Rice cooker style rice in pan

Ingredients:

1. Rice 3 cups
2. Salt 2 tsp
3. Oil 3 Tbsp

Directions:

You will need a very good and possibly new nonstick pan
Wash the rice thoroughly and drain the water.
Add 5 cups of water and salt.
Bring to boil and let it boil until almost all water is gone.
You should have a flat surface on top of rice (do not gather the rice in a middle like steamed rice that I taught before)
Make some hole and pour oil all around the parts that rice is touching the pan.
Cover lid on a piece of cloth or kitchen towel keep it tight, turn heat to low and let it steam for about 40 minutes or until a rice crust is surrounding between rice and pan.
Remove the lid put a platter upside down on the pan and turn the pan upside down in the platter.

You can serve it with any stew or even plain.
Enjoy!

Green bean meal

Ingredients:

1. Beef (chopped into cube) 1 pound
2. Green beans (cut into 2 cm pieces) 1 pound
3. Carrots (cut into pieces) ½ pound
4. Potatoes (cut into small cubes) ½ pound
5. Onion (chopped in small pieces) 1 medium
6. Tomato paste ½ Tbsp
7. Turmeric 1 tsp
8. Oil 2 Tbsp
9. Salt to taste

Directions:

Choose an appropriate pot and fry onion in 2 Tbsp of oil to turn golden brown.
Add meat stir to fry about 5-10 minutes.
Add tomato paste and turmeric and stir for another 5 minutes, add 2 cups water, bring to boil, let cook on medium heat for about 30 minutes.
Add green beans and carrots and 2 more cups of water, let cook for about an hour or until meat is cooked and tender.
Add potatoes and salt. (you may fry the potatoes and add at the end)
When potatoes are cooked your dish is done!
Enjoy!

Rice soup

Ingredients:

1. Rice 1 cup
2. Black eye pea ½ cup
3. Lentil ½ cup
4. Parsley 1 bunch (clean, wash and chop)
5. Cilantro 1 bunch (clean, wash and chop)
6. Beef broth 4 cups
7. Ground meat 8 oz (optional)
8. Turmeric 1 tsp
9. Salt to taste
10. Carrot (cut into small cubes) 1 cup (it is optional and you can add carrot half an hour before greens)

Directions:

Wash rice, black eye pea and lentil.
Add broth to them bring to boil on high heat then turn heat to medium-low.
Let them cook for a couple of hours.
Check time to time if it needs ad more broth or water.
At the end they should be fully cooked and rice grains should be almost broken and soft.
Combine ground meat with a small shredded onion and 1 tsp of salt and make some meat balls in smaller sizes and add to the boiling soup they will be cooked quickly (about 10 minutes).
In this point you add parsley and cilantro let cook only for 10 minutes.

It is a very good meal if you have a cold.
Enjoy!

Rice flour Halva

Ingredients:

Rice flour 1 cup
Sugar 1 and ½ cup
Butter (unsalted) ½ cup melted
Saffron powder ½ tsp
Rose water 2 tbsp

Directions:

Put a dry nonstick pan on heat, adds rice flour and let it fry, stir frequently until color change to golden brown.
Add butter and stir to mix.
In a bowl mix sugar, saffron and rose water with one and half cup of water and add the mixture to the pan included rice flour and butter.
Bring to boil then turn heat to medium-low let it cook for about 10 minutes or until halva turn to a paste consistency. Spread in platter and you can design on it using pistachio or almond powder or even sesame seeds.

Barberry rice with chicken (Zereshk polo morgh)

Ingredients:

Rice needs:
Rice 4 cups
Oil
Salt
Flat bread or potato slices

Barberry needs:
Barberry 1 cup
Sugar 1 Tbsp
Saffron powder ¼ tsp (soak in ¼ cup hot water for a couple of hours)
Butter or margarine ¼ stick

Chicken needs:
Chicken 8 pieces (you may cut a whole medium size chicken into 8 pieces or use 8 drum sticks)
Onion 1 small
Garlic 4 cloves
Tomato paste ½ Tbsp
Saffron powder 1/8 tsp
Salt

Directions:

Prepare rice as directed before.

Wash chicken pieces and remove their skin. Put in appropriate pot add onion, garlic and salt. Let chicken cook with 1 cup of water. (You may sauté the onion after chopping in 1 Tbsp of oil and also stir the chicken on it for a few minutes then add water and cook it)
While chicken is cooking add tomato paste and saffron.

Wash barberries and drain it. You may sauté the barberries in butter or margarine for a couple of minutes. Turn off the heat add sugar mix and set aside.

In a bowl combine about 2 spatula of cooked rice with saffron and barberries.
In a serving dish put some rice in a layer. Put chicken pieces over it again some rice,
Spread the mixture of rice, saffron and barberry over them.
Enjoy!

Potato Salad (Salad Oliviyeh)

Ingredients:

1. Potatoes 8 medium (cooked, peeled and mashed)
2. Eggs 4 medium (boiled and shredded)
3. Chicken boneless, skinless 2 cups (cooked and chopped into small cubes) 2 cups
4. Green pea (canned or cooked by yourself) 2 cups
5. Dill pickles (cucumbers pickles) finely chopped 2 cups
6. Mayonnaise (light) 1 cup
7. Yogurt 1 cup
8. Olive oil 2 Tbsp
9. Lemon or lime (juiced) 1 large
10. Salt to taste
11. Black pepper (optional)

*You may replace chicken with 1-2 cups chopped any kind of cooked ham or turkey breast (deli)

Directions:

Mix mayonnaise, yogurt, juice, olive oil and 2 tsp salt in a large bowl (add pepper if you like too)
Add other ingredients one by one and mix until are well blended.
Put in salad dish smooth the surface using a spoon you can cover the surface with a Tbsp of mayonnaise.
For garnishing you can use carrot, tomatoes, cucumbers, green peas, olives and etc.
Serve with bread and lettuce.
Enjoy!

Estamboli rice (Estamboli polo)

Ingredients:

1. Rice 4 cups
2. Beef 1 pound (chopped into cubes)
3. Onion 1 large (chopped)
4. Potatoes 4 medium (chopped into cubes)
5. Tomato paste 2 Tbsp
6. Oil ½ cup
7. Salt 1 Tbsp
8. Saffron powder ¼ tsp
9. Green peas (optional) 2 cups

Directions:

Fry onion in a nonstick pot using 3 Tbsp of oil.
Add beef chops and let them fry for a few minutes.
Add paste and fry it as well.
Add 3 cups of water and let it cook for about 45 minutes.
Wash rice and combine it with meat, after adding rice you should add water until almost ½ inch of water is over the rice.
Add salt, rest of oil and saffron, bring to boil and let it boil but before all liquid is gone add potatoes and green peas (if applicable) and stir a little bit to mix.
Try to gather the rice in the middle of pot and make some hole on it.
Cover the pot lid and keep it tight. Turn heat to low let steam 40 minutes.
This is one of my mom very special recipe and it is delicious you have to try this.
Enjoy!

Bulgur Soup or Tuesday lady soup (ashe bibi seshanbeh)

Ingredients:

1. Wheat Bulgur 2 cups
2. Combination of all beans (pinto, white, kidney, bird eye etc) and chickpea ones are available (you can also use the mix beans that you can see on grocery stores under the name of soup mix) 1 cup
3. Combination of lentil of spilt pea (yellow and/or orange) 1 cup
4. Lamb or beef cooked and finely chopped (optional) 1 cup
5. Onion 1
6. Oil 2 Tbsp
7. Salt to taste
8. Turmeric 1tsp
9. Cinnamon

Directions:

Soak bulgur in tab water for a couple of hours. Soak beans as well.
Chopped onion and fry it in 2Tbsp of oil (set aside)
With four cups of water let bulgur boil on high heat stove, when come to boil, turn temperature to low.
After half an hour add beans (no. 2 of ingredients) add water if needs again bring to boil and let cook in lower temperature.
After another 30 minutes add No. 3 of ingredients.
Add Turmeric, salt and fried onion as well.
It needs to be cooked for about 2 hours from now. Check it if needs water and stir it time to time.
You can serve it as a vegetarian soup but if you like meat taste you can add meat as you see in ingredients. It would be fine to add cooked meat anytime after adding no. 2 and
no. 3 ingredients
Serve in a bowl and use some cinnamon powder as a garnish over it. You can also pour a couple of Tbsp of oil or warm butter over the cinnamon.
It can be served with bread and can be a good lunch or even breakfast.
Enjoy!

Ground meat meal (Tataali)

Ingredients:

1. Ground lamb or beef or turkey (lamb is preferred) 1 pound
2. Potatoes 4 medium (peeled and cut into 8 pieces)
3. Tomatoes 4 medium (cut into 8 pieces)
4. Onion 1 large (grated)
5. Turmeric 1tsp
6. Oil 2 Tbsp
7. Salt 2tsp

Directions:

In an appropriate bowl combine meat, onion and 1 tsp of salt mix until well blended.
Put mixture in an appropriate pan (non stick pan is preferred) and make it flat in bottom of the pan until it cover all surface of the pan bottom (should be about half of inch thick)
Make a hole in the middle using your finger and put on medium heat.
When the pan is getting warm some meat juice will appear when all the juice is evaporated add 2 Tbsp oil cut the now formed meat in four same size pieces (or quarter). When meats got fried turn down the pieces and fry the other sides too.
Add potatoes and tomatoes and 3 cups of water. Bring to boil add turmeric and rest of salt
Turn heat to medium-low and let cook for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are done.
In the end you should have about 2 cups of the soup in your meal.
Serve with bread and pickles. It will be a good meal for winter.
Enjoy!

Okra stew

Ingredients:

1. Beef 1 pound chopped into cubs
2. Okra 2 pounds
3. Onion 1 medium chopped
4. Garlic 8 cloves chopped
5. Cumin 1 tsp
6. Cinnamon 1 tsp
7. Turmeric 1 tsp
8. Salt 2 tsp + 1 tbsp
9. Tomato paste ½ tbsp
10. Oil ½ cup

Directions:

Wash okra, soak it in water and 1tbsp salt for about 2-3 hours, and drain it.
In a nonstick pan fry the okras in 4 tbsp of oil and set aside.
In a pot sauté chopped onion and garlic in 3 tbsp of oil you may add cumin, cinnamon and turmeric in this stage or if you forget you can add them later.
When onion and garlic turned golden add beef stir occasionally for about ten minutes (add tomato paste).
Add 2 cup water replaces the lid and let cook until beef is almost done (add some salt).
Add pre fried okra and let cook for about 30 minutes.
Okra stew originally is prepared with beef but you can also make it with chicken or turkey chop.
(I made it with chicken today but honestly, I prefer beefy ones more!) you can also add some hot pepper if you like chilly foods. Serve it with rice.

Enjoy!

Meatballs and herbs, Persian style (Shefteh)

Ingredients:

1. Ground beef or turkey 2 pounds
2. Bread crumb 1 cup
3. Dry herbs (mix of basil, tarragon and parsley) ¾ cup
4. Onion 1 large granted, 1 small shopped
5. Cumin 1tsp
6. Tomato paste 1 tbsp
7. Turmeric 1tsp
8. Salt to taste
9. Oil 2 tbsp

Directions:

In a large bowl combine meat, bread crumb, grated onion, cumin, dry herbs and some salt mix well until all ingredients are blended well.

In a large pot sauté chopped onion in 2tbsp of oil until turn golden brown. Add tomato paste and let it fry for a few minutes. Add 2-3 cups of water and bring to boil. Add turmeric and a little bit of salt.
Make plum size meatballs with your ready mixture.
Add meatballs to boiling pot one by one, don’t let boiling stop and make sure all meatball surfaces touched the boiling sauce.
When mixture finished turn heat to medium and put the lid on and let cook for half an hour.
At the end you should have almost a thick sauce with meatballs in it.
Put the meat balls on serving dish and pour the sauce all over them.
Serve with bread or pasta.
It will be very delicious with pickles (torshi).
Enjoy!

Green herb stew (Ghormeh sabzi)

This is one of traditional Persian dish and most of Iranians like it so much.

Ingredients:

1. Beef 1 pound (cut into cube size)
2. Pinto bean 1 cup (washed)
3. Onion 1 medium (chopped)
4. Parsley 2 cups (finely chopped)
5. Cilantro 1 cup (finely chopped)
6. Spinach 1cup (finely chopped)
7. Leek or chive or scallion ½ cups (finely chopped)
8. Dry fenugreek (shanbelileh) 2 tbsp
9. Dry lemon 5 or dry lemon powder 1 tbsp (you can use lemon juice)
10. Oil 6 tbsp
11. Turmeric 1 tsp
12. Salt

Directions:

In a nonstick pan sauté all fresh, green herbs and dry fenugreek using 4tbsp of oil and set aside.
Onion should be fry in a 2 tbsp of oil in your cooking pan.
Combine beef to onion after turning golden brown and fry until beef juice absorb.
Add pinto bean and turmeric. Cook with 3 cups of water until beef and been are cooked.
If you are using whole lemon should make some hole in them using a fork and soak in warm water for a couple of hours and ad prepared lemon to meat and bean let boil 15 minutes. Then add fried herbs to the pot and let cook for another 15 minutes.
If you are using lemon powder or juice you can add them in the last 5 minutes.
You can add salt anytime. (After beef is cooked would be better)
You may replace pinto bean with red kidney bean or even black eye pea!
Enjoy!!!

Kabob in pan

Ingredients:

1. Ground beef or lamb or turkey 2 pounds
2. Onion 1 large (grated)
3. Salt ½ tbsp
4. Oil
5. Tomatoes 2 large

Directions:

Combine meat, grated onion and salt and mix until completely blended.
Make a small ball (about size of a plum), flatten the ball in an oval shape and fried both sides in a nonstick pan contain 3 tbsp hot oil until turned golden brown. Cut tomatoes in 8 pieces each and add to kabobs. Let stay on heat for about 15 minutes or until tomatoes cooked and not too much water left.

Serve with rice or bread.
You can even make a cold sandwich using them!

Rice

Most of Persian stews are coming with rice, so I will explain how to make it before teaching any stew!

Ingredients:

1. Rice 2 cups
2. Salt 2 tbsp
3. Oil 4 tbsp
4. Saffron ¼ tsp

Directions:

Wash rice and soak it in 4 cup of cold water (Tab water is fine) and salt for about 3-5 hours.
In a large and prefer nonstick pot bring about 8 cups of water to boil. Drain the soaking water and add rice to it. Let it boil for about ten minutes or until rice is ready (check a grain of rice if outside is soft and inside is still hard it is time to drain it)
Drain the rice and pour about 2 cups of cold water over it.

In this stage rice would be good to use in tahchin, stuffed bell pepper (Dolmeh) , rice and meat ball (koufteh) and lima bean and rice.

Wash the pot put on heat and add 2 tbsp of oil. Put a piece of flat bread (pita, tortilla or lavash) or sliced potatoes or 1tbsp of saffron that you have already mixed with ¼ cup hot water.
Using a spatula put the rice on pot, make a cone shape of rice, with a spoon makes also some hole on the rice.
Put lid on, mix the rest of oil with 1/2 cup of water and when the pot get warm add the mixture to it. Cover the pot lid in piece of cloth or paper towel and close tight.
Turn heat to low. You rice will be ready after about 45 minutes.

If you do not have time for soaking the rice just wash it, add 8 cups water and 2tbsp salt and put on high heat, and follow the rest of above directions, it will be ok!

When rice get ready mix saffron with some rice in separate plate, and when put rice in your serving plate spread the mixture over it.
If you like and you are eligible to eat you can use to hot some butter and pour over the rice.
Enjoy

Noodle soup (Ash-e-reshteh)

Ingredients:

1. Chickpea ½ cups
2. White bean ½ cups
3.Pinto bean ½ cups
4. Lentil ½ cups
5. Spinach 2 cups (cooked)
6. Parsley and Cilantro 1 cup (finely chopped)
7. Noodle 8 oz (you can buy noodle in Oriental stores such as H mart or Iranian stores)
8. Onion 1 large (chops and fries in 4 tbsp of oil)
9. Garlic 5 cloves (optional, you can chop and fry with onion)
10. Whey (kashk) 2 cups or vinegar ½ cup
11. Dry mint 1tbsp
12. Oil
13. Salt
14. Sugar ½ to 1 1bsp
15. Turmeric 1 tsp
16. Flour 1 tbsp

Directions:

Wash Chickpeas and beans add about 4 cups of water and let them cook (it will done about 1, ½ hour)
Add lentil, spinach, half of fried onion and half of turmeric, let boil for 20 minutes.
Add parsley and cilantro, bring to boil then add noodles stir time to time while it is cooking.
When noodles cooked use to mix flour with a cup of cold water and add to the pot and let boil for about 10 minutes (stir time to time).
Add either kashk or vinegar, salt and sugar and let boil for last 10 minutes.
Add mint and rest of turmeric to rest of onion and also some oil, let mint fry then remove from heat, use it on top of your dish.
Enjoy

Cutlet (Persian style)

Ingredients:

Ground beef or turkey (reduced fat) 1 pound
Potatoes 1 pound
Bread crumbs 1 cup
Egg 1 medium
Onion 1 medium
Turmeric 1 tsp
Salt 2 tsp
Oil for frying

Directions:

You may use baked or raw potatoes (making cutlet wit raw potatoes is easier but cutlet which is made by baked potatoes is more delicious)

Shred Potatoes (either baked or raw) and onion using a kitchen shredder.
Mix all ingredients (except oil) and massage with hand to make sure that all are mixed very well.

Put a nonstick pan on heat add about 3 tbsp oil and let the oil get hot.
Make a small ball with your mixture, about size of a large walnut. Put it in your hand and using your other hand press on it and make it flat (Circle or oval shape)
Put in hot oil fry both sides. Any time through frying you may add some oil when it needs, but do not use too much oil from the beginning.
Enjoy!

Lima bean, rice with beef

Ingredients:

1. Rice 4 cups
2. Lima beans (baby lima beans are preferred)
3. Dill 3 cups, chopped fresh or 5 tbsp dried
4. Beef 1 & ½ pound
5. Onion 1 large
6. Garlic 8 cloves (mince them)
7. Oil 1 cup
8. Salt
9. Saffron ½ tsp (mixes with ¼ cup hot water then covers it and set aside)
10. Flat bread or sliced potatoes for bottom of the pan

Directions:

Chop onion and fry using 2tbsp oil until turn golden brown.
Cut beef in not too small cubes (almost in the size of a small egg)
Add beef to onion fry it a little bit then add water and let it cook. At the end add a pinch of salt. (When beef in fully cooked most of water should have been evaporated)

Bring about 8 cups water to boil. Add 2 tbsp of salt. Add washed rice to the water let boil until rice grains start to move with boiling water and if you check rice it will be half cooked. Drain the rice. In a non stick and appropriate size pan add 4 tbsp oil and put a piece of flat bread (almost the same size as your pan) or potato slices (pan should be on medium heat)
Add 1/3 of rice, 1/3 lima beans 1/3 of dill and 1/3 of minced garlic. Repeat the process until you ingredients finish.
Mix ½ cup oil with ½ cup water and pour all over the rice when stem start to appear close the pan lid (cover the lit with piece of kitchen towel) and set oven on low temperature.
It would be need to steam for an hour.
Pour some rice in a bowl and liquid saffron to it and save for decoration over the dish.
Serve in a tray or in your plate. First spreads a layer of mixed rice on plate spread some beef on it and cover with more rice.
At the end covers with saffron rice.
It is a very delicious most of people like it.
Enjoy !

Barley soup 2

Ingredients:

1.Barley 2 cups
2.Carrot 1 cup (chopped in very small pieces)
3.Parsley 1cup (finely chopped)
4.Tomato paste 1 tbsp
5.Turmeric 1tsp
6.Salt

Chicken stock ingredients:
1.Chicken 1 pound (bone in is preferred)
2.Onion 1 medium
3.Garlic 2 large cloves

(You are also can use ready chicken stock, you will need about a liter)

Directions:

Making chicken stock:

Wash the chicken and put in a pot chop onion and garlic and add them to the chicken.
You need to add 4 cups of water and 1 tsp salt. Bring to boil then turn the heat to medium low and let cook for a bout an hour.

Making the main soup:

Wash the barley. It would be better if soak it in water over the night.
Pour the barley in a large pot with about 2 cups of water bring to boil and turn the heat to medium low. Le it cook about an hour (check it time to time water will absorb quickly)
After that you may add carrot, chicken broth, tomato paste, turmeric and some salt bring it to boil if it is not. Set stove on medium to low heat it should cook for couple hours.
In the last fifteen minutes you can add parsley.
You can add some lemon juice if you like.
You also can use the chicken that remains from stock making in another food (Tahchin or salad)

Pickles 2 (No Vinegar)

Ingredients:

1. Cauliflower
2. Carrots
3. Garlic
4. Hot peppers
5. Salt
6. Celery (only tender stems) (optional)

Directions:

Wash all the veggies and let them dry.
Cut them to large pieces. Don’t need cut garlic cloves just peel them.
In a big pot bring as much as water you need to boil. Add 1 and a half of tbsp salt for every liter of water (Taste it you should feel it salty). Let boil for 5 minutes.
Turn the heat off.
Select an appropriate glass (preferred) or plastic jar. Start to fill the jar with veggies in layers (some cauliflower, some carrot, some celery a few garlic cloves and some hot pepper (if fresh hot peppers are not available just use dried red pepper).
Repeat the process until jar gets full.
Check water salt temperature it should not burn you and should be almost lukewarm.
Pour the water salt over the jar when it is full try to remove the air between ingredients if there are any. Close the jar lid. If you keep it in refrigerator or cold outside it takes about two or three months to get ready but if you keep it in warmer place such as kitchen it may ready earlier but there will be a chance of spoiling (I think).

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Persian cooking