Iranian Foods

[Asalbanoo]

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Light/Side Dishes

Main Dishes

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[Asalbanoo]

Aash-e Aab Leemoo

Aash-e Sholeh Ghalamkar

Aash-e Gandom

Aash-e Aaloo

Aash-e Anaar

Aash-e Shalgham

Aash-e Reshteh

[Asalbanoo]

Ingredients: (4 servings)
basmati or long-grain rice, 200 grams
herbs (parsley, mint, coriander, spring-onion ends), 1 kg
ground lamb or beef, 500 grams
split peas, 3 spoons
fresh lime juice, 3-4 spoons
sugar, 2-3 spoons
marjoram, 2 spoons
mint, one spoon
onions, 4 large
cooking oil
salt
black pepper
Directions:
Peel and slice two onions and fry in oil until slightly golden. Add 4-5 glasses of hot water, split-peas, salt and pepper and cook over low heat for about 10 minutes. Wash rice and add to the aash. Cook for another 15-20 minutes.
Peel and grate two onions. Add to meat with salt and pepper and mix well. Shape into small balls and add to the aash. Wash herbs, chop finely, add to the aash, and cook for another 15-20 minutes. Add in lime juice, sugar, and marjoram (if fresh marjoram is used, it should be finely chopped). Mix well and cook for a few more minutes.
Fry mint in oil for a few minutes (if fresh mint is used, it should be finely chopped before frying). Add mint on top of the aash and serve.

[Asalbanoo]

Ingredients: (4 servings

vegetables: parsley, dill, coriander, spinach, spring-onion ends, 500 grams
long-grain or basmati rice, 100 grams
peas, 100 grams
beans, 100 grams
lentils, 100 grams
beef or lamb, 500 grams
onions, 3 large
turmeric, 1/2 teaspoon
cooking oil
salt
black pepper

Directions:

Soak peas, beans and lentils in water for 4-5 hours. Peel and chop onions and fry in oil until slightly golden. Cut meat into small pieces and fry with onions until it changes color.

Add peas, beans, lentils, turmeric, salt, pepper and hot water, and cook over low heat for about one hour. Wash rice and add to the aash. Cook for another 20-30 minutes.

Wash vegetables and chop finely. Add to aash and cook for another 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently. Add more hot water during cooking if necessary.

[Asalbanoo]

Ingredients: (4 servings)
wheat, 100 grams
spinach, 700 grams
chick peas, 50 grams
black-eye beans, 50 grams
lentils, 50 grams
split peas, 50 grams
onions, 2 large
turmeric, 1/2 teaspoon
flour
cooking oil
salt
black pepper
Directions:

Soak peas, beans, lentils and wheat in water for 4-5 hours. Peel and chop onions and fry in oil until slightly golden. Add hot water, peas, beans, lentils, wheat, turmeric, salt and pepper, and cook over low heat for about one hour, stirring frequently.

Wash and chop spinach and add to the aash. Cook for another 10-15 minutes. Fry one spoonful of flour in oil for a few minutes and add to the aash. Stir and cook for a few more minutes.

[Asalbanoo]

Ingredients: (4 servings)

basmati or long-grain rice, 100 grams
herbs (parsley, mint, coriander, spring-onion ends), 500 grams
ground lamb or beef, 250 grams
pitted prunes, 300 grams
onions, 4 large
cooking oil
salt
black pepper

Directions:

Soak prunes in warm water for two hours. Peel and slice two onions and fry in oil until slightly golden. Make ground meat into 2 cm balls and fry with onions until color changes. Add 3-4 glasses of water, and bring to a boil.

Finely chop herbs. Wash rice once with warm water. Add herbs, rice, prunes (including the water it was soaked in), salt and black pepper to meat balls. Mix well and cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes.

[Asalbanoo]

Ingredients: (4 servings)
basmati or long-grain rice, 200 grams
herbs (parsley, mint, coriander, spring-onion ends), 1 kg
ground lamb or beef, 500 grams
split peas, 3 spoons
pomegranate paste, one glass
marjoram, 2 spoons
mint, one spoon
onions, 4 large
cooking oil
salt
black pepper

Directions:
Peel and slice two onions and fry in oil until slightly golden. Add 4-5 glasses of hot water, split-peas, salt and pepper and cook over low heat for about 10 minutes. Wash rice and add to the aash. Cook for another 15-20 minutes.
Peel and grate two onions. Add to meat with salt and pepper and mix well. Shape into small balls and add to the aash. Wash herbs, chop finely, add to the aash, and cook for another 15-20 minutes. Add in pomegranate paste and marjoram (if fresh marjoram is used, it should be finely chopped). Mix well and cook for a few more minutes.
Fry mint in oil for a few minutes (if fresh mint is used, it should be finely chopped before frying). Add mint on top of the aash and serve.

[Asalbanoo]

Ingredients: (4 servings)
turnip, 500 grams
long grain or basmati rice, 100 grams
ground lamb or beef, 200 grams
onions, 2 large
split peas, 50 grams
turmeric, 1/2 teaspoon
mint, 100 grams fresh or 2 teaspoons dried
cooking oil
salt
black pepper

Directions:
Mix ground meat with grated onions, salt and black pepper. Shape into small balls, and fry in oil until color changes. Add 4-5 glasses of hot water and split peas and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
Wash turnip and rice. Peel turnip and cut into a few pieces. Add both to aash. Also add turmeric, salt and black pepper. Mix well and cook over low heat for about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
If using fresh mint, wash and chop finely. Fry mint in oil over medium heat for 2-3 minutes and pour over aash when serving.

[Asalbanoo]

Ingredients: (4 servings)
reshteh, 400 grams (reshteh is similar to spaghetti in shape and should be obtained in Iran or from an Iranian store)
herbs (parsley, spinach, dill, coriander, and spring-onion ends, in equal amounts), 1 kg
chick-peas, 150 grams
black-eye beans, 150 grams
lentils, 150 grams
dried mint, 4 spoons (or 200 grams of fresh mint)
medium onions, 4
kashk, two glasses (kashk is thick whey and should be obtained in Iran or from an Iranian store)
flour, 2 spoons
cooking oil
salt
black pepper


Directions:
Soak chick-peas, black-eye beans, and lentils in warm water for about two hours. Peel and thinly slice onions. Fry in oil until slightly golden. Save half of the fried onions for later use. Add chick-peas, black-eye beans, lentils, salt, and pepper to onions. Add 2-3 glasses of hot water and cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes. If necessary, additional hot water should be added while cooking.
Wash and finely chop the herbs. Add to the mix, and continue cooking over medium heat for about 15 minutes. Dissolve flour in a glass of cold water, add in, and mix well. Add reshteh and cook over low heat for 10-15 minutes. Strands of reshteh should remain intact and uncut. Remove the mix from heat, and pour kashk evenly over it. Add fried onions on top.
Fry dried mint in oil for a few minutes. (If fresh mint is used, wash and finely chop it, then fry in oil.) Also add fried mint on top of Aash-e Reshteh and serve.

[Asalbanoo]

Mirza Ghasemi (Baademjaan Ghasemi)

Ingredients: (6 servings)
8 small seedless eggplants
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
4 eggs
2 medium tomatos
1/3 cup of cooking oil
salt
black pepper

Directions:
Bake the eggplants in oven until cooked. This occurs when the eggplants swell and the skin bursts. Take eggplants out of oven and let them cool down slightly. Peel them and cut the hard tops. Cut into small pieces.
Bring water to boil in a small pot. Cook tomatos in boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Drain the pot and let cool slightly. Peel them and cut into small pieces.
Fry garlic in oil over medium heat until golden. Add eggplants and fry further for 3-4 minutes. Add tomatos, salt and pepper and fry until the excess water is gone.
Beat eggs well with a fork and fry separately until half-cooked. Add to eggplants, mix and fry further for 1-2 minutes. Can be served with white rice or Iranian bread. This is a delicious dish from a region by the Caspian sea in northern Iran.