Do you see the jewels glowing in the rice? All ingredients in Javahar Polo – Persian Jeweled Rice, look like gems and make the rice shine. Barberries and pomegranate seeds shine like rubies, pistachios glow as emeralds, saffron rice, carrots shine like gold, and almonds like pearls. Be sure to try the recipe, a 1001 Night’s Dream.
Eid Mobarak! Today is Eid al Fitr and Reshteh Khoshkar is a crispy sweet specialty from Gilan in northern Iran, which is prepared for the sugar feast. The dough (Reshteh) is traditionally prepared from rice flour with water and filled with a mixture (Khoshkar) of walnuts, cinnamon, cardamom, and powdered sugar. The tricky part of these pastries is not the folding- method but the piping method. The dough is poured into a mold, then piped into a pan in a mesh pattern. The folding method is easy with this pastry, form them into packets and press the sides firmly. This dessert has warm properties and is very popular for preparation during Ramadan. Ramadan is this year from 22.03 to 21.04.23 and ends with a big celebration, namely Eid also known as Eid-al-Fitr. The homemade Reshteh Khoshkar – Gluten Free Sweet Pastries رشته خوشکار can be enjoyed not only during Ramadan, meantime they are available all year round.
Vavishka is a quick and easy Persian skillet dish, a speciality from Gilan at the Caspian Sea. In Gilan it is called “Vavij” or “Vabij” which means steaming. There are various versions of Vavishka. I prepared Vavishka from minced meat, onions, tomatoes, and seasoned it with turmeric, lemon juice, Advieh – a Persian spice blend and topped it with eggs. The unique flavor of this dish is the spice blend Advieh – the jewel among the spices of the Persian cuisine. It gives the dish a warm, sweet floral flavor. If you don’t have Advieh use these ingredients: 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp mixed cardamom, 1 tsp rose petal powder, 1/2 tsp mixed saffron, 1/2 tsp mixed coriander, 1 tsp dried lime powder and some nutmeg. Vary the ingredients according to your own taste. It goes best with Nan-e Barbari – Persian flatbread, Nan-e Taftoon – Persian pan-fried Nan bread, Salad Shirazi – Persian tomato and cucumber salad and Sabzi Khordan – Persian herb platter, Sir Torsi – pickled garlic, Torshi – pickled vegetables or …
Valak Kuku is a delicious quick pan-fried egg dish blended with tasty wild garlic, eggs, crunchy walnuts, and tart barberries. Spices like coriander, cinnamon, and turmeric add this irresistible sweet and sour flavor. I soak the walnuts and barberries in boiling water, which gives the walnuts a nice fresh touch and makes them less floury, so try it out. For Sabzi Khordan – a Persian herb dish, I also soak the walnuts and enjoy the fresh taste. Do you want to learn more about wild garlic? I have posted about it here.
Finally, it’s wild garlic time, and you can only find it on the market a few weeks of the year, so I prepared several Persian recipes with wild garlic. I made Valak Polo today, a traditional Persian Rice Dish with Wild Garlic, Sumac, and Saffron. We serve Chicken or meatballs with this dish in Iran. I prefer to fish with Valak Polo, so I made it with salmon in a lemony marinade. The marinade is to die for and consists of rose petals, ground dried lime, bay leaves, sumac, cinnamon, grated zest of a lemon, lemon juice, and lemon pepper tossed in olive oil. Salmon tastes best when you marinate it for about 2 hours. If you like wild garlic, you might also like my creamy One Pot Past with green asparagus and wild garlic, as I also show you the place near my home where wild garlic grows. Watch Video on Instagram (Wild Garlic Rice Preparation) Watch Video on Instagram (Marinated Salmon Preparation)
Finally, spring is here, and from March to May is the wild garlic season. In fact, much too short, so I preserve the wild garlic as a delicious wild garlic pesto with roasted cashew nuts and spicy feta, and in a snap, you can spice up pasta, risotto, gnocchi, baked potatoes, grilled meat, or simply a sandwich or sandwich. You only need a few ingredients to whip up this delicious pesto in minutes. Ingredients like wild garlic, roasted cashews, spicy feta, some lemon juice, and the best olive oil are combined in this pesto to a perfect flavor.
Monday was the beginning of spring and the same time as our New Year Norooz. On this day, many dishes are prepared with fresh herbs traditionally, for example, Sabzi Polo – Persian Herb Rice سبزی پلو ، Sabzi Polo ba Mahi – Persian herb rice with orange stuffed trout, Kuku Sabzi – Persian Herb Frittata , Ashe Reshteh – noodle soup with herbs, and Sabzi Khordan – Persian herb platter. Sabzi means herbs, and polo means rice, that is herbed rice. Tender fresh herbs are the first signs of spring, and in my Sabzi Polo, chopped dill, parsley, cilantro, scallions, a whole bulb of garlic, ghee, and saffron add a delicious touch to the rice. As in many Persian dishes, the herbs in Sabzi Polo vary, and each family has its favorite recipe. Watch Video on Instagram
Toot – Persian Marzipan Mulberry شیرینی توت is served on Nowrooz day and persian weddings. Toot is a vegan, gluten free, and no-bake treat. Toot means mulberry in Farsi. Use different food color or saffron to pep up your Toot.
Nowrooz is coming, so let’s start thinking about Shirinipazi (baking cookies)! After all, we also have the ritual of baking cookies for Nowrooz as you do for Christmas. It’s about 6 Days from now to Monday, March 20 at 10:25 pm in Germany. I have some cookie recipes on my Blog for you for the holidays. For today, I have the recipe for gluten-free Ghorabieh – Persian Almond macaron قرابیه, a traditional treat from the city of Tabriz in northwestern Iran. Ghorabieh is a popular souvenir from Tabriz and is one of the most expensive cookies baked in Persia.
It is impossible to imagine Persian cuisine without Kabab, as Kababs of all types are the most popular dishes in Iran. Kabab Koobideh beats all other Kabab dishes on the scale of preference. Kabab Koobideh typically is made with ground beef or lamb or a mixture of both. Also very popular is Djudje Kabab, which like the other kababs, is best grilled on skewers. Today I have a kabab version made with minced chicken, which doesn’t require skewers. It’s easy to prepare in a pan, in the oven, or even in the Airfryer. For Kabab Tabei Morgh – Saffron Chicken Mince کباب تابه ای مرغ, chicken mince is combined with onions, saffron essence, and lemon and coated with a butter saffron essence. It is also great with salads or wraps. An incredibly delicious recipe that you should try.
