Are you looking of a special idea for Mother’s Day? Let your mom sleep in. While she rests, prepare a beautiful Persian breakfast. Surprise her by bringing it to her in bed. Use a silver tray and fill it with tasty Persian food. Make Ajil Granola – Persian breakfast for Mother’s Day with date syrup. Cook a sweet date omelette. Roll fresh herbs into wraps – this is called Sabzi Khordan. Add a piece of honeycomb with rose cream. Make a smooth date spread. Brew hot Persian tea with cardamom and rose petals. Finish the tray with a bright bouquet of roses. The flowers will bring color and joy to her morning.

Watch my preparation video on Instagram

PERSIAN BREAKFAST FOR MOTHER’S DAY

So get up a little earlier, go to the kitchen, and start preparing everything. When you bring your mom breakfast in bed, give her a big hug. Tell her how much you love her, how much you value her, and ask her what her true wishes are.

Mothers can never hear it enough: tell her how much you appreciate all the things she does for you every day. It’s not something to take for granted. Show your love and thanks as often as you can — not just on Mother’s Day.

If your mom isn’t close to you — then call her. Tell her all of this over the phone. With that, I wish you a beautiful start to Mother’s Day. May your day be full of love, laughter, and joy.

ROOZ-E MADAR – MOTHER’S DAY IN IRAN

Rooz means “day” and Madar means “mother” — so Rooz-e Madar means “Mother’s Day.” In Farsi, we call our mom “Maman”. Often, we add the word joon at the end. It is a sweet and loving word. So we say “Maman joon”, which means “Mom, my life (soul).”

There is a well-known saying from Iran: “Because God could not do everything alone, he created mothers.” This quote comes from the Qabus Nameh, a book of Persian wisdom from the 11th century. Mother’s Day in Iran is celebrated in a way that is similar to many other countries. Children give their mothers hand-picked flowers, poems, or handmade gifts to show their love.

WHAT IS HONEYCOMB HONEY?

In Iran, we love to eat healthy and delicious honeycomb honey. It is not spun or melted like regular honey. That’s why it is very natural, high-quality, and pure. Honeycomb honey is eaten together with the wax. It is only good when it comes in organic or Demeter quality, which means it is clean and free from harmful substances. It contains beeswax, propolis, and flower pollen.

My grandmother used to buy honeycomb honey from a beekeeper she trusted. He made rose-flavored honey. After taking the honeycomb from the hive, he cut it into pieces and put it into a jar.

Honeycomb is known as a natural remedy. It helps strengthen the body and heal it. It fights bacteria, fungi, parasites, and free radicals. It can also increase desire, help wounds heal, and burn fat. It contains valuable enzymes and ferments. It helps with hay fever, supports the immune system, and soothes inflammation and skin or mouth injuries. It can even ease rheumatic pain.

INGREDIENTS FOR HONEYCOMB WITH ROSE CREAM

1 jar of organic honeycomb honey*

100 g (about 1/2 cup) clotted cream*

1 teaspoon rose water* (optional)

HOW TO MAKE HONEYCOMB WITH ROSE CREAM

Whip the clotted cream together with 1 teaspoon of rose water until it becomes stiff. Keep the rose cream in the fridge until serving.

Cut a slice of Lavash bread into small squares. Spread a little butter on top. Add a piece of honeycomb. Top it with a spoonful of rose cream. Roll it up into a small wrap — and take a big, happy bite. Mmmmh, delicious!

SABZI KHORDAN

Sabzi means “herbs” and khordan means “to eat” — so Sabzi Khordan means “eating herbs.” It is a plate full of fresh seasonal herbs. In Persian homes, this herb plate is on the table almost every day.

I take a piece of Lavash bread, add a few herbs, put some feta cheese on top, and add a date. Then I roll everything into a small wrap. It’s simple, fresh, and full of flavor. You can learn more about Sabzi Khordan here.

GODJE SABZ AND CHAGALEH BADAM

Godje Sabz are sour green plums. They are as hard as apples, very sour, and only available for a short time in spring. It’s true — the taste is a little unusual. But give it a try! Take a bite, dip it in salt, and enjoy the sour and salty flavor in your mouth.

Chagaleh Badam are fresh green almonds. They are also only found at the market for a few weeks in spring. The almond inside is soft and almost see-through. The taste is also a bit unusual — fresh and crunchy, a little sour, and slightly bitter because of the fuzzy green skin.

You should eat them raw, with a little salt. They are full of vitamins B and E. But don’t eat too many — they might give you a stomachache! We also use both green plums and green almonds to cook a delicious Khoresh (Persian stew). But I like them best just as they are — fresh, simple, and with a sprinkle of salt.

WHAT IS PERSIAN AJIL?

We love Ajil in Persia and always have a bowl of it on the table. People believe eating it brings good luck. Ajil is a mix of nuts and dried fruits — similar to trail mix. There are special types of Ajil for different occasions. For example:

• Ajil-e Eyd for Persian New Year (Nowruz)
• Ajil-e Aroosi for weddings
• Ajil-e Shab-e Yalda for the longest night of the year
• Ajil-e Chaharsanbeh Suri for the fire festival before the New Year

AJIL CAN BE SALTY OR SWEET

Salty Ajil (Ajil-e Shur) often includes sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, almonds, watermelon seeds, roasted chickpeas, hazelnuts, cashews, and walnuts.

Sweet Ajil (Ajil-e Shirin) is a mix of nuts and dried fruits like raisins, dried figs, sour cherries, dried apricots, and mulberries.

Some Ajil mixes also have a special meaning. For example, Ajil-e Moschkel-gosha is a mix of nuts, seeds, and dried fruits that people eat to help “solve problems.” The name comes from moschkel (problem) and gosha (to open or untie). The idea is to make a wish, eat the Ajil, and believe your problem will be solved. We often eat this mix during Chaharsanbeh Suri.

PERSIAN AJIL-GRANOLA

I found the recipe for this homemade Persian Ajil-Granola in the beautiful Persian cookbook by Yasmin Khan – The Saffron Tales*: Recipes from the Persian Kitchen.

Yasmin Khan made a mix of nuts and dried fruits with rolled oats and turned it into a truly delicious granola. We love eating granola for breakfast, so I made a bigger batch than the recipe in the book.

I only changed one thing: I used coconut oil instead of sunflower oil — because I really love the taste of coconut oil.

You can buy date syrup in Persian, Turkish, or Arabic grocery stores. Or you can click the link below to order it on Amazon. I used only sour cherries in my version, but you can add other dried fruits like raisins, apricots, mulberries, figs — or simply use your favorite ones.

INGREDIENTS FOR PERSIAN AJIL-GRANOLA

Makes 2 baking trays

5 tbsp coconut oil*

250 ml date syrup*

3 tbsp honey*

Seeds from 1 vanilla bean*

500 g rolled oats*

1 tsp salt

1 cup sunflower seeds*

1 cup pumpkin seeds*

1 cup slivered almonds*

1 cup slivered pistachios*

100 g dried sour cherries*

HOW TO MAKE PERSIAN AJIL-GRANOLA

Preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F).

In a large bowl, mix the coconut oil, date syrup, honey, and vanilla seeds until smooth. Add all the other ingredients except the dried sour cherries. Stir everything well until all the oats and nuts are coated.

Spread the mixture evenly onto two baking trays lined with baking paper.
Bake in the oven for about 20–25 minutes.

Keep a close eye on the granola during the last 5 minutes — it can burn quickly!

Once the granola is golden brown, take it out of the oven and let it cool completely.

After it cools, mix in the dried sour cherries.

Store the granola in an airtight container and use it within 2 weeks.

Serve with yogurt or milk.

BEFARMAYID!

Susan

The items marked with * are affiliate links, referral links. If you buy through this link, I get a small commission. The price stays the same for you and you can easily support my efforts. A big thank you ♥

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