Mast-o-Moosir with Chips and Crudités

موسیر Moosir (Allium stipitatum) is a native plant that grows wild across Iran's Zagros Mountains. Its white oval bulbs are harvested, peeled, thinly sliced, and dried. Outside of Iran, moosir can be difficult to find, though dried moosir is available in Persian or Middle Eastern markets and online. 

This traditional and refreshing dish combines yogurt with chopped moosir. It's also used in torshi makhloot (mixed vegetable pickles). With a subtle garlic-like flavor that is milder than garlic itself, moosir brings a distinctive taste to Persian cuisine. 

Mast-O-Moosir (Yogurt with Persian Shallots)

Ingredients

Serves 4-6 

-3 cups thick yogurt (preferably whole milk)

-1 cup dried moosir, rinsed well, soaked in water 5-6 hours (changing the water a few times), drained and finely chopped

-Salt and black pepper to taste

-Garnish: dried rose petals, dried mint

Method

1. In a large bowl, combine the yogurt and finely chopped moosir, season with salt and pepper.
2. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
3. Garnish with dried rose petals and dried mint. 

Serve with potato chips, pita chips, or a platter of fresh vegetables such as cucumber, celery, carrots, broccoli, and radishes. It also makes a delicious side dish.

Enjoy!

Ode to Choghondar (Beets) + Recipes for Laboo and Kookoo Barg-e Choghondar (Beet Greens)

One wintry day long ago, during one of our trips to Tehran, I remember accompanying my mother as she went all over town running errands and shopping. It was getting late and we were hurrying to get home before dark when my mother stopped at a دکه ی لبو فروشی - dakeh-ye laboo forooshi (street vendor stand selling beets). Many large, glazed purple/red beets were stacked neatly with some floating in their juice on a large tray. How do they make such simple and inexpensive street food so delicious? There must be an ancient secret recipe among the beet vendors in Iran - one that I would really love to get my hands on. Biting into a perfectly sweet, tender, and warm laboo in the snow after a seemingly endless day was especially gratifying. لبو/ چغندرپخته Choghondar pokhteh/Laboo (cooked beets) happens to be one of Iran's popular street foods throughout the winter months. And this recipe brings the cherished memories of my youth back home in Iran.

چغندر - Choghondar (beet) is highly nutritious, low in calories, quite versatile and has a gorgeous color. Beets can be thinly sliced or grated raw into salads, steamed, boiled, or baked. Beets can also be used in both sweet and savory dishes. Those who love the earthy taste of beets can enjoy them throughout the year since they're always available in the market.

I have tried various ways of preparing beets. The simplest one is to roast them until tender and just serve them plain. Beets have a very high sugar content and there's really no need to add any sugar/sweeteners. However, I am on a quest to achieve the delicious and flavorful taste of the laboo I had in Iran.

I like to add honey for sweetness to the dish. You can use table sugar, brown sugar, or honey, whichever you prefer and you can adjust the sweetness to your liking. In addition, adding a good squeeze of lemon juice will enhance the color as well as the flavor of beets. For this recipe, I peeled and sliced them before cooking. You can cook beets whole instead of slicing them. Just remember that beets stain everything and you may want to wear gloves while peeling and slicing them.

Laboo - Beets

Ingredients:
Serves 4-6 

4 medium-sized beets, trimmed, peeled, sliced
2 teaspoons white sugar or brown sugar or honey (I used raw unfiltered honey), use more if you like.
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Water

Optional garnish: chopped pistachios, sliced almonds

Method:

1. Place the beets in a large heavy saucepan. Add enough water to cover the slices by 2 inches, bring to a boil for 2-3 minutes over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and cook for about 30 minutes.
2. Add the lemon juice and honey, cover, and simmer over low heat for another 10-15 minutes or until beets are tender and glazed. Make sure there is some liquid left in the bottom of the pan.

To serve place the beets in a deep serving platter, pour 2-3 tablespoons of the remaining liquid over them. Sprinkle with almonds and pistachios and serve immediately as a side dish or snack.

Beetroot greens (leaves and stems) also have nutritional value and can be substituted into most recipes that call for spinach. It can be added to ash reshteh, kookoo sabzi, or even ghormeh sabzi for a great flavor variation. After I cooked the beets I decided it was about time to make a dish just using its greens, the under-appreciated and often discarded barg-e choghondar, and that's how this beautiful and delicious کوکوبرگ چغندر kookoo barg-e choghondar was created.

Kookoo Barg-e Choghondar - Beet Greens Kookoo (leaves and stems)

Ingredients:

Serves 4-6

2 cups beet leaves, chopped (I gave them a quick rough chop)

2 cups beet stems, chopped

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

4 eggs

1 tablespoon flour

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

A pinch of cumin *optional

A pinch of cayenne pepper *optional 

Vegetable oil

Method:

1. In a medium frying pan heat 2-3 tablespoons of oil, add onions, and saute over medium-high heat until light golden brown. Add turmeric powder and garlic, saute for another 2-3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove fried garlic and onion from oil, set aside.
2. In a large bowl whisk the eggs until well mixed.
3. Add the green beet leaves, red stems, fried onion, garlic, flour, salt, pepper, cumin, and cayenne. Mix thoroughly.
4. In a large skillet heat 3 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat, gently pour in the mixture. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 35-40 minutes. There's no need to turn them over. This way they'll maintain their gorgeous color and fresh rustic look.

Serve warm or room temperature with warm bread, salad, mast o khiar, and torshi.

As I am sure many of you may already know, since I have already shared the news on my Facebook and Instagram page, I was recently chosen by Yahoo Food as their blogger of the week. The following three recipes: Zucchini and Yogurt Salad, Fesenjoon, and Khoresh-e Karafs were featured during the week along with a Q&A. I am truly honored and delighted.

Enjoy!

Iranian Movie Inspired Menu

In recent years, I have developed an increasing appreciation for Iranian movies that began after watching the very touching movie باشوغریبه کوچک - Bashu, the Little Stranger for the first time. It was a movie that was like no other Iranian movie I'd seen before. It tells the story of a boy who loses his family in the war in the southern region of Khuzestan and runs away on the back of a truck to a village up north in Gilan, Iran. Since Bashu, I have viewed and enjoyed countless Iranian films. However, for this post, I have only selected some of my all-time favorites and I paired each with carefully chosen dishes I thought would fit the mood of the film based on the script or the characters. Since it has been an ongoing film awards season and the 2014 Oscars will be on this Sunday, I thought this would be the best time to write about some of my favorite Iranian movies and to match them with delicious recipes. I think it's fun eating tasty and healthy foods while viewing movies with friends and family at home or at a dine-in theater.

I grew up in a tiny town in Khuzestan and we had no TV set or TV reception. However, there were three small movie theaters scattered about, and going to the movies was one of the very few things we did for fun, especially during the hot summertime. My parents would prefer to take us to the movies with them than to leave us home alone. Any films they saw, good or bad, we saw as well. I remember sitting next to my mother watching Fellini's film, 8 1/2, and being bored out of my mind and totally confused. Of course, there were no movie ratings back then prohibiting kids to watch certain movies. When there was a scary or inappropriate scene in the movie, my mother would cover my eyes or shout چشماتو ببند cheshmato beband (close your eyes). One of the highlights of going to the movies during the summer was eating as we watched the film in the outdoor movie theater. On those nights we would sit in the last row by the exit waiting for our food to arrive, which was usually a platter of kabob koobideh on taftoon bread. I think that was the best part of going to the movies back then.

The following movies are not listed in any particular order. I love every single one of these movies equally and I would highly recommend watching them if you haven't seen them already. If you have not seen any of the movies please do not read any further as there might be some spoilers. Spoiler alert!

Close-Up (1990)

 نمای نزدیک - Close-Up, is a docu-fiction about a man who passes himself as the Iranian film director Mohsen Makhmalbaf and dupes an unsuspecting family into acting in his new movie at their own home. At the end of the movie, I had mixed emotions toward Sabzian (the main character). At first, I wanted him to be prosecuted and put behind bars, and then at the same time I wanted to take him home, cook him some dinner and listen to his stories. The innate human need of wanting to be respected and  recognized got the best of him and he chose a rather deceitful approach toward gaining admiration and acknowledgement. The best scene is when he walks out of the courthouse and meets the real Makhmalbaf. Priceless! Close-Up was directed and produced by Abbas Kiarostami. 

Menu suggestion: Dizi or Abgoosht Bozbash, Sabzi Khordan, Torshi, yogurt, warm bread, and tea

Dizi

Abgoosht

 Where is the Friend's Home? (1987)

 خانه دوست کجاست ؟ -  Where is the Friend's Home? This movie is about a boy who gets home from school and finds out that he took his classmate's notebook home by mistake. He sets out on a mission to try and return his classmate's book because if his classmate does not hand in his homework on time he will be expelled. This boy's kindness and empathy seem so genuine and touching throughout the film that you forget this is only a movie. We all need a friend like that! This movie is written and directed by Abbas Kiarostami.

Menu Suggestion: Gozlemeh, Tas kabab, Sabzi Khordan, Borani Esfenaj, Shole zard,  Chai and Ajil

Gozlemeh

Tas Kabab

Ajil

Taste of Cherry (1997)

طعم گیلاس - Taste of Cherry is another great film by Abbas Kiarostami. This is an intense story of a man driving around looking for someone to bury him under a tree after he kills himself. I remember after watching this movie I could not stop talking about it for the next few days. It brought out a lot of emotions in me. As much as I love this movie, the superb acting, small conversations, the ending, and even all the scenes driving on the dirt roads, I don't think I'll be able to watch it again any time soon.

Menu Suggestion: Khoresh Gheymeh, Polow-Rice, Mast o Khiar, Halva, and Chai

Halva

Chai

The White Balloon (1995)

باد کنک سفید -  The White Balloon, is the story of a little girl's quest to buy goldfish just in time for the Persian New Year - Nowruz. This film was directed by Jafar Panahi and written by Kiarostami. We went to see this movie with another couple and their children and we took our two daughters with us. Soon after we arrived and sat down the movie started. As my full attention became fixated on the big screen, I noticed from the corner of my eyes that my youngest daughter, about 3-4 years old at the time, was running in between the aisles. I jumped and with a lot of - ببخشید - "excuse me's," I took a hold of her, grabbed our jackets and went outside on a cold winter day and waited for everyone else to finish watching the movie. About a year later, I got to see the whole movie without interruption. So much for taking kids to the movies like my parents!

Persian New Year Menu Ideas: Sabzi Polow, Fish (Fried, Smoked or Baked), Kookoo Sabzi, Kookoo Sabzi with Walnuts and barberries, Reshteh Polow, Javaher Polow, Ash Reshteh, Baghlava, Shirini Nargili, Toot, Shirini Keshmeshi, Sohan Asali, Nan Berenji, Ajil, Fruits, and Tea

Sabzi Polow

Kookoo Sabzi

Reshteh Polow

Chai o Sohan Asali

Children of Heaven (1997)

بچه های آسمان - Children of Heaven, The story of a poverty-stricken family struggling to make ends meet and a boy who loses his sister's shoes after offering to have it mended at the repair shop. They end up sharing his only pair of worn-out shoes. A very touching human story by the great Iranian filmmaker Majid Majidi. 

Menu Suggestion: Haleem (for breakfast), Khoresh Bademjan and Rice ( lunch), Sharbat Sekanjabin, Kotlet or Kookoo Sib zamini (dinner), Salad, Borani Laboo,

Haleem

Kookoo Sibzamini

A Separation (2011)

جدایی نادراز سیمین - A Separation, the story of a complex family drama of broken marriage involving the wife Simin who wants to leave the country, the husband Nader who wants to stay and take care of his elderly father who suffers from dementia, and the only child Termeh caught in the middle of two feuding parents. This movie won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film and was made by Iranian filmmaker, Asghar Farhadi.

Menu Suggestion: Ash Reshteh or Chicken Vegetable Soup or Barley Soup, Adas polow, Chai Babooneh

Ash Reshteh

Adas Polow

Chamomile Tea

The Past (2013)

گذشته - The Past is a French movie made by the Oscar-winning Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi. It tells the story of an Iranian man coming back to France after four years to finalize his divorce from his estranged wife. Meanwhile, his soon-to-be ex-wife is in a relationship with a man who has a son and whose wife is in a coma. 

Menu Suggestion: Ghormeh Sabzi, Polow-Rice, Joojeh Kabab, Salad Shirazi - Mast o Khiar

Ghormeh Sabzi

Salad Shirazi

*For the movie Bashu that I had mentioned in the first paragraph, I suggest the following recipes from Khuzestan and Gilan: Morgh-e Torsh, Mirza Ghasemi, Ghalih Mahi, Khoresh Bamieh, Dal Adas, Zeytoon Parvardeh,

Morgh-e Torsh

Dal Adas

Most films that I love seem to have a dramatic storyline and are either heartbreaking, sad, or tragic with most endings being unclear. However, I would like to conclude this post with مارمولک - The Lizard which I think is the most hilarious movie ever made and I have watched it many times over. By the way, there's no menu for مارمولک, you can eat anything your heart desires!

Please check out my Pinterest/Iranian Films for more great movies. Do you watch Iranian movies? Do you enjoy Persian food? What food goes well with your favorite movie?

* All Movie Posters: Wikipedia

Enjoy!

Bademjan Shekam-por - Persian Stuffed Eggplant

بادمجان شکم پر -Bademjan shekam-por is an open-faced fried eggplant stuffed with ground beef and vegetables simmered in a rich and tangy tomato-based sauce and topped with slivered almonds. This tasty eggplant dish is from the north-western region of Azerbaijan, Iran. I'd just like to point out that although the following words have a slightly different spelling and pronunciation, they all mean the same thing: بادمجان، بادمجون، بادنجان بادنجون  - bademjan, bademjoon, badenjan and badenjoon. Eggplants have been part of the Persian cuisine for hundreds of years and due to their versatility, great flavor and silky tender flesh, they have brought about many popular and well-known dishes such as khoresh bademjan, borani bademjan, kashk-e bademjan, mirza ghasemi, and torshi bademjan (pickled eggplant), just to name a few. I am always looking for new Persian eggplant recipes and I'm determined to write about every eggplant recipe I find from homes in every corner of Iran. My favorite eggplant dish, however, is still simply pan-fried unpeeled eggplant slices lightly seasoned with salt and pepper. I personally like the taste of the eggplant skin and normally I wouldn't remove it unless I'm serving guests.

According to the article about Persian Food in the Huffington Post recently, "Persian food is criminally underrepresented in America." I agree with this statement and would add that in my opinion it is often misunderstood as well. One of the misconceptions is that Persian food is not vegetarian friendly which in my opinion is not true. Aside from an array of globally known Persian kabab/kebob dishes, most if not all khoresh - stews can be prepared without meat. There are also many terrific vegetable dishes such as a variety of kookoo/kuku, borani and the hearty ash reshteh. Not to mention that there's always a platter of sabzi khordan - fresh herbs, as an accompaniment to lunch and dinner every day along with salad and torshi - pickled vegetables. Plus we eat fruits like there's no tomorrow!

For a healthier version of a traditional bademjan shekam-por, you can bake the eggplant in the oven before stuffing them or just prepare the dish the traditional way by frying the eggplants. Also, in the traditional recipe eggplant is peeled fully or partially by leaving in some stripes. The choice is yours whether to bake or fry, remove the eggplant skin or leave it intact. You may stick to a more traditional recipe or tweak it to your dietary needs and preferences. For a vegetarian variation of this dish, you may use rice instead of ground beef. Bademjan shekam-por could be served as a main dish with rice or as a side dish/appetizer.

Bademjan Shekam-por - Persian Stuffed Eggplant

Ingredients:
Serves 4

4 medium-sized eggplant, peeled in stripes using a vegetable peeler
1/2 pound ground meat (lamb or beef)
1 large onion, chopped
3 medium-sized potatoes, peeled, cubed (small)
1/2 pound fresh green beans,  trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 medium-sized firm tomatoes, 1 finely diced, 2 sliced
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/3 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cumin
A pinch of red pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
Juice of a lemon
2-3 tablespoons slivered almonds
Olive oil (extra virgin) or vegetable oil

Method:

1. In a large frying pan heat 3-4 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat, fry eggplant until golden brown. Set aside to cool.
2. In a large skillet, add enough oil to cover the bottom over medium-high heat, sauté the chopped onions until translucent. Add the minced garlic, sauté for a couple of minutes and then add the turmeric powder, stir. 
3. Add the ground beef and brown until well cooked and tender. Add the potatoes, green beans, and chopped tomatoes respectively and sauté each for a few minutes before adding another. Add cumin, red pepper, and salt and pepper to taste. Sauté all the ingredients together. Stir well and add 1/2 cup of water.  Cover and cook on medium-low heat for 40 minutes.
4. Once the eggplants are cool enough to handle, gently cut open lengthwise. Sprinkle a small pinch of salt into the eggplant and with a fork gently loosen up the inside a little bit. Generously spoon the mixture into the open eggplant and top with slivered almonds.
5. In the meantime, heat a tablespoon of oil in a large pan over medium heat, add the tomato paste to the pan, and stir well. After a couple of minutes, arrange the tomato slices in single or overlapping layers. Place the stuffed eggplant over the layered tomatoes, add a cup of hot water and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Cover and let simmer for 15-20 minutes on low heat.

To serve place the stuffed eggplant onto a platter with rice or warm bread and yogurt.

Enjoy!

Naz Khatoon - Persian Eggplant & Herb Salad with Walnuts & Verjuice - Mazandarani-Style

ناز خاتون Naz khatoon is a simple fire-roasted eggplant salad with freshly chopped aromatic and flavorful herbs, minced garlic, infused with verjuice dressing and topped with ground walnuts. I had heard of this dish in the past and all I knew was that it was a northern Iranian eggplant side dish and I was always intrigued by its name, naz khatoon. Naz (subtly coquettish) and khatoon (lady), literally meaning coquettish lady. However, it wasn't until recently that I began inquiring about it. As the saying goes in Iran, "jooyandeh yabandeh bovad" (one who searches always finds) and I finally found the recipe that I was looking for.

 A few weeks ago, a very kindhearted person that I know, who has been teaching Persian language classes on Saturdays with myself and a few other dedicated teachers, lent me a booklet on Iranian regional cooking. Luckily, in this thin old booklet I found the recipe for Naz khatoon with some information about the origin of the dish. Naz khatoon recipe is from the town of Behshahr which is also the capital of Behshahr county in Mazandaran province in the northern region of Iran along the Caspian Sea.

I tried to stay true to the original recipe but I made a few changes. The original recipe called for the use of local Behshahr basil and since that's not available here, I simply substituted the regular basil. The recipe suggests the option of using mint instead of basil. Since both herbs add a burst of flavor and aroma to any dish I decided on using both, with basil as the main herb and half a bunch of mint and flat-leaf parsley. I love the taste of verjuice and in my teens I remember coming home from school and drinking a glass of verjuice. The recipe called for half a bottle (about 2 cups) of verjuice. This amount may be adjusted to your liking. I used about 1 1/2 cups of verjuice for all the ingredients to be fully infused with it, but it may not be evident in the picture. I only used half the amount of liquid before taking photos for the blog so that the texture of the eggplant, herbs and walnuts would show. The only ingredient that was not included in the recipe but that I chose to add was a touch of olive oil before serving to make it easier on the palate.

Naz Khatoon - Persian Eggplant & Herb Salad with Walnuts & Verjuice - Mazandarani-Style

Ingredients:
Serves 4-6

3 medium-large eggplants, preferably fire-roasted (I roasted them in the oven)
1 bunch basil, finely chopped, may use a combination of both purple and green basil (I only used green basil)
1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1/2 bunch mint, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground golpar (angelica powder)
1 cup walnuts, ground
1 tablespoon abghooreh (verjuice), add more if you prefer a more sour flavor
1-2 tablespoons olive oil *optional
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Pierce the eggplant in several places with a fork. Place over medium-high fire on a stove or a grill until soft. If you are roasting the eggplant in the oven, place the pierced eggplant on a baking sheet and roast in a 400-degree Fahrenheit preheated oven for about 50 minutes or until fully cooked. Remove from the oven or the grill and allow to cool in a colander.
2. Remove the skin and chop the eggplant finely. 
3. In a large bowl, combine chopped eggplant, basil, mint, parsley, garlic, and angelica powder. Add salt to taste. 
4. Pour the verjuice over the eggplant and herb mixture. Mix well. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
5. Drizzle 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil over the salad.
6. Sprinkle ground walnuts over the salad.

Serve in a bowl with rice (kateh-style), bread, and yogurt.

Enjoy!