Doymaj - Feta, Herb and Walnut Bites
Dooymaj is a delicious, fresh snack for the warmer seasons of the year. It makes for the perfect finger food for parties or an afternoon nibble for your family. It’s very popular in north-western provinces of Iran, like Qazvin, Zanjan, East Azerbaijan and Hamedan. Each region has their recipe for these tasty bites and different names like Doymash, Ghot or Ghoot, Moshtok, and Changhaleh. The common ingredients in all of them are Lavash, which is a very thin and crispy bread, Feta, fresh herbs and walnuts.
I remember when I was a child, my lovely grandma, Mamani Jamileh used to call this finger food “Changal”. She used to make it for my sister and me as an Asraaneh, which is a small snack between lunch and dinner, served with Chai Shirin - Persian black tea with sugar.
In Iran, fresh herbs are available in abundance, which is why a snack like this can easily be whipped up spontaneously. Unfortunately, in the West, we don’t eat enough fresh herbs despite the many health benefits of including generous amounts of different herbs in our diet. You can learn more about this in the book ‘Alchemy of Herbs’ by Rosalee de la Forêt.
The herbs I used in this recipe are all Sabzi Khordan - the kinds of herbs that Iranians eat raw as a side with their main meal. This usually includes basil (the basil found in Iran tastes more like Greek basil), parsley, tarragon, spearmint, dill, and chives. This is not an exhaustive list of herbs considered Sabzi Khordan. They are just the ones I used in my Doymaj.
Iranian Lavash bread can be difficult to find, so I used wheat tortillas that I dried in the oven. You can of course use any dry and crispy bread you can find. The thinner the better.
You can download this recipe as a printable PDF for a small fee here.
Cook the most popular Persian dishes at home with the help of my e-book.
Time
Prep: 30 min
Drying: 2 h
Cook: 15 min
Total: 45 min + drying time
Ingredients for about 40 balls
400g/14oz wheat tortillas (or any crispy bread)
150g/5.3oz feta
1 onion
80g/2.8oz chopped walnuts
15g/0.5oz fresh parsley (cleaned, stalks removed, washed and dried)
15g/0.5oz fresh basil (cleaned, washed and dried)
15g/0.5oz chives (cleaned, washed and dried)
15g/0.5oz dill (cleaned, washed and dried)
15g/0.5oz mint leaves (cleaned, stalks removed, washed and dried)
15g/0.5oz tarragon (cleaned, stalks removed, washed and dried)
2 tbsp butter
240ml / 1 cup water
3 tbsp colourful edible flowers as garnish (optional)
Method for preparing Doimaj
Washing and drying the herbs
Wash the herbs and let them dry on a clean kitchen towel 2 hours in advance.
Making the mixture
If you have thin crispy bread skip this step. If you are using tortillas, place them in the oven at 100 degrees Celsius / 212 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes until completely dry and crispy.
Crush the bread in a bowl.
Peel and slice the onion.
Place a frying pan over medium heat, add butter and gently caramelise the sliced onion for about 10 to 15 minutes until they are golden brown. Set it aside.
Roughly chop the herbs. Set them aside.
Crush the walnuts using a food processor. Be careful to not grind them too finely. Set them aside.
In a large enough bowl combine the crushed bread, chopped herbs, caramelised onion and crushed walnuts.
Add 240ml or 1 cup water to the bowl and combine everything well.
Crumble the feta in the bowl and combine everything once more.
Shape the Doymaj
Take a tablespoon full of the mixture in your hand and roll it in your palms into a ball using your hands.
Chop the edible flower petals and spread them out on a plate or chopping board. Roll the Doymaj bites on them to create beautiful, colourful spheres.
Serve and enjoy your delicious Doymaj!
I’d love to see your Doymaj! Feel free to tag me with @igotitfrommymaman on Facebook or Insta so I can take a look and give you a thumbs up!
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