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Servings: 6
Prep time: 15 min.
Cooking time: 1 hour 10 min.

3 cups long-grain basmati rice 8 cups water
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
1 teaspoon ground saffron dissolved in 4 tablespoons hot water
3/4 cup butter or olive oil or ghee

 

Clarified Unsalted Butter
aka Ghee (Roghan-e kareh)
In a saucepan, bring 1 pound unsalted butter to a boil, cover, and simmer over low heat for 15-20 minutes until most of the froth subsides. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Strain the liquid through a fine muslin cloth or three layers of cheesecloth to separate the clear butter fat from the milk solid. Seal and keep in your refrigerator. Ghee, a staple for the Persian kitchen, is used for cooking rice and pastries and has a wonderful flavor.

Saffron Steamed Plain Basmati Rice
(Chelow)

  1. Pick over the rice. Basmati rice like any other old rice contains many small solid particles. This grit must be removed by picking over the rice carefully by hand.
  2. Wash the rice by placing it in a large container and covering it with lukewarm water. Agitate gently with your hand, then pour off the water. Repeat five times until the rice is completely clean. When washed rice is cooked it gives off a delightful perfume that unwashed rice does not have. If using long-grain American or Texmati rice, it is not necessary to soak or wash five times. Once will suffice.
  3. After washing the rice it is then desirable but not essential to soak it in 8 cups of water with 2 tablespoons of salt for 2 to 24 hours. Soaking and cooking rice in a lot of salt firms it up to support the long cooking time and prevents the rice from breaking up. The grains swell individually without sticking together. The result is light and fluffy rice known as the Pearls of Persian Cuisine.
  4. Bring 8 cups of water with 2 tablespoons salt to a boil in a large non-stick pot. Pour the washed and drained rice into the pot. Boil briskly for 6 to 10 minutes, gently stirring twice with a wooden spoon to loosen any grains that may have stuck to the bottom. Bite a few grains. If the rice feels soft, it is ready. Drain rice in a large, fine-mesh colander and rinse in 2 or 3 cups of lukewarm water.
  5. In a bowl, mix 2 spatulas of rice, the yogurt, 1/2 cup butter or oil and 1/2 cup hot water, and a few drops of dissolved saffron water.
  6. In the pot, spread the yogurt-rice mixture over the bottom of the pot. This will help to create a tender golden crust (tah dig) when rice is cooked.
  7. Take one spatula full of drained rice at a time and gently place it on top of the yogurt and rice mixture, gradually shaping the rice into a pyramid. This shape leaves room for the rice to expand and enlarge. Poke one or two holes in the rice pyramid with the handle of a wooden spatula.
  8. Cover and cook rice for 10-15 minutes over medium heat in order to form a golden crust.
  9. Dissolve the remaining butter in 1 cup hot water and pour over the rice pyramid. Place a clean dish towel or 2 layers of paper towels over the pot and cover firmly with the lid to prevent steam from escaping. Cook for 40-50 minutes longer over low heat.
  10. Remove the pot from heat. Allow to cool on a damp surface for 5 minutes without uncovering it. This helps to free the crust from the bottom of the pot. Then put 2 tablespoons of rice in a dish, mix with remaining saffron water, and set aside for garnish.
  11. Gently taking one spatula full of rice at a time, place it on a serving platter without disturbing the crust. Mound the rice into a cone. Sprinkle the saffron rice garnish over the top.
  12. Detach the layer of crust from the bottom using a wooden spatula. Place into a small platter and serve on the side or arrange it around the rice.

Recipe from Najmieh Batmanglij's New Food of Life, pages 146-7

Servings: 4
Prep time: 15 min.
Cooking time: 1 hours' refrigeration
1 long seedless cucumber, peeled and diced
1/2 cup raisins, washed and drained
3 cups whole-milk yogurt
1/2 cup sour cream (optional)
1/4 cup chopped scallions
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill weed
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
3 tablespoons chopped shelled walnuts
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

Garnish
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh or dried mint
1 dried rosebud and 2 tablespoons petals

Yogurt & Cucumber Dip or Soup
(Mast-o khiar)

  1. In a serving bowl, combine cucumber, raisins, yogurt, sour cream (if desired), scallions, mint, dill, garlic, and chopped walnuts. Mix thoroughly and season to taste with salt and pepper.
  2. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
  3. Garnish with 1/2teaspoon mint, rosebud, and petals. Serve with bread as an appetizer.


Note: For fewer calories and less fat, you may use low-fat yogurt in place of whole-milk yogurt and eliminate the sour cream.

Variation: This may be transformed into a refreshing cold soup by adding 1 cup of cold water (or more to taste) and 2 or 3 ice cubes to the mixture.

Recipe from Najmieh Batmanglij's New Food of Life, page 29

 

Servings: 6
Prep time: 20 min.
Cooking time: 3 hours
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 large onions, peeled and thinly sliced
5 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 cup dried red kidney beans, washed and soaked in cold water for 2 hours and drained
1/4 cup dried navy beans
1/4 cup dried chick-peas
10-12 cups water
1 cup lentils
4 cups homemade beef broth
1/2 pound Persian noodles (reshteh) or linguine noodles, broken in half
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh chives or scallions or 2 tablespoons dried
1 cup chopped fresh dill or 2 tablespoons dried
2 cups coarsely chopped fresh parsley or 1/4 cup dried
6 pounds (10 cups) fresh spinach, washed and chopped, or 3 cups frozen spinach, chopped
1 fresh beet, peeled and diced in 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 cup liquid whey (kashk), sour cream, or 1/4 cup wine vinegar

Mint Garnish
(Nana Dagh)
1 onion, peeled and finely sliced
6 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon turmeric
4 tablespoons dried mint flakes, crushed

Noodle Soup
(Ash-e reshteh)

In Iran it is customary to eat noodles before embarking on something new. For us they symbolize the choice of paths among the many that life spreads out before us. Eating those tangled strands is like unraveling the Gordian knot of life's infinite possibilities in order to pick out the best. Noodles, we believe, can bring good fortune and make new endeavors fruitful. That is why noodles are always served on Nowruz, the Iranian New Year's Day. Another traditional occasion is on the third day after friends and relatives have gone away on a trip. It is believed that by eating noodles we can send them luck as they follow the path of their journey.

  1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large pot, and sauté tthe onions and garlic over medium heat. Add salt, pepper, and turmeric. Add kidney beans, navy beans, and chick-peas; sauté for a few minutes. Pour in 10 cups water and bring to a boil, skim the froth as it forms, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes over medium heat.
  2. Add lentils and beef bone broth. Cook 55 minutes longer.
  3. Add noodles and flour and cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  4. Add chopped chives or scallions, dill, parsley, spinach, and the beet. Continue cooking, stirring from time to time for 30 minutes or until the beans are tender. Add salt and pepper to taste, and add more water if the ash is too thick.
  5. Stir in the whey (or sour cream or vinegar), saving a dollop for garnish, and mix well with a wooden spoon.
  6. To prepare the mint garnish (nana dagh), brown the onion and garlic in oil in a non-stick frying pan. Remove from heat, add the turmeric and the crushed mint flakes and mix well.
  7. Pour the soup into a tureen. Garnish with mint mixture and the dollop of whey.

Note: Liquid whey (kashk) and Persian noodles (reshteh) are available at specialty food stores.

Recipe from Najmieh Batmanglij's New Food of Life, page 66

 

Servings: 25 pieces
Prep time: 15 min.
Cooking time: 10 min.
Ingredients for Batter #1
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons pure honey
4 tablespoons corn oil
11/2 cups unsalted slivered almonds
1/2 teaspoon ground saffron dissolved in 2 tablespoons of rose water
4 tablespoons unsalted chopped pistachios for decoration

Ingredients for Batter #2*
1/2 cup unsalted melted butter
1/2 teaspoon saffron dissolved in
1/2 cup rose water
2/3 cup unsalted slivered almonds
8 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons pure honey
4 tablespoons unsalted slivered pistachios for decoration

Honey Almonds
(Sohan asal)

  1. Batter #1: In a heavy saucepan over high heat, melt the sugar, honey, and oil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  2. Add the slivered almonds to the mixture. Stir from time to time, for about 2-3 minutes, until the mixture is firm and golden.
  3. Add the saffron-rose water mixture and cook for another 2 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is a golden brown color. Be careful: it should not be dark brown.
  4. Place a bowl of ice water next to the stove. Drop a spoonful of the hot almond mixture in the water: If it hardens quickly, the mixture is ready. Reduce the heat to very low.
  5. Spread a piece of wax paper on a cookie sheet. Place teaspoonfuls of the mixture on wax paper, leaving a 1-inch space between each. Immediately garnish with the chopped pistachios.
  6. Allow the almonds to cool, then remove them from the paper.
  7. Arrange on a serving platter. Cover with a sheet of aluminum foil to keep the honey almonds crisp or keep in an airtight container or cookie jar.

Variation using Batter #2: In a heavy saucepan, place 1/2 cup of butter, 1/2 teaspoon saffron dissolved in 1/2 cup rose water, 2/3 cup slivered almonds, 8 tablespoons sugar, and 3 tablespoons honey. Boil over high heat for about 7 to 10 minutes. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon until the mixture is golden brown. Proceed with step 4 in batter #1 instructions.

Recipe from Najmieh Batmanglij's New Food of Life, page 293