh parsley,

Mast-o-Kadoo - Yogurt and Zucchini Salad

This delicious recipe may be served as a refreshing light summer lunch or as a side dish. The first time I had mast o kadoo was at my good friend Maryam's house for lunch and it only took her a few minutes to put this great appetizer together! It's simple quick and healthy.





Mast-o-Kadoo - Yogurt and Zucchini

Ingredients:
Serves 4-6

5 medium-sized zucchini, washed and sliced
1 cup

Fesenjoon - Pomegranate Walnut Stew with Tiny Meatballs

  Fesenjoon with Meatballs


This sweet and sour stew is usually made with boneless chicken. This time I made it with small sized meatballs. In my opinion, this is as equally delicious as the chicken fesenjoon. It is the flavorful, slow-simmered sweet and sour pomegranate walnut sauce that makes this stew so amazingly delicious.





Fesenjoon - Pomegranate Walnut Stew with Tiny Meatballs

Halva

My mother used to make large trays of delicious halva. She made halva with with lightly toasted wheat flour, butter, sugar and rosewater . In Iran, halva is usually made during religious holidays and funerals. I, on the other hand, think that making halva doesn't require any special occasion. It’s an easy to make tasty sweet. حلوا - Halva is a very rich and fulfilling dessert. You can make

Sholeh Zard - Persian Saffron Rice Pudding

Sholeh zard - saffron rice pudding is an aromatic and flavorful traditional Iranian dessert. This is one of my favorite Iranian desserts that I make frequently. Sholeh zard is a delicious dessert that is great any time of the year. 




Sholeh Zard - Saffron Rice Pudding

Ingredients:

Serves 8


2 cups white basmati rice

3 cups sugar (may be adjusted to your liking)
2 teaspoons ground