Iranian Foods

[Asalbanoo]

Ingredients: (4 servings
small cauliflower, one
eggs, 4 large
saffron, 1/2 teaspoon
baking soda, one teaspoon
cooking oil
salt
black pepper
Directions:
Cut cauliflower into small pieces and wash. Add hot water and salt. Cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes, then drain water. Soften cauliflower slightly using a fork.
Add salt and black pepper to eggs, and mix. Dissolve saffron in a bit of hot water and add to eggs. Also dissolve baking soda in a bit of cold water and add to eggs. Mix well.
Heat oil in a non-stick pan until it is hot. Pour in the mix, flatten the surface with the back of a spoon, and place the lid on. Reduce heat and fry for about 10 minutes, until kookoo is cooked under. Cut radially into 4 equal pieces, turn over, and fry for another 10 minutes.

[Asalbanoo]

Ingredients: (4 servings)
small eggplants, 6
medium tomatoes, 4
pomegranate juice, 2 cups (or 2 teaspoons of pomegranate paste)
sour grape juice, 1/2 cup
medium onions, 2
marjoram, one teaspoon
dried mint, 1/2 teaspoon
salt
black pepper
Directions:
Wash eggplants and tomatoes. Cook whole eggplants in the oven at 400 F for about 30 minutes. Remove and let cool, then peel and chop finely. Pour hot water over the tomatoes, then peel and chop finely. Peel onions and grate them.
Add pomegranate juice, sour grape juice, salt and black pepper to eggplants. (If pomegranate juice is not available, use pomegranate paste mixed with 2 cups of hot water). Cook over low heat for about 10 minutes. Add marjoram, dried mint and grated onions, mix well and remove from heat. Add tomatoes, mix, and serve.

[Asalbanoo]

Ingredients: (4 servings)
ground lamb or beef, 250 grams
black-eye beans, 50 grams
split peas, 50 grams
lentils, 50 grams
fresh spinach, 1 kg
small onions, 2
mint, 100 grams
kashk (thick or dried whey), 1-2 cups (purchase at an Iranian store)
cooking oil
salt
black pepper
Directions:
Wash black-eye beans, split-peas, and lentils, and soak in warm water for about 2 hours. Add salt and cook over medium heat for 15-20 minutes. About one cup of water should be left.
Peel and grate onions. Add to ground meat with salt and black pepper, and mix well. Shape the mix into small balls. Fry balls in cooking oil over medium heat until colour changes.
Wash spinach and chop finely. Add to black-eye beans, split-peas, lentils, and meat balls, and cook over low heat for about 15 minutes until there is no water left. Wash mint and chop finely. Fry in oil for a few minutes. Add kashk and mint on top of Ghalieh-Esfanaaj

[Asalbanoo]

Ingredients: (4 servings)
ground lamb or beef, 400 grams
walnuts, 2 spoonfuls
kashk (dried or thick whey), 1-2 cups (obtain from an Iranian store)
medium onions, two
mint, 100 grams
cooking oil
turmeric, 1/2 teaspoon (optional)
salt
black pepper
Directions:
Wash and finely chop mint. Peel and grate onions. Add onions and mint to meat with salt and black pepper and mix well. Shape meat into small balls.
Heat some cooking oil in a pan until hot. Add meat-balls and fry for a few minutes until colour changes. Add a cup of hot water, turmeric, and a bit of salt and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Add kashk and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat, mix in crushed walnuts, and serve.

[Asalbanoo]

Ingredients: (4 servings)
fine caviar, 200 grams (or less, depending on your budget)
salted crackers
small onion, one
fresh lime juice, one teaspoon
fresh parsley, 50 grams
butter (optional)
Directions:
Iranian caviar from the Caspian sea is probably the best in the world.
Peel and chop onion very finely. Wash and chop parsley very finely. Add caviar to onion and parsley and mix well. If using unsalted crackers, a bit of salt can be added to the mix. If desired, place a bit of butter on each cracker, and serve with the mix.

[Asalbanoo]

Ingredients: (4 servings)
basmati or long-grain rice, 3 cups
salt
cooking oil
Directions:
Kateh is normally served with kababs or any of the main dishes in this collection, unless rice is already used as one of the ingredients. Kateh is simpler to cook than polow.
Wash three cups of rice with plain water twice and drain the water. Pour rice into a non-stick pan. Add five cups of water, four spoons of oil and two spoons of salt, and mix. Bring the water to a boil over high temperature. Let the water boil until water level sinks to just below rice level. Cover the pan, and cook over low temperature for about half an hour.

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Polow (or Chelow)

Ingredients: (4 servings)
basmati rice, 500 grams
cooking oil
salt
Directions:
The preparation of polow (or chelow) is more elaborate than kateh and results in a delicious non-sticky rice. It is normally served with kababs or any of the main dishes in this collection, unless rice is already used as one of the ingredients.
Wash rice twice and soak in salted warm water for 3-4 hours, then drain the water. Pour water in a large non-stick pan until it is half-full and bring it to a boil. Add rice and a spoonful of salt and continue boiling until rice slightly softens. Pour rice into a drain and wash it with slightly warm water.
Pour a few spoonfuls of cooking oil into the pan and add rice. Pour a few more spoonfuls of oil over rice. Cover the pan and cook over low heat for about half an hour. If cooking time is increased, a delicious crispy layer of rice (called ta-dig) will form at the bottom of the pan.

[Asalbanoo]

Ingredients: (4 servings)

ground lamb or beef, 500 g
large onions, two (grated)
garlic, one clove (crushed)
large egg, one (beaten)
medium tomatoes, four
salt
black pepper
turmeric, one teaspoon (optional)
sumac (optional)
Directions:
Mix meat, onions, garlic, egg, salt, pepper and turmeric well and leave in the refrigerator overnight (or for several hours).
Press the meat around long, thick metal skewers and shape evenly. Thread whole tomatoes on another skewer. Barbeque each side for about five minutes, turning frequently. (If skewers are not available or barbequing is not possible, kabab-e koobideh can be shaped into long, thin portions on aluminum foil and grilled at high temperature in the oven. The oven should be pre-heated and kabab-e koobideh should be placed as high as possible near the source of the heat. Again, turn a few times.)
Serve with hot Basmati rice or on middle-eastern bread. If serving with rice, some sumac may be sprinkled on top. If kabab-e koobideh was made in an oven, the juice from the kabab can be poured on rice or bread

[Asalbanoo]

Ingredients: (6 servings)
fillet of lamb, 1 kg
extra-virgin olive oil, 1/2 cup
3 onions, grated
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
6 medium tomatos
saffron, 1/2 teaspoon (optional)
salt
black pepper
sumac (optional)
Directions:
Prepare marinade: mix olive oil, onions, garlic, saffron, salt and black pepper. Cut lamb into 1 cm thick and 4-5 cm long pieces. Do not remove all the fat as you will need it to melt. Marinate overnight (preferrably 24 hours) in refrigerator. Container should be covered.
Thread lamb on long, thin metal skewers. Thread whole tomatoes separately on another skewer. Brush with marinade. Barbeque for about 5-10 minutes on each side, turning frequently. Kabab Barg can also be made in the oven. Prepare as before, pre-heat the grill to a high temperature, and place just under the grill, again turning frequently. Serve hot with basmati rice or on middle-eastern bread. If served with rice, some sumac may be sprinkled on.

[Asalbanoo]

Ingredients: (6 servings)

fillet of lamb, 1 kg
extra-virgin olive oil, 1/2 cup
3 onions, grated
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
6 medium tomatos
saffron, 1/2 teaspoon (optional)
salt
black pepper
sumac (optional)

Directions:
Prepare marinade: mix olive oil, onions, garlic, saffron, salt and black pepper. Cut lamb into 1 cm thick and 4-5 cm long pieces. Do not remove all the fat as you will need it to melt. Marinate overnight (preferrably 24 hours) in refrigerator. Container should be covered.
Thread lamb on long, thin metal skewers. Thread whole tomatoes separately on another skewer. Brush with marinade. Barbeque for about 5-10 minutes on each side, turning frequently. Kabab Barg can also be made in the oven. Prepare as before, pre-heat the grill to a high temperature, and place just under the grill, again turning frequently. Serve hot with basmati rice or on middle-eastern bread. If served with rice, some sumac may be sprinkled on.

[Asalbanoo]

Ingredients: (4 servings)
whole fish (such as salmon or cod)
fresh lime juice, 1/2 cup
extra-virgin olive oil, 1/2 cup
coriander, 50 grams
parsley, 50 grams
mint, 50 grams
saffron, 1/2 teaspoon
salt
black pepper
Directions:
Note that fresh fish should have raised eyes and should be bright red under the ears.
Cut fish length-wise from below. Remove insides, then wash inside and out, and dry thoroughly. Place each side under grill at high temperature for 5-10 minutes so that the skin dries up. Remove fish and separate skin which should come off easily.
Prepare sauce as following: wash and finely chop coriander, parsley and mint. Add lime juice, olive oil, saffron, salt, and black pepper, and mix well.
Cover a suitable pan with aluminum foil and place fish on top. Add the sauce on both sides as well as inside. Cover with a sheet of aluminum foil and cook in oven at medium temperature for 45 minutes to one hour. Note however that exact cooking time depends on the type and size of fish. Take care not to over-cook. Add more sauce 2 or 3 times during cooking. When cooked, decorate fish with slices of lime or lemon and some parsley. Serve with Sabzi-Polow. It is customary to serve Maahi-Kabab with Sabzi-Polow on the Iranian New Year's day which coincides with the Spring Equinox.