Yakh dar Behesht - Ice in Paradise

The other day, I sat down under the pear tree in the back of our garden to take a brief break from the intense summer heat and to also enjoy the refreshing, sweet, creamy taste of یخ دربهشت  - Yakh dar Behesht. Ice in Paradise is a rice flour and milk dessert recipe infused with cardamom and rosewater and topped with pistachios. This dessert's intriguing name is a combination of the term "yakh, " meaning "ice," "dar," meaning "in," and "behesht," meaning "paradise." According to the online Encyclopedia Iranica entry on Garden, "From the time of the Achaemenid empire, the idea of an earthly paradise spread to the literature and languages of other cultures. The Avestan word pairidaeza-, Old Persian *paridida-, Median *paridaiza- (walled-around, i.e., a walled garden), was transliterated into Greek paradeisoi, then rendered into the Latin paradisus, and from there entered into European languages, i.e., French paradis and English paradise." An ancient earthly Persian Paradise consisted of a majestic castle surrounded by lush pastures, magnificent Cypress trees, a large shimmering reflecting pool covered with water lilies, and streams gently flowing through the pomegranate trees and fragrant rose bushes.

I cannot tell you much about the origin of the name of this dish -- perhaps it was given its name by a king or a queen, or a chef with a poetic mind, or even a dinner guest with a knack for exotic names. The word pardis/paradise means different things to different people. It may remind some of us of heaven above or perhaps earthly Persian-style paradise gardens. To me, paradise is a state of mind.  It is those precious moments spent with loved ones. It's when you feel safe, at peace with yourself and your surroundings. It's those heavenly moments when you sit back, relax, and can calm the mind and the inner frenzy and treat yourself to this delicious summertime treat somewhere under the small shade of a fruit tree.

Come, come, whoever you are,
Wanderer, worshiper, lover of leaving.
It doesn't matter; ours is not a caravan of despair.
Come, even if you have broken your vows a hundred times.
Come, yet again, come, come.

~ مولوی - Rumi

Whoever comes to this place, feed them and don't ask about their faith

~ خاقانی - Khaghani

Isfahanis have a special way with desserts and food in general, and I got this recipe from my sister-in-law Shahnaz, who lives in Isfahan. According to her, Yakh dar Behesht is one of the most popular desserts there.

I changed the recipe a little bit by cutting the required amount of ingredients in half. You may adjust the sugar to your liking.

Yakh dar Behesht -Ice In Paradise

Ingredients

Serves 6-8

-1 cup rice flour
-1/4 cup wheat starch or cornstarch
-4 cups whole milk
-1 1/3 cup sugar or to taste
-1/4 cup rosewater
-1 teaspoon ground cardamom


Garnish:

-Crushed pistachios
-Shredded coconuts
-Slivered almonds
-Dried rose petals

Method:

1. In a small mixing bowl, dissolve cornstarch in 1/2 cup of cool water.
2. Pour the milk into a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, stir in rice flour, and start stirring.
3.  Add cornstarch and cardamom, whisk constantly until thickened to a pudding-like consistency.
4. Add sugar while whisking continuously until the sugar is fully dissolved. Reduce the heat, add rosewater, stir, and simmer on low heat for another 2-3 minutes. 
5. Remove from heat and pour into a large shallow glass dish, and sprinkle crushed pistachios or shredded coconuts on top. Or generously sprinkle crushed pistachios onto the bottom of the silicon molds, pour the mixture into the molds, smooth the surface, and level it out. The third option is to simply pour the mixture into individual serving bowls. 
6. Allow to cool at room temperature, cover the dish with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator for 4-6 hours or until cool and set. 

Serve cold or at room temperature.

Enjoy!

Father's Day Tribute - !کیک عشق - My Version of Persian Love Cake

A few years ago, when I was just starting to blog about the food of my heritage, I came across an image of something called a Persian Love Cake, a chiffon cake adorned with a few pink rose petals. My first reaction was: no way! How come I've never heard of this before? Where was I all that time growing up in Iran when everyone else was eating کیک عشق - cake-e eshgh? 

After my initial surprise, I realized there was no need to worry. This so-called Persian Love Cake was a modern creation, a sweet new take on the aromatic and flavorful ingredients that have long defined Persian desserts. I figured that if the combination of saffron, rose water, cardamom, and lemon zest transforms a simple cake into "love cake,"  then we Iranians have been feasting on love for centuries! 

I may have been startled to discover that there's such a thing as Persian Love Cake, but I wouldn't be surprised if Persian food, in general, were called a love cuisine. So much love goes into mastering the art of simmering stews into glorious deliciousness using fresh, seasonal ingredients, just the right amount of salt, pepper, and spice, and steaming rice to a fluffy perfection with a golden, crunchy tahdig - crust.

 I can easily call salad shirazi a love salad, fesenjoon a love khoresh, or zereshk polow a love polow, and I think we should call it a love menu!

In addition to my passion for Persian food, which is clearly evident in this very personal blog of mine, I've also developed a deep love for Persian poetry over the years. Persian poetry is as fragrant as drops of rose water in the air, colorful as saffron threads, and flavorful as cardamom nestled in its pod. That's what happens when an Iranian food blogger writes about Persian poetry! 

Among many poems that I grew up with, a few that have left an everlasting impression on me and remain my favorites to this day. I am a firm believer that love is the force that connects and holds all things together in this world, even in the darkest and most challenging times.

روزی که می گرفتند پیمان ز نسل آدم       عشق از میان ذرات در جست وجوی ما بود

~ غمام همدانی   

On the day of making a covenant with Adam's generation, "Love" among all other particles was looking for us.

My next favorite poem is a line from a tale in the book: منطق الطیر - The Conference of the Birds by Attar. It tells the story of an old woman who wanted to buy یوسف - Joseph when he was being sold to the highest bidder at a market in Egypt. All she had to offer was a handful of yarn. Knowing she couldn't afford him, she replied to the merchant's ridicule:

لیک اینم بس که چه دشمن چه دوست       گوید این زن از خریداران اوست

~ عطار

"This is enough for me, that everyone, friend or foe, will say: this woman was among his bidders."

The next poem, or rather a line of a poem, is by Hatef Esfahani, known for his ghazals (ode) and tarji-band (recurrent verse) style of poetry. However, I would like to take the liberty to say that for me this poem stands alone by itself as the best of the best to describe the mood and the feeling of someone's love and devotion. It has to be read several times to feel the rhythm and the beat embedded in the words. Perhaps, one day I'll come back to this post and write a translation for it, but so far, I am at a loss for words to capture the essence of it. Therefore, I'll leave it without the English translation. My sincere apologies.

تو کمان کشیده و در کمین که زنی به  تیرم و من غمین      همه ی غمم بود از همین که خدا نکرده خطا کنی 

~هاتف اصفهانی

I haven't written about my father as much as I have written about my mother. Perhaps because I didn't spend much time with him growing up, or rather, he didn't have much time to spend with us, always working so hard and often away from home. By the time he retired. I was long gone. Most of what I know about Baba's childhood and family history, I learned through my mother. Baba was a quiet man who had suffered from many physical ailments throughout his life.

I clearly remember my last long-distance phone conversation with Baba right before his passing. I had gotten the terrible news about my father's deteriorating condition. Devastated, I called home and asked to have a few words with him, even though I was told he couldn't speak coherently. Still, I needed to hear Baba's voice. I asked my mother to place the phone next to his ear, and I started to plead with him to say something, anything, that I just wanted to hear him. His last few words were: work on your heart and polish it into a jam-e jahan nama (a crystal globe that reflects the world). These were Baba's last words, a short message of a self-realized life lesson that spoke volumes and showed me the depth of his love for his child on his last breath, and for that alone, I am forever indebted to him.

For this recipe, I had a couple of options; the first one was the chiffon cake with rosewater icing and candied rose petals. The second option was a simple almond cake. I chose the second version simply because it tastes more like the kind of sweets I grew up with, no-frills and downright delicious. I've tweaked the recipe a little bit. Please see my Pinterest link for more Persian Love Cake recipes.

Persian Love Cake - کیک عشق پارسی

Ingredients

Serves 8

-2 1/2 cups almond flour

-1 cup all-purpose flour
-1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
-3 large eggs, room temperature

-1 cup strained yogurt

-1 cup of sugar

-1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

-1 teaspoon baking soda

-2 teaspoons baking powder

-Zest of 1 lemon/lime

-1 tablespoon rosewater

-A pinch of salt

Powdered sugar for sprinkling

-2-3 tablespoons chopped pistachios

-1 tablespoon sliced almonds
-1 teaspoon dried rose petals (crushed) 

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine almond flour, all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, butter, and a pinch of salt. Mix thoroughly by hand or pulse it a few times in a food processor.
3. Generously butter an 8-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
4. Beat the eggs lightly, then add yogurt, lemon zest, cardamom, and rosewater. Combine with the flour mixture until well blended.  
5. Pour the batter into the pan and smooth the surface with a spatula. 
6. Bake on the middle rack for 35-40 minutes or until the center is set.
7. Remove from the oven and cool completely in the pan.
8. Transfer to a serving platter and decorate with powdered sugar, chopped pistachios, sliced almonds, and rose petals on top, or however you hear desire. 
9. Serve with ice cream or fresh fruit and chai.

Enjoy! Happy Father's Day!

Persian Love Cake 

My Baba and I



Sharbat-e limoo - Lemon/Lime Sharbat

Sharbat-e limoo is a refreshing sweet and sour drink that is just perfect for hot summer days. This tangy yet sweet sharbat is one of the popular drinks served to guests in Iran. Persian sharbat are drinks made with fresh-squeezed fruit juice and sugar. A sharbat should be well-balanced and not too sweet or too sour. However, in our home, we like our شربت لیمو - sharbat-e limoo more on the tangy side.

The combination of lemon/lime juice and water has many health benefits and this refreshing lemonade/limeade is a perfect summer drink. You can adjust the amount of sugar to your liking.

Sharbat-e Limoo - Persian Limeade

Ingredients:

1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice or lemon juice  
1/2 cup sugar or honey 
3 cups water
1 cup ice
1 teaspoon lime/lemon zest *optional
2-3 drops of rosewater *optional

Method:

1. Place sugar and water in a small pan over medium-high heat. Bring to a gentle boil until the sugar dissolves completely. Set aside to cool.
2. Mix all ingredients, taste and adjust the level of sweetness to your liking, chill and serve.

Enjoy!

Halva

My mother used to make large trays of delicious halva. حلوا - This traditional Persian sweet is prepared with wheat flour, butter, sugar, and rosewater. In Iran, halva is often made for religious holidays and is customarily served after funeral services. I, however, believe that you don't need a special occasion to enjoy it. Rich and comforting, halva can also be made ahead of time and stored in the freezer. 

Persian Halva

Ingredients

For The Syrup

-1 1/2 cups sugar
-1 1/2 cups water
-1/4 cup rosewater
-1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
-1/4  teaspoon powdered saffron dissolved in 2 tablespoons of hot water

For The Halva

-2 cups whole wheat flour, sifted
-1 cup vegetable oil or unsalted butter 

For Garnish

-Slivered almonds
-Chopped pistachios
-Shredded coconuts

Method

1. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and water. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then add cardamom, saffron, and rosewater. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Place a heavy-bottom pan and dry-toast the flour over medium-low heat for 6-8 minutes, until fragrant and lightly golden. Stirring frequently.
3. Add the oil or butter to the flour. Stir continuously over low heat for 10-12 minutes, until the mixture develops a nutty aroma.   
4. Gradually pour the warm syrup into the flour mixture while stirring constantly, until fully absorbed and the halva thickens into a smooth paste. 
5. Transfer the halva to a serving platter. Flatten and smooth the surface with the back of a spoon. Garnish with slivered almonds, chopped pistachios, and shredded coconuts. 

Enjoy!