Salad Shirazi – Shirazi Cucumber, Tomato and Onion Salad
Salad Shirazi, as the same suggests, comes from Shiraz and it’s the most popular salad in Iran. It consists of finely chopped cucumbers, tomatoes and red onions, dressed with verjuice (or lemon juice as as alternative) and seasoned with dried mint and salt.
Maman Jamileh’s Persian Omelette
I thought, I’d share a very special recipe with you today: My grandmother’s Persian Omelette recipe. It’s very dear to my heart, because I have so many beautiful memories of my nan Maman Jamileh cooking this for me. She still cooks it and it tastes as amazing as ever!
This dish can be a total lifesaver, because it doesn’t just make the perfect breakfast on a lazy Sunday, but also serves as a quick lunch or dinner. It tastes fantastic any time of the day!
Ab Doogh Khiar – Refreshing Yogurt Soup
Ab Doogh Khiar is a refreshing, cold yogurt soup with cucumbers, herbs, raisins and walnuts. We dunk pieces of bread in it, making the soup nice and filling without being too heavy. It’s the ideal lunch or dinner for hot summer days.
The basis of this cold yoghurt soup is a Persian yoghurt drink called Doogh, similar to Turkish Ayran. You can easily make it yourself! I recommend using strained yogurt, a sour tasting one would be ideal. You can find it in Turkish or Iranian supermarkets. But if you don’t have access to one, don’t worry. You can also use Greek or Greek style yogurt and your Ab Doogh Khiar will be just as refreshing.
Mirza Ghasemi - Persian Grilled Smoked Eggplant with Tomatoes and Eggs
Mirza Ghasemi is a flavourful Persian aubergines/eggplant dip from northern Iran. If you tried my previous Mirza Ghasemi recipe, I encourage you to give this one a go as well, whether you want to serve it with real or vegan eggs.
In this recipe the smoked aubergines are at the forefront of the dish, not being overpowered by the tomatoes, eggs or any other flavours. I promise you, it tastes like a piece of heaven.
Khoresh-e Goje Sabz (Aloocheh) – Persian Green Plum and Herb Stew
Khoresh-e Goje Sabz is a flavourful lamb and herb stew with mouthwatering Persian green plums. As you may know, us Iranians love all things sour and so one thing many of us are obsessed with are Goje Sabz, Persian green plums. These are plums that are harvested unripe and therefore they are wonderfully crunchy and sour. In the stew they become soft but they give it a refreshing sour taste. You can find them in Middle Eastern and Turkish grocery stores and they are in season now.
Khoresh-e Bamieh – Persian Lamb and Okra Stew
Khoresh-e Bamieh is a tasty lamb and okra stew from southern Iran. If you’re familiar with Persian food, you know, that we love a hint of sourness in our stews. In this dish the sourness comes from tamarind paste. This is an ingredient, that is used quite a lot in southern Iran.
Dalaar - Persian Green Salt
Dalaar is a salty Persian herbal paste, that’s often referred to as green salt. It comes from northern Iran and serves as a seasoning for different fruits, such as oranges, cucumbers and goje sabz (greengage). Since goje sabz season has begun, I thought it’s the perfect time to share my Dalaar recipe with you. It contains lots of salt, so that it can be stored in the fridge for quite a long time. I don’t know how long exactly, because it never lasts longer than 2 days. :D
Morasa Polo – Persian Jewelled Rice
Morasa Polo is a gorgeous Persian jewelled rice dish with a delightful sweet and sour taste. This fragrant and beautiful dish doesn’t only look stunning, it tastes heavenly too! It is easy to prepare and looks like a work of art.
A variation of this jewelled rice dish is Shirin Polo, which translates to “sweet rice”. The only difference is that Morasa Polo has raisins in it while Shirin Polo doesn’t. So if you want to make Shirin Polo, simply leave out the raisins.
Koofteh Nokhodchi - Chickpea Meatballs in Tomato Sauce with Black Lemons
Koofteh Nokhodchi are flavour-packed Chickpea Meatballs in Tomato Sauce with Black Lemons. This is a beautiful Persian recipe and I created my version inspired by OPIHR Gin’s Black Lemon Edition.
There are many different meatball recipes in Persian and Middle Eastern cuisine. Each region in Iran has their own recipe, involving completely different ingredients and spices. This particular one comes from Esfahan and can be served with rice or with bread, as I did in this instance.
Dolmeh Bademjan - Persian Stuffed Aubergines
Dolmeh Bademjan are Persian stuffed aubergines/eggplants. This dish is popular in many different countries and each has its own version. In this recipe I show you my take on the Persian version of this tasty, flavourful dish.
Dolmeh Bademjan can easily be made vegetarian by replacing the meat with more rice and yellow split peas.
Adasi - Persian Lentil Soup
Lentil Soup always brings back memories of hiking in the Tehran mountains, like "Darakeh", "Azghal Chal", and "Palang Chal". What I adore about Iran is the guarantee of finding a café or a little shop wherever you wander. It's hilarious how Iranians sometimes hike just to taste the food along the way or at the mountaintop!
I remember there was a café run by a kind old man, the café exuded an air of familiarity and comfort. Inside, the aroma of lentil soup danced in the air, inviting us to pause and savour the moment. Seated together, we shared stories and laughter over hearty bowls of soup. It's these spontaneous food adventures that make every hike an unforgettable journey.
Sabzi Polo ba Mahi – Fried Fish with Saffron and Herb Rice
Sabzi Polo ba Mahi is a classic Persian dish which translates to “herb rice with fish”. Iranians around the world don’t only prepare this delicious on Shab-e Norouz, the night before Norouz. Norouz (the Persian New Year at the beginning of spring), but any day from autumn through spring.
The fish is fried and served with aromatic saffron and herb rice, bitter oranges (naarenj), and pickled garlic (sir torshi).
Dam Pokhtak Recipe - Split Fava (Broad) Bean Rice
Dam Pokhtak is an easy, delicious Persian rice dish with split fava (broad) beans. It’s also called Dami Baghali. This dish is so underrated! You never hear anyone say ‘Dam Pokhtak is my favourite Persian dish!’, but as soon as someone mentions it, everyone goes ‘Oh I love it!’.
At dinner parties of course every Iranian wants to show off their cooking skills and use expensive ingredients, so no one prepares Dam Pokhtak for their guests. But if they’d ask their guests ‘what would you like me to cook?’, I bet many of them would ask for Dam Pokhtak.
Kalam Polo Recipe - Persian Cabbage Rice
Kalam Polo is a flavourful Persian rice dish with white cabbage and ground meat. The rice is steamed together with the white cabbage, onions, garlic, meat and spices, so that it soaks up all the goodness.
I used beef in this recipe but you could also use lamb, a mix of beef and lamb, or a vegan ground meat alternative. You can also leave the meat out completely and it will still taste phenomenal!
Shole Zard - Persian Saffron Rice Pudding
Shole Zard is an aromatic Persian Saffron Rice Pudding. The floral fragrance of saffron and rose water, combined with the warmth of cinnamon and cardamom make this dessert a treat for all senses. Shole Zard is made with water instead of milk. That makes it much lighter than the regular rice pudding. It does not lack in flavour though! On the contrary - It’s full of classic Persian flavours: Saffron, rose, cinnamon and cardamom, topped with pistachios.
Moraba-ye Pooste Hendevaneh - Watermelon Rind Jam
Moraba-ye Pooste Hendevaneh is a jam made of the white rind, between the skin and flesh of a watermelon. The jam doesn’t actually taste of watermelon. What gives the jam its flavours are the other ingredients you add to it: In this case cardamom, cinnamon, saffron, lemon juice and lemon zest. This means you can experiment with it and add any flavours you like it to have. The watermelon rind gives this jam an unusual texture, that makes it really unique among jams.
Kookoo Sabzi - Persian Herb Frittata
Kookoo Sabzi could be described as a Persian Herb Frittata. It’s quick and easy to prepare and makes for a delicious side dish or Persian sandwich ingredient. Kookoo Sabzi and Sabzi Polo ba Maahi are a match made in heaven!
Ash-e Reshteh - Persian Noodle, Herb and Bean Pottage
There are many types of aash. Ash-e Reshteh is probably the most popular one. This thick soup is flavour packed with herbs, spinach, beans, lentils, onions, and other goodies. Reshteh refers to the noodles that are used for Ash-e Reshteh. You can find them in Middle Eastern shops or online. Make sure to buy the ones for ash, not for polo.
Zeytoon Parvardeh - Persian Enriched Olives
Zeytoon Parvardeh are Persian enriched olives. They are coated in a paste made of fresh herbs, walnuts, garlic and pomegranates. This mouthwatering snack comes from the Gilan province in the north of Iran.
Loobia Polo Recipe - Persian Lamb and Green Bean Rice
Loobia Polo is my absolute favourite dish! I know I say this a lot, put hands down, if I could only pick one favourite, it would be Loobya Polo. It is a mouthwatering Persian rice dish with lamb and green beans. The sauce is cooked first and then combined with the rice. They both steam together for around 1 hour, allowing the rice to absorb all the rich flavours of the sauce.