We celebrate the longest and darkest night of the year, known as Shabe Yalda – Yalda Night, in Iran. After this night, the days become longer again, the nights shorter, and light triumphs over darkness. Yalda signifies the birth of light and the sun. Friends and family gather on this night at the home of the oldest family members to celebrate the Festival of Joy until dawn. Here are my recipes for Shab-e Yalda; enjoy preparing and celebrating!
Reshteh Polo ba Morgh – رشته پلو با مرغ is a traditional and popular Persian rice dish from the cities of Tehran, Mashhad, and Kermanshah. The dish immediately takes me back to my grandmother’s house, when the whole family gathered for the Norooz festival at her home, where we lived together for many years. It is an aromatic composition of rice, roasted noodles, caramelized onions, raisins, and dates, refined with aromatic spices such as saffron, turmeric, and cinnamon, and topped with rose petals and pistachio sticks. The brown noodles in the batter provide a crunchy Tahdig. Top it with a slowly braised saffron chicken fillet or without chicken for a filling vegetarian dish. Reshteh polo has warm properties. Watch Preparation Video on Instagram
If you want to prepare a unique chicken salad to delight your taste buds, I recommend my Salad-e Anar ba Morgh – Chicken Pomegranate Salad (سالاد انار و مرغ). Here, the flavors of the world come together. The bright red pearls give the salad a sweet and sour note and a nice crunch. The chicken, eggs, pickled cucumber, and cilantro are a treat to the taste buds. I chose cilantro for this recipe, but if you don’t like it, you can use parsley or mint instead. The recipe is easy and quick to prepare, perfect for Shab-e Yalda, a festive menu, or New Year’s Eve. You can find more typical dishes for Shab-e Yalda here. We like to serve it as an appetizer, which we call Mazeh (Mezze).
Pumpkin always tastes good in autumn and winter, especially when it’s filled and comes out of the oven. Why not give this stuffed nut pumpkin in a Persian version a try. Today, I prepared Dolmeh Kadu Halvai – stuffed pumpkin دلمه کدو حلوایی with flavorful oriental ingredients. The nutmeg pumpkin is filled with savory ground lamb, aromatic rice, crunchy yellow split peas, golden saffron, fresh herbs, and oriental spices. The stuffed pumpkin is topped with sweet and sour pomegranate syrup for a tangy touch. Bake it in the oven until the nutmeg pumpkin is soft and tender, allowing the flavors in the filling to blend. This savory recipe is perfect for Shabe Yalda or your Christmas dinner. Comfort Food at its Best!
Rice is a staple food in Persian cuisine that we prepare artfully. We have a long tradition of preparing rice, as seen in our various rice dishes. The preparation of rice sometimes has a festive character, so we prepare different rice dishes for specific celebrations. My dish today is one of them, which I prepared for the longest night of the year – Shab-e Yalda (شب یلدا). Anar Polo ba Morgh – Rice with chicken fillet and pomegranate انار پلو با مرغ is also called Nar Polo and is a delicious Persian dish that is prepared either with chicken or meat. Watch Preparation Video on Instagram
Autumn is knocking on the door, and happily, it’s also the start of pumpkin season. If you’re looking for autumnal recipes with pumpkin, this is the place to be. In autumn, we crave colorful comfort food to beat the gray days. My Khoresht-e Kadu Halvai – Pumpkin Chicken Pan خورش کدو حلوایی is a feast for the eyes with its warm yellow-orange hue, makes your tummy feel good, and is great for the soul. In any case, it’s a quick and easy one-pan comfort food that you should try. Watch Video on Instagram
Tirgan Mobarak! Happy Tirgan! Like all our Persian festivals, at Tirgan, there is a lot of dancing, singing, and reciting poems. It’s tradition to splash water on each other (Ab Pashi) on this day. We also eat certain foods, such as my Soup-e Esfenadj – Spinach Soup for Tirgan. The recipe is super simple! The soup includes fresh baby spinach, potatoes, onions, and oriental spices. It’s vegetarian, as I made it with vegetable stock, but you can also use chicken stock. Add a blob of Greek yogurt, fresh mint, and a few drops of good olive oil to garnish. This creamy, healthy, and delicious soup is on your table in no time.
PERSIAN AND ORIENTAL FAMILY RECIPES BREAKFAST ACAI Smoothiebowl with Superfoods Cherry Berry Antioxidant Smoothie Bowl Pastrami-Sandwich New York Style Sfenj – Moroccan Doughnuts Warm ayurvedic cereals Valak Kuku – Wild Garlic Omelette DRINKS Basil Seeds Drink –Sharbate tokhme sharbati Detox Drink Saffron Iced Tea – آیس تی زعفران Sharbat-e Khakshir Nabat – Persian Summer Drink Sharbat-e Rivas – Persian Rhubarb Lemonade MAZEH Borani Esfenadj – Persian Spinach Yogurt Dip Borani Kadoo – Zucchini Yogurt Dip بورانی کدو Chicken Wraps persian style Chickpeas + Tahini = Hummus Khorak-e Loobia Chiti – Persian Pinto Bean Stew لوبیا چیتی Kuku Kadoo Sabz – Persian Zucchini Frittata Puff Pastry Carrots with Turkish Carrot & Garlic Yoghurt Filling Salad-e Anar ba Morgh- Pomegranate Chicken Salad سالاد انار و مرغ Valak Kuku – Wild Garlic Omelette Zeytoon Parvardeh – Persian marinated Olives SALAD Bread salad with fresh herbs Fall Salad with Apple, Feta and Caramelized Pistachios Kisir – Turkish Bulgur Salad Oriental Chickpea-Couscous Salad Salad-e Anar ba Morgh– Pomegranate Chicken Salad سالاد انار و مرغ Tomato Salad with Pomegranate-Sumac Dressing Turkish …
Bastani Sonati or the traditional Faloodeh are most popular ice cream delights in Persia. Also Yakh dar Behesht-e Anar – Persian Pomegranate Granité یخ در بهشت انار is one of the most popular ice creams, especially in autumn. We love preparing it for Shab-e Yalda (winter solstice), which is the longest night of the year. Yakh means ice, and Behesht means heaven, so freely translated it means ice in heaven. My granité is a heavenly ice cream made with pomegranate juice, fresh mint, lemon, water and sugar. It is prepared without an ice cream maker, tastes sweet and sour at the same time, our absolute favorite flavor. We served it in a glass with a straw and spoon. An unique experience, as the crystalline in the ice cream melts softly on the tongue. Yakh dar Behesht is gluten-, fat- and dairy-free, so it’s perfect for people with allergies, vegetarians and vegans. Treat yourself with this ice-cold treat!
