Zereshk polo.. Barberry pilaf

This pilaf looks really elegant and mouth watering,  t is served in most ceremonies either  wedding parties , funerals  or family gatherings, I like barberry   a lot, it s grown in  northeast of Iran  in  southern Khorasan  province, the land of saffron and barberry...Iranian barberry is seedless and the best in the world  therefore it s the best choice to dry and use it for  cooking as an additive. 

servings:  4 

ingredients:

 3 cups  long grain  rice 

2 table spoons butter....3 table spoons  vegetable oil

1 cup dried barberry

2 table spoons grated orange zest

500-750 gr  chicken .or.. u can use legs and chicken breast..I usually  halve chicken breast.. for example 2 legs and  2 halved chicken breasts.

1 large onion peeled, sliced in circles, 

2 table spoons  orange zest

ground black pepper and salt

2 table spoons  pistachio flakes

 water

  1 tea spoon      saffron

2 table spoon tomato paste 

a pinch of cinnamon 

1 or 2 table spoons  lime juice ....based on your own taste if  you like sour taste or semi sour)

  Direction

  

TIP :

if you are using Iranian long grain rice.. .soak it at least  2-4 hours AHEAD.  .. 4 hours timing or even more  is very  ideal... for any type of rice:  first wash it by running warm water  until  draining water becomes clear , after washing   rice , soak it in  a bowl of salty water..for Iranian rice  add 3 tablespoons  of salt to the water and let it soak for  2-4 hours ... using less salt for soaking Basmati rice would have a better result...(soaking time for Basmati rice: 1 hour  

1- In a heavy sauce pan or pot  bring  9 cups of water to a boil , drain the soaked rice  and add  it to the boiling water... reduce the heat to the medium heat to stop boiling ...

TIP:
 you can add a table spoon of white vinegar to the boiling water , this will preserve the white and pearly color of the rice.

drain the rice after 7 mins( for basmati ) 4 mins for iranian rice.....this part is very important  because you should watch the rice carefully to not
over cook it, the rice grains should be  half cooked or barely cooked NOT FULLY cooked. try one or two grains to see if it is ready.

try and test the rice to see if it is salty or not, if it s salty stream water over the drained rice , don't rinse rice thoroughly...just that  much to dissolve the extra salt

rinse the sauce pan or pot  you  parboiled rice,add 1 table spoon of canola oil or butter in the pan and arrange the already  peeled and sliced potatoes on the bottom of the pot,
then  place  the parboiled rice over the potato slices....mound it  to form a pyramid...and  pour1 table spoon melted butter  plus 1 or 2 table spoons vegetable oil. over the rice. wrap the pan's lid with a clean towel  and cover the pan with the lid to absorb  steam.

2-while the rice is cooking  prepare  chicken ..you can cook chicken in  the oven  or in a pan over the  medium heat ...add chicken, 1 table spoon oil of your own choice  it can be olive oil ,canola oil , grape seed oil or even butter.. sliced  onions,  a pinch of salt, black pepper  , cinnamon  .. to make a tomato paste sauce :   dissolve  saffron powder in small cup of  boiling water , cover the  cup with a suitable lid  and set it aside, then dissolve  2 table spoons of tomato paste in a cup of water, add lime juice and 1 table spoon of prepared saffron  to the sauce.. pour the sauce over the chicken,  cover the pan with  aluminum foil and cook it in the oven until chicken is cooked through......

3- wash  dried barberries, heat a table spoon of  veg oil or  butter over medium heat in a  suitable frying pan , add dried barberries plus  one table spoon of finely ground white sugar and pistachio flakes   in to a pan,  stir-fry  for about 2 mins only , 

4- in a small sauce pan bring water to a boil...add orange zest to the boiling water . reduce the heat  and let it simmer for 2 or 3 mins ..drain them  and repeat the procedure again until orange zests taste sweet  ... this will  sweeten the zest...I prefer to stir fry them too for a min.  as well.

when ready to serve, take 2 spatulas full of rice and gently fold  in  prepared barberries , pistachio flakes and  saffron  

 place a layer of white  rice on the large serving platter, and spread the mixture of  barberry and saffroned  rice over the white rice ..finally sprinkle orange zests over the rice.... then  serve it with chicken .... enjoy!

Loobiya Polow( pilaf), fresh green bean pilaf

Pilaf  is always queen of all dishes  for all Iranians, we have numbers of different pilafs from different regions of Iran, from north of Iran where they grow the best rice  in the whole world...(.believe me I am not boasting it, Iranian rice has got special aroma which you can never find in any other type of basmati  rice, ) to south of Iran , I am sure you have heard of chelo kabab...now what is chelo ? is pilaf and chelo the same or they are different?
surely they are different cuisines, chelo is steamed plain rice   served with different types of stew(khuresh) or kebabs..
Pilaf or polow...is steamed rice mixed with additions such  as vegetables seasoned  in various type of broth or meat.  The addition is cooked and prepared   separately than rice. .and it is added to the rice layer by layer..to be steamed  with rice in the same pot...
Here you can find one of my favorites :

ingredients:

500 gr    rice ( long grain rice.....you can find imported Iranian rice  or use  Basmati  rice)

 400 gr ground  beef or lamb I  prefer lamb)

1 large or 2 medium onions ....finely chopped or  I  minced it to mix with  meat

500  gr  fresh  green beans......cut into small pieces ...as you see in the picture(1 cm pieces)

2 teaspoons  turmeric
1 teaspoon  Cinnamon
1 tea spoon  edible rose petals (it s better to powder dried petals)/ if you don't have dried petal rose you can use Iranian rose water, note that  rose water is different than  rose essence..... never use  its essence

dried edible rose petal

salt to taste ..I advise you to watch your salt intake....it should be only 4 grams daily....or even less than it
4 table spoons tomato paste
 1 table spoon   flour
 1 tea spoon black pepper..
a pinch of ground nutmeg
oil .and butter .. I think  the amount of  oil we use in  cooking   is optional and depends on our diet.
 1 large potato  peeled and sliced

direction:

  if you are using Iranian long grain rice.. .soak it at least  2-4 hours AHEAD.  .. 4 hours timing or even more  is very  ideal... for any type of rice:  first wash it by running warm water  until  draining water becomes clear , after washing  soak it in  a bowl of salty water..for Iranian rice  add 3 tablespoons  of salt to the water and let it soak for  2-4 hours ... using less salt for soaking Basmati rice would have a better result...(soaking time for Basmati rice: 1 hour 
..................................................................................................................................................................
 cook or steam- cook green beans  after cutting them  into small pieces ...don't over cook them..
  meanwhile mix ground beef or lamb with finely chopped onion, 1 table spoon of flour, black pepper and nutmeg..add a pinch of salt to taste....knead the mixture well ..then make a small meatballs

3- spray oil onto a large sauce pan and brown  the meatballs..

add the cooked beans into the meat...and fry  for about 5mins..

 add turmeric, cinnamon , dried petal rose  powder and tomato paste ...stir the mixture for about 2 mins
... then add a glass of water  and simmer  the mixture for about 15 minutes over the medium heat 
TIP:
rose water should  be added into the  mixture in the last minutes of cooking the meat and beans mixture to preserve its aroma .(substitution for edible rose petals)

meanwhile,  in a heavy sauce pan or pot  bring  9-10 cups of water to a boil , drain the soaked rice  and add  it to the boiling water... reduce the heat to the medium heat to stop boiling ...

TIP:
 you can add a table spoon of white vinegar to the boiling water , this will preserve the white and pearly color of the rice.

drain the rice after 7 mins( for basmati ) 4 mins for iranian rice.....this part is very important  because you should watch the rice carefully to not
over cook it, the rice grains should be  half cooked or barely cooked NOT FULLY cooked. try one or two grains to see if it is ready.

try and test the rice to see if it is salty or not, if it s salty stream water over the drained rice , don't rinse rice thoroughly...just that  much to dissolve the extra salt.

rinse the sauce pan or pot  you  parboiled rice, pour 2 table spoons of canola oil in the pan and arrange the already  peeled and sliced potatoes on the bottom of the pot,
then  place a layer of the parboiled rice over the potato slices, add a layer of  the addition over the rice layer  (green beans and meatballs mixture) , repeat it alternatively, ( the last layer must be rice) ..mound it  to form a pyramid...and  pour 2 table spoons melted butter over the rice...or vegetable oil

wrap the lid of the pot with a clean towel to absorb the steaming drops.

place the pot  over moderate heat  15 to 20 minutes or until grains are tender.

 I hope you enjoy loobiya polow,   noosh-e Jaan...noosh olsun......

Stuffed cabbage leaves

Do you like cabbage? I have seen many people making  any possible yet not sensible excuses to discard cabbage off  their menu and meals. I used to make  the weirdest  excuses to escape meals made by any type of cabbage, a few years ago I found   that most kind of cabbages  consist of beneficial  health factors that I  couldn't ignore them at all , since then I started to train myself to eat cabbage..cabbage can be eaten  either in raw form in salads or cooked, here you can find a very good article on cabbage ..I suggest you to read it completely .  



 Today  was one of my cabbage days...I made this dolma or in farsi we call it dulmeh..I made it veggie style,

ingredients:

1 big cabbage ..you need to choose a very special cabbage   the cabbage leaves should be not too hard  to break or not too soft ....

filling:
2 medium size onions  finely chopped
1/2 cup small or medium grain  rice
1/2 cup halved  chick peas (soak them  in water for a few hours , drain them  and cook for 10 mins   )

(Alternative: bulgur wheat  or you can use both of them  together)
1/2 cup celery ...washed and chopped
1/2 cup cilantro (coriander)  washed and chopped
1/2 cup  chopped fresh dill 
1/2 cup chopped leek      .... I always use persian leek..
1 table spoon  dried mint leaves...
 1 table spoon  tomato paste
 2 tea spoon turmeric
 pepper and salt to taste
2 table spoon canola oil+ 1 table spoon butter
...............................................
2 table spoon vinegar
2 table spoon  maple syrup or you can use golden /corn syrup
2 table spoon sumac  .. optional  if you like your dulma  to taste something between sour and sweet...

1 cup chicken broth (optional) you can use water only

direction:

First prepare the stuffing. saute chopped onions in canola oil and butter ..

...in a mixing bowl . combine all the ingredients for the filling, use your hand to blend them well,   set aside.

Meanwhile, prepare the cabbage leaves, Fill a large sauce pan with water and bring it to a  boil, cut the core of the cabbage and pull off the leaves , plunge green cabbage leaves to the boiling water , after 5 mins or until  the leaves soften, usually 5 mins is enough, drain the leaves on a suitable  colander and run  cold water through them.

 
Tips:you may  add salt to the boiling water too


place the soften cabbage leaves on a plate and cut them into rectangular form. ,.rectangular size is optional  I like it  narrow and small to make  slim cabbage rolls)
 

place about 1 table spoon of stuffing in any side of teh  cutout leaves and then roll them tightly.

Arrange the damaged leaves on the bottom of the  stew pan or a medium size sauce pan then place the cabbage rolls on top ..close together,  make several layers,

TIPS:

now dissolve tomato paste in 2 table spoon  hot water, add it into mixture of vinegar and syrup and 1 cup of chicken broth or water, pour the mixture over the  cabbage rolls,  in case you wish to add some sour taste to the dulma, in  a small sauc epan  bring  a glass of water to  a boil and add  sumac and let it simmer on a medium/low heat for about 5 mins or more ..be careful to not  boil the mixture of sumac and water at this stage)..then drain the sumac and keep the water....because we need the reminaing water. not the sumac itself...add the sour water to the liquid mixture.....

The liquid part poured over the rolls   should come to a little less than half of the rolls, but not more since  the rolls will release their own juice either, after that  put a heat resistant plate on the rolls to keep them tightly close together, place  pan's lid and bring to boil, then reduce the heat to low or medium  to simmer until the cabbage leaves are tender enough and filling is cooked.


Noosh-e  jaan... Noosh olsun,  enjoy it...

First step

I do not think that there is someone  who doesn't know cooking, any one who can boil  an egg  he /she can be a good cook  too!!! don't you think so? 

what really made  me create this blog was that I found Iranian dishes  oppressed by Iranians themselves, they have not represented   Iranian cuisines to the world  in suitable way. 

" have you ever tried any Iranian food?"    ..." Oh  yes chelo kabab was wonderful."   ... chelo kabab  and chelo kabab... 

so stay tuned with me  to get some delicious Iranian food recipes step by step  from different regions of Iran.