Looking for a hit for your garden party? Try making Salad-e Panir o Hendevaneh—Persian watermelon salad with feta. This refreshing dish combines ice-cold, juicy watermelon with fresh cucumber, mint, spring onions, and salty feta cheese. It’s not only delicious but also super easy to prepare in just five minutes, making it the perfect choice for a hot day. Watch my preparation video on Instagram
It’s wild garlic season, and today, I’ve got a simple recipe for you! I whipped up a Creamy Wild Garlic Hummus with Crispy Flatbread Sticks. If you’re not familiar with hummus, it’s a Middle Eastern dip made primarily from chickpeas. Now, onto my version! I’ve infused it with wild garlic, giving it a beautiful green hue and a deliciously subtle spiciness and garlic flavor. Wild garlic is like a fancier, milder cousin of regular garlic, so it’s perfect if you’re not a fan of the strong garlic smell. Watch my 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).
It’s Fall! Can you smell it? Leaves change color, fog shrouds the city in the gloom, and it gets dark earlier. I love all seasons; each has its character. Welcome Fall with my delicious Fall Salad with Apple, Feta, and Caramelized Pistachios. I combine my autumnal salad, based on lettuce mix and lamb’s lettuce, with grated carrots and apple slices. Top it with sweet raisins soaked in apple juice, salty feta, sour pomegranate seeds, and crunchy caramelized pistachios. A savory-sweet honey mustard dressing rounds it out. A perfect combination of flavors and a true treat! I mean, who can resist this? Watch preparation on Instagram
*Ad in Cooperation with Aldi-Süd* As the summer temperatures call for a cooling down, my recipe Borani Kadoo – Zucchini Yoghurt Dip بورانی کدو hits the spot. Best of all, the simple and healthy dip already has veggies in it. Make it with “Nur Nur Natur organic yogurt”, and pack the savory dip with courgette, carrots, and fresh herbs like dill and parsley. In addition to salt and pepper, garlic adds a spicy touch. You can prepare this refreshing dip with organic yogurt with minimal effort and get maximum attention at a barbecue party. Since grilled food harmonizes perfectly with spicy yogurt, cut a courgette lengthwise into three pieces and barbecue it. You’ll love this contrast between hot and cold on your tongue. This recipe is a big hit at barbecues!
Kisir – Turkish Bulgur Salad is one of my favorite salads from Turkish cuisine. Bulgur salad is delicious, healthy, and easy to prepare. It’s a savory vegan salad with a nutty flavor due to the bulgur. Cucumbers, tomatoes, and green onions add a fresh touch. The dressing of pomegranate molasses, parsley, mint, lemon, and olive oil adds a lovely juicy touch. Paprika paste, pul biber, salt and pepper add spice. My favorite way to eat Kisir is in lettuce. Take a tablespoon of Kisir and place it in the middle of a lettuce leave and roll it up to form a wrap. It is an explosion of flavor on your palate. Try it out for sure!
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 …
With a ready-made puff pastry from the fridge, these golden crispy puff pastry carrots are quick and easy to prepare. You only need Cream Horn molds to shape them into perfect puff pastry carrots*. A spicy, creamy, and crunchy filling of a Turkish carrot-yogurt salad (Yoğurtlu Havuç salatası) gives the delicious finger food that special something. A stalk of dill provides great taste and replaces the carrot greens. A true eye-catcher on your buffet or Easter brunch and also truly tasty. Not only the vegetarians at the table will be delighted by the Puff Pastry Carrots with Turkish Carrot Garlic Yogurt Filling. A real feast for the palate!
Ghorme Sabzi – Persian beef and fresh herb stew is a popular flavorful Persian dish. There are 7 different fresh herbs in Ghorme Sabzi, and each family uses its own favorite herbs. In my Ghorme Sabzi, I combine aromatic herbs like spinach, flat leaf parsley, cilantro, dill, chives, fenugreek leaves and scallions, also crunchy red beans, juicy beef and tart dried limes. Ghorme Sabzi tastes lemony, herby and much better the next day. Ghorme Sabzi smells to me like springtime in Persia. Perfect with Persian rice , Salad Shirazi and Dugh.
Koofteh Rizeh – Lamb meatballs with mint in Tomato Sauce کوفته ریزه is also called Gheymeh Rizeh (قیمه ریزه), Kale Ghondjishki (کله گنجشکی) or Ghermez Rizeh (قرمز ریزه ). It is a traditional and popular dish from the marvelous city of Isfahan. These simple meatballs are prepared without any use of breadcrumbs, bread, or egg, and instead, chickpea flour is used. The meatballs are mixed with minced lamb, onions, turmeric, dried, and finely grated mint. Then the meatballs simmer in a spicy sauce made with tomato paste, onions, turmeric, and dried mint. Persian Sangak or Taftoon bread is commonly served with meatballs to soak up the tomato sauce. Serve with a bit of torshi (pickled vegetables) and everybody is satisfied. A filling dish that can be prepared quickly.
