A taste of Persian Food
Persian food;
Introducing people to the pleasures of Persian cuisine,
In Iranian home cooking, a meal always begins with bread, cheese, and whatever vegetables and herbs are freshest in the garden or market that day. They are spread out for the family or any guests who may appear, and to them may be added salads and various yogurt-based dips for the bread. Then there are stuffed vegetables; fragrant kukus, or vegetable omelets; and soups.
I found myself as delighted by the cheerful ceremony of preparation as by the reward for the work. The next day, convivial crowds of relatives would come to our house for a glorious lunch of noodle soup garnished with fried garlic, onion, mint and sun-dried yogurt.
I was born in Iran, a country positioned at the center of the ancient trading nexus, looking both east and west. Some of my happiest childhood memories are linked to Silk Road cooking, although of course I had no notion of such a thing at the time. On certain school half-days, when I arrived home early in the afternoon, I would hear distant echoes of a setar and my mother singing verses by the thirteenth-century poet Rumi, a great favorite of hers:In Persian cooking, every herb and spice is viewed as having its own nutritional and pharmacological properties. I have tried to remain faithful to the original herbs and spices used by my mother and her mother before her. Since ancient times, saffron has been renowned for salubrious and aphrodisiac powers; cumin seeds are said to reduce stomach gas, rose petals and rose water to relieve stomach upsets. Barberries have been used for thousands of years to lower blood pressure and, in juice form, to cleanse the system. Seville orange peels are believed to aid digestion. Verjuice (juice of the unripe grape) is an ancient remedy for rheumatism. Angelica seeds (gol-par, which in Persian means the flower of angels) are appropriately thought to have angelic healing powers.
The French would say Bon Appétit, but in Persian we say Nosh-e Jun: Enjoy this food of life.
The foundation for much of Persian cooking is rice. When rice is combined with a little fish, fowl or meat, plenty of onion, garlic, vegetables, fruit, nuts and herbs, and a delicate mix of spices such as rose petals, dried limes, candied orange peels, cinnamon, cardamom, cumin and saffron, the result is a dish both healthy and uniquely Persian-as colorful as a miniature, exotic yet simple like a poem by Omar Khayyam.
Although Persian food is one of the oldest cooking traditions in the world, it is little known in America.
Learn to make Dolmeh-yeh Barg-e Mow?
When it comes to stuffed grape leaves, were’ on a roll!
Ready to eat, not many people know this, In Persian mythology; they notice that a mature vine can produce delicacies other than the grapes themselves. Persian history has it, that based upon Persian’s insight, the ancient Persian hand-rolled delicate parcels of grape leaves( also known as vine leaves) and stuffed them with basmati rice, fresh tomatoes, crisp onions, red bell pepper, extra virgin olive oil, and a medley of stone-ground spices. Today, we use those same hand-rolled preparation techniques in each one of stuffed grape leaves. Serve them as an appetizer or simply enjoy as a tasty snack and, no Trans fats. Once you try one of our stuffed grape leaves, you too may fell like you’re dining in our family dinner.
or Stuffed Grape Leaves
With White Rice, Tomatoes, Onion, and Red Bell Pepper
INGREDIENTS: Rice, Onion, Tomatoes, Parsley, Red Bell Pepper, Grape Leaves, Cilantro, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Salt, Lemon Juice, Garlic Powder, Dill, Mint, Black Pepper.
Dolmeh-yeh Barg-e Mow
Ingredients: (4 servings)
- Fresh vine leaves, 250 grams
- Ground lamb or beef, 250 grams
- Long-grain or basmati rice, 100 grams
- Herbs: parsley, dill, mint, tarragon, spring onions, 250 grams
- Large onions, two
- Cooking oil
- Tomato paste, two spoons
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Fresh lime juice, 1/2 cup
- Sugar, two spoons
· Directions:
Fry onions in cooking oil over medium heat until golden. Add ground meat and fry further until meat changes color. Add 1/2 cup water, salt, pepper and tomato paste. Mix and cook further until water boils off.
Wash and finely chop the herbs. Fry in oil over medium heat until wilted. Boil two cups of water in a small pot. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and rice and boil further until rice softens. Drain the water and let cool slightly.
Mix prepared meat, herbs and rice well. Remove any remaining stems from vine leaves, and wash. Add hot water and salt and boil for 1-2 minutes until leaves soften slightly. Drain water and allow to cool.
Mix lime juice, sugar, salt and pepper. Add half to the mix prepared earlier, and mix well. Pour 2-3 spoons of oil in a pot. Place 2 or 3 layers of vine leaves in the pot. Stack two leaves covering the cracks, place some of the Dolmeh mix on top and wrap the leaves tightly around it. Repeat until all leaves or the entire mix is used up.
Place the dolmeh's in the pot packed together. Add oil and 1/2 glass of hot water. Cover and cook over low heat for about 20-30 minutes. If necessary, add more hot water during cooking. Add the remainder of the lime juice and sugar mix and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
or visit for kubideh kabob
http://www.kubidehkitchen.com/
