Happy Nowruz! A Basic Guide to Celebrating Persian New Year!

For those who are interested in learning about the ancient Persian New Year celebration, this post is a simple and brief step-by-step guide on how to prepare for Nowruz from before, during, and after the Sal-e Tahvil (Vernal Equinox). It may be somewhat late to write about these tips now, but I hope future readers will find them useful.

Events leading up to Nowruz:

• Khaneh Tekani: Cleaning your house from top to bottom, to renew and revive your home in time for the Nowruz celebrations. When to start your khane tekani depends on what you plan to do. It may take several hours or several days, depending on the number of rooms, how thorough you want to clean, and how much time you have.  For more information, please see the following links: Spring Cleaning Iranian style and Spring Cleaning.
• Growing Sabzeh: The best time to grow your seeds is about two weeks before Nowruz. It takes about two weeks to have a beautiful sabzeh. It may not turn out to be a tall sabzeh, but it will have a better chance of lasting longer until Sizdah Bedar. However, if you prefer a long sabzeh on your haft-seen table, start your seed germination a few days earlier.  For more information, please see the link on growing sabzeh.
• Making Samanoo: Samanoo (wheat pudding)
• Chahar Shanbeh Suri:  Chahar Shanbeh Suri is celebrated on the eve of the last Tuesday of the year, where small bonfires are made, and people jump over the fire while singing, "Zardi-e man az to, Sorkhi-e to az man" (my sickness and problems are all yours, and your warmth and energy are mine). Please see the following link for more information on Chahar Shanbeh Souri and Aji Chaharshanbeh Souri.
• Buying New Clothes: Buying new clothes and shoes for the children is part of the Nowruz tradition. 
• Eidi:  Remember to set aside eidi for the children. They usually receive gifts or a small sum of money from their parents and close relatives, such as grandparents, aunts, and uncles. 
• Sofreh Haft-Seen: Gather everything you'll need for your haft-seen spread, including the seven items that start with the letter seen (S) in Persian, Spring flowers (Hyacinth, tulips), a mirror, a candle, goldfish, sweets, and ajil (mixed nuts). For more information, please see the following link on haft-seen and preparing for Nowruz.

Sal-Tahvil 

• Gathering around the Haft-Seen Table: At the exact time of the vernal equinox, gather around your beautiful haft seen table with your children in their new outfits and celebrate the arrival of the new year and the rejuvenation of nature.
• Nowruz Lunch or Dinner: The traditional Nowruz menu includes sabzi polow mahi, sabzi polow, mahi, kookoo/kuku sabzi, and reshteh polow.

After the Sal-Tahvil

• Did o Bazdid: During the 13 days of Nowruz celebration, it is customary to visit your close family members and relatives starting with the eldest and the closest, and they too visit you back in your home. Have your fruit platter, ajil, sweets, and freshly brewed tea ready!
• Sizdah Bedar: Spending a day outdoors on the 13th day of Farvardin (the first month of the Iranian solar calendar) with family and friends to get rid of bad luck. Please see the following link on Sizdah Bedar.

I would like to share some of the pictures I took of our half-seen table the other day. I wish you all a very happy Persian New Year! May the new year bring you peace, tranquility, health, and happiness.

Sabzeh: Representing rebirth and fertility.

Senjed (Dried Fruit of the Lotus Tree): Representing love

Seer (Garlic): To ward off bad omens

Sekkeh (Coins): Representing wealth and prosperity

Somagh (Sumac): Representing the spice of life

Samanoo (wheat pudding): Representing the reward of patience and the sweetness of life

 Sonbol (Hyacinth): Representing spring

Seeb (Apple): Representing natural beauty and health

Tokhm-e Morgh Rangi (painted eggs): Representing Fertility

Narenj (Seville Orange) in Water: Representing the Earth floating in space

(I used an orange)

Mahi Ghermez (Goldfish): Representing life

Noghl (sugar coated almonds)

Faal-e Hafez

Happy Persian New Year! Happy Spring!

Mahi - Fish (Fried, Smoked or Baked) Persian New Year's Day Lunch/Dinner

A traditional Nowruz lunch or dinner always includes a platter of sabzi polow (mixed herb rice) served with ماهی mahi (fish). The fish is usually served either doodi (smoked or salted) or sorkh kardeh (pan-fried). 

Iran is home to many varieties of fish from Darya-ye Khazar (Caspian Sea) in the north and khalij-e Fars (Persian Gulf) in the south, and each region has its own local favorites. In the past, any delicate seafood from these coastal regions rarely reached the Caspian Sea or the Persian Gulf, and would not have traveled far without spoiling. Unlike today, when most ingredients are available year-round, fresh seafood was once a rare luxury for those living away from the coasts. To preserve fish and shrimp, Iranians relied on salting, smoking, and drying long before the invention of modern refrigeration. 

Ancient Persians were remarkably innovative: as early as 400 BC, they had developed yakhchals (ice-pits), mud-brick domes used to store ice and food through the heat of summer.

Among the most prized fish for the Nowruz feast is ماهی سفید mahi sefid (whitefish) from the Caspian Sea region. Its popularity has spread throughout Iran thanks to modern refrigeration, which makes it accessible across the country. Though mahi sefid is known for its many bones, its pin bones are easy to remove. For this recipe, I've chosen three types of fish with three different preparation methods.

The most important Nowruz tradition in our home growing up, besides gathering around the haft-seen table in our new clothes at the time of sal-e tahvil (spring equinox), was the Nowruz lunch! My father, who never liked fish of any kind, would bring a large mahi doodi (smoked whitefish) and also some sort of fresh local mahi jonoob (fish from the south). He liked his Nowruz whitefish pan-fried, brown and crispy, and it was always served with sabzi polow and kookoo sabzi. Here's another recipe for kookoo sabzi with walnuts, and also my first recipe for sabzi polow mahi.

1- Mahi Sorkh kardeh - Fried Fish

Ingredients

Serves 4

-4 pieces (2lb) flounder fillets, or any fish of your choice, scales/skin removed
-1/3 cup all-purpose flour
-1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves, crushed
-Salt and black pepper to taste
-1/4 teaspoon red pepper powder 
-1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 
-A pinch of turmeric powder 
-2 tablespoons butter
-1/4 cup olive oil
-2 limes or a large narenj (Seville orange)

Method:

1. Rinse fish under cold water and pat dry.
2. Season the fillets with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and dried fenugreek leaves.
3. In a large frying pan, melt the butter and add the oil on medium-high heat. 
4. In a bowl, combine the flour with a small amount of turmeric. Lightly coat the fillets in the flour mixture, shaking off any excess before placing them in the hot pan. Fry the fish on both sides until golden brown and crispy.
5. Remove from heat and transfer to a serving platter. Squeeze fresh lime juice or juice of a Seville orange over the fish.

Serve with sabzi polow (mixed herb rice), salad, and torshi.

***

If you find smoked fish to be too salty, simply rinse it under cool running water for a few minutes and pat it dry. I like to wrap smoked fish in aluminum foil with a handful of fresh and dried herbs, then bake it for 10-12 minutes.

2- Mahi Doodi - Smoked Whitefish

Ingredients:

-2 pounds smoked whitefish
-1 tablespoon flour,
-1 tablespoon dried dill weed
-1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves
-A few sprigs of fresh parsley, dill, and chives, finely chopped
-1-2 limes
-Olive oil

Method:

1. Squeeze the limes all over the fish, inside and out.
2. In a small bowl, combine the flour and dried herbs. Rub the mixture inside the fish cavity.
3. Fill the fish with fresh herbs and drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil inside.
4. Wrap the fish in foil and place it in a preheated 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-12 minutes.

Serve with sabzi polow (mixed herb rice), salad, and torshi.

***

This salmon recipe is from my late mother, who never quite liked the taste of salmon and its pink color. To her, salmon always looked raw! That's why she preferred to pan-fry it first and then bake in the oven to ensure that it was fully cooked.

3- Salmon - Pan Fried and Oven-baked

Ingredients

Serves 4

-2 pounds salmon fillet, rinse under cold water, pat dry, and cut into smaller serving-size pieces
-1-2 tablespoons dried dill weed
-1teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves
-1/4 teaspoon red pepper powder (optional)
-Salt and black pepper to taste
-2 garlic cloves. finely minced
-Olive oil
-2 limes or a large narenj (Seville orange)

Method:

1. Season the salmon with dried herbs, red pepper, salt, and black pepper.
2. In a heavy skillet, heat 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil on medium-high heat.
3. Lightly fry the salmon fillets on both sides for a few minutes.
4. Transfer the fish into an ovenproof dish. You may line the bottom of the pan with thin slices of lime and place the salmon fillets on top.
5. Add the minced garlic, drizzle a bit more olive oil over the fish, and bake in a preheated 350 degrees Fahrenheit oven for about 15-20 minutes or until the salmon is cooked through.
6. Remove from the oven and squeeze fresh lime or Seville juice over the fish before serving.

Serve with sabzi polow (mixed herb rice), salad, and torshi.

Enjoy! Nowruz Mobarak!