Shab-e Yalda - The Longest Night of the Year (Winter Solstice) Persian Celebration 2012

Shab-e yalda (eve of yalda) is traditionally a night for friends and family to gather together to enjoy a delicious feast of seeded pomegranate, watermelon slices, ajil (nuts and dried fruits) and sweets, celebrating the victory of light over darkness. The dinner menu may vary for each family partly depending on which part of the country you are from. The traditional dinner may include ash-e

Chai Babooneh - Chamomile Tea

After having lived through eleven days without power, heat, and hot water due to the devastating storm that hit Long Island last month, all I wanted once the power returned was a nice hot cup of tea to warm me up.  I filled the kettle with water and happily made my usual fresh-brewed chai. Just the sound of the boiling water in a kettle put my mind at ease and brought reassurance that things

Halva-ye Haveej - Persian Carrot Halva with Saffron and Rose Water

For my first post of the fall season I have chosen this tasty and perfect for every occasion halva-ye haveej (carrot halva). I also wanted to share this recipe for more reasons besides it being simply delicious. In our house we are big fans of carrots. We like plain and raw carrot sticks and the idea of cooked carrots never appealed to me since my daughters have always disliked mushy carrots.

Tanagholat - Healthy Back To School Snacks - Old-School Persian Style

Rooze avale Mehr (Iranian first day of autumn and the first day of school) is just a few days away and there's that familiar sense of excitement in the air that takes you back to your childhood and all those first day of school memories. The word "mehr" also translates to the sun and kindness in Persian. In addition to my own nostalgic memories of rooze avale Mehr I also remember my

Khorak-e Loobia - Red Kidney Beans Side Dish (Repost)

This is a repost of the recipe I wrote back in 2008 when I was a brand new food blogger. Khorak-e loobia is a near and dear dish to my heart not just because it's delicious and healthy but because it brings back treasured memories of when life seemed so simple and all your troubles could be gone with your mother's encouraging words and warm hugs. I'm not sure how this post never got

Moraba-ye Zoghal Akhteh - Persian Cornelian Cherry Jam

Moraba-ye zoghal akhteh (cornelian cherry jam) recipe was a last minute decision as I was through simply eating a handful of these different shades of red tangy oval-shaped fresh summer fruit. Cornelian cherry has many health benefits and depending on their ripeness their taste ranges from slightly bitter to tart and tart-sweet. With only a bowl of zoghal akhteh left on the kitchen table I

Sharbat-e Tokhme Sharbati - Chia Seeds Drink: Traditional Iranian-Style Summer Drink

The summer heat and humidity persists, which gives me a good reason to write about this traditional and cooling Iranian-style summertime sharbat (sherbet). I had briefly mentioned tokhme sharbati in my post about khakshir, stating that it may be added to a glass of khakshir drink for a richer drink. However, I feel that tokhme sharbati needs to have its own post and be recognized as a 

Abdoogh Khiar - Persian Cold Yogurt Soup with Cucumbers, Herbs, Walnuts & Raisins

Abdoogh khiar is a chilled yogurt soup with lots of aromatic fresh herbs, diced cucumbers, chopped radishes, crushed walnuts and sweet golden raisins topped with dried rose petals and served with pieces of dried/toasted flat bread. With the temperature pushing 90 degrees Fahrenheit for the past several days this traditional summer recipe replenishes you and keeps you cool during this hot,

Pan-Fried Turkey Burgers - Parsi Style

For those of you who read my blog regularly you probably know that this blog is solely dedicated to Persian home cooking, the kind of food that I grew up with, and that I also write about recipes from different regions of Iran that I mostly learn either from my good friends or from reading those few authentic Iranian cookbooks out there. However, this time, I'm going beyond posting my own

Summertime Vegetable Salad with Pinto Beans - My Mother's Way

This chopped fresh vegetable salad with a scoop of delicious cooked loobia chiti (pinto beans) and a generous amount of lemon juice and olive oil dressing was my favorite summer lunch growing up in my home in the south of Iran. My mother's way of preparing salad was to chop all the vegetables into bite-size pieces so we didn't need to use a knife to cut the lettuce and tomato wedges. Usually,

Sharbat-e Khakshir - Persian Refreshing Summer Drink

Sharbat-e khakshir/khakeshir is a very refreshing Persian summer drink.  Although this drink is mostly known as a thirst quencher during hot summer days it can be enjoyed all through the year as a delicious soothing drink with many health benefits. Serving your guests ice-cold, lightly sweetened sharbat-e khakshir with a touch of rose water on a warm day is a great way to welcome them and make

Naz Khatoon - Persian Eggplant & Herb Salad with Walnuts & Verjuice - Mazandarani-Style

Naz khatoon is a simple fire-roasted eggplant salad with freshly chopped aromatic and flavorful herbs, minced garlic, infused with verjuice dressing and topped with ground walnuts. I had heard of this dish in the past and all I knew was that it was a northern Iranian eggplant side dish and I was always intrigued by its name, naz khatoon. Naz (subtly coquettish) and khatoon (lady), literally

Ghalieh Mahi - Southern Iranian Spicy Fish & Herb Stew

This is my first recipe post after Nowruz and nothing could have been a more fitting recipe to write about than this popular ghalieh mahi dish from my home region of southern Iran. This dish not only tastes great but it also brings back memories from way back when. The aroma of freshly chopped cilantro, fenugreek and garlic simmering away in a red pepper hot tamarind sauce with tender yet

Happy Nowruz! A Basic Guide to Celebrating Persian New Year!

For those who are interested in learning about the ancient Persian New Year celebration, this post is a simple and brief step by step guide on how to prepare for Nowruz from before, during and after the Sal-e Tahvil (Vernal Equinox). It may be somewhat late to write about these tips now but I hope future readers will find it useful.

Events leading up to Nowruz:

Khaneh Tekani:

Mahi - Fish (Fried, Smoked or Baked) Persian New Year's Day Lunch/Dinner

A traditional Nowruz lunch or dinner always includes a platter of sabzi polow (mixed herb rice) with mahi (fish). The fish is usually served either doodi (smoked/salted) or sorkh kardeh (pan-fried). There are many wonderful fish varieties in Iran, from darya-ye Khazar (Caspian Sea) in the north and khalij-e Fars (Persian Gulf) regions in the south and each region has its own selection of

Reshteh Polow - Rice and Noodles: For Nowruz (Persian New Year)

There's still a few weeks left until the official start of  Spring/Spring equinox and Nowruz (Persian New Year). Iranians and many of the neighboring countries celebrate this ancient tradition and each year welcome the nature's rebirth and rejuvenation by starting the traditional khaneh tekani (spring cleaning). Khaneh tekani literally means to "shake the house" by cleaning every nook and

Khoresh-e Bamieh-o-Bademjan - Eggplant and Okra Stew

This stew is a perfect combination of fresh okra and tender eggplants simmering in a luscious tomato sauce along with browned lamb cubes. Even if you're not too crazy about okra this delicious khoresh would most likely change your mind. There's something magical about the combination of eggplant, okra, tomatoes and lime juice. This eggplant and okra stew could also be made with ghooreh (unripe

Baghlava - Persian Baklava

I do miss the days that my father would come home from work carrying a ja'beh shirini (box of sweets) freshly baked from our local bakery store. He'd almost always walk in through the doors with either some seasonal miveh (fruits), naan (bread), or shirini (sweets). And those delicious sweets would be just as enjoyable for my father as it was for the kids. How could the taste of baghlava