Persian Iranian Ghalieh Esfanaaj Recipes

PERSIAN / IRANIAN GHALIEH ESFANAAJ

Steps:

• Wash black-eye beans, split-peas, and lentils, and soak in warm water for 4 hours. Rinse & drain then place in a large pan with approximately 1 litre of water. Add salt and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes. About one cup of water should be left. (Add water or ladle out extra if necessary).
• Peel and grate onions. Add to ground meat with salt and black pepper, and mix well. Shape the mixture into small balls. Fry meatballs in vegetable oil over medium heat until lightly browned all over.
• Wash spinach & drain well, chop finely. Add to black-eye beans, split-peas, lentils, and meat balls, and cook over low heat for 15-20 minutes until there the pulses are soft & there is no water left. Add the pomegranate powder to the pot for the last minute of cooking.
• Wash mint and chop finely. Fry in oil for a few minutes.
• Serve Ghalieh-Esfanaaj in 4 bowls with 1/4 cup kashk & 25g of mint on the top of each. Serve with a good flat bread / taftoon etc.

ZABAAN (PERSIAN/IRANIAN BEEF & SHEEP TONGUE STEW)

Steps:

• Tongue is very tasty but takes a long time to cook.
• Wash the tongue(s) carefully.
• Add hot water and bring to a boil.
• Remove the foam that accumulates on top.
• Peel garlic cloves and onions, then slice them thinly.
• Wash herbs and chop them finely.
• Add garlic, onions, and herbs to tongue and cook over low heat for 4-5 hours, adding more hot water during cooking if necessary.
• Salt and black pepper should be added near the end of cooking.
• When tongue is cooked, there should be about one cup of water left.
• Remove tongue and peel the skin while still warm.
• Allow to cool, then cut into thin slices using a sharp knife.
• Wash and slice mushrooms, then fry in butter for a few minutes.
• Add tomato paste and tongue-juice and bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat for a few minutes.
• Serve tongue with mushrooms and some fresh parsley.
• If desired, pooreh-yeh Seeb-Zamini or Polow can also be served with tongue.

IRANIAN YOGURT AND SPINACH DIP - BORANI ESFANAAJ

Steps:

• Steam baby spinach until just wilted.
• Drain well and chop fine.
• Mince 1/2 medium clove garlic and saute in 1 tbs unrefined extra virgin olive oil, then add the chopped spinach and a pinch or two sea salt. Stir.
• Remove from stove and allow to cool, then squeeze out excess liquid.
• Toast chopped walnuts in a dry frying pan until fragrant. Be careful not to burn! Set aside to cool.
• In a bowl and the yogurt, other half minced garlic, baby spinach, and dried mint and sea salt to taste, stir gently.
• Transfer to the bowl you are serving it in (I use a shallow, round bowl) and sprinkle with toasted, chopped walnuts and a trail of unrefined extra virgin olive oil.
• Serve with lavash (flatbread from Iran) or "some crisped-up-in-the-oven whole wheat pita bread!" (Yes we don't do that being gluten free! I use more yogurt and serve this as a salad to mix with Middle Eastern rice dishes.).
• Enjoy!

AASH-E SHALGHAM

Steps:

• Mix ground meat with grated onions, salt and black pepper.
• Shape into small balls, and fry in oil until colour 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.

AAB-GOOSHT-E BAADENJAAN

Steps:

• Peel and thinly slice onions. Fry in oil until slightly golden.
• Wash split peas and fry slightly with onions.
• Cut meat into small pieces, add to onions and split peas, and fry over medium heat until colour changes.
• Add salt, black pepper, and turmeric.
• Follow with six glasses of hot water and cook over low heat for about 30 minutes.
• The pot should be covered with a tight lid so that little steam escapes during cooking.
• Peel eggplants and cut perpendicular to their major axis to a thickness of 1 cm.
• Add a bit of salt and fry in oil over medium heat on both sides until colour changes.
• Wash and peel potatoes.
• Add eggplants, potatoes, and tomato paste.
• Cook over low heat with the pot again tightly covered for another 30 minutes. If necessary, add more hot water during cooking.
• When cooked, pour the juice into another container. With the back of a fork or spoon, fully crush the ingredients and mix well.
• Serve both the ingredients and the juice separately with Iranian, middle-eastern, or pita bread.
• Rice is not served with aab-goosht.
• When eating, cut bread into small pieces and briefly soak in the juice or form morsels by wrapping a small piece of bread around some of the food.

ZOOLBIA

Steps:

• Mix starch, 1-2 spoons of sugar, and water, then add yogurt and mix well until the mixture is even and smooth.
• Heat oil in a pan until hot.
• Pour the mix through a funnel into the pan creating round lattice shapes about 5-6 cm in diameter.
• Turn heat down and fry fully on one side, then on the other.
• Mix well sugar, rose-water, and a glass of water.
• Heat until water comes to a boil, and the syrup thickens. Remove from heat.
• Soak zoolbia in the syrup for about 5 minutes, then serve.

SHOLEH-ZARD (PERSIAN/IRANIAN DESSERT)

Steps:

• Wash rice a few times until the water is clear, then drain.
• Add six times water and bring to a boil, removing the foam.
• When rice softens completely, add sugar and stir well.
• Dissolve saffron in half a cup of hot water and add to the mix.
• Heat up oil and also add to the mix.
• Add in most of the almonds and the rosewater.
• Stir well and cover.
• Cook in oven at low temperature for half an hour.
• Serve with pistachio, almond and cinnamon sprinkled on top.