Herb rice with Fish (sabzipolo mahi)

Ingredients:

1. Rice 4 cups
2. Parsley 1 cup (finely chopped)
3. Cilantro 1 cup (finely chopped)
4. Dill 1 cup (finely chopped)
5. Garlic 6 cloves (finely chopped)
6. Oil
7. Salt

Fish ingredients:

1. Tilapia fish
2. Flour 1 cup
3. Cumin 2 tsp
4. Cinnamon 2 tsp
5. Salt 2 tsp
6. Oil to fry the fish

Directions:

Prepare the rice as directed before until drain.
Mix greens and garlic.
In an appropriate pan combine rice and herbs in layers.
Add mixture of half cup oil and half cup water and steam for about 45 minutes or until all ingredients become tender and done.
You may garnish the rice with saffron or not.

Wash tilapias and take the water from the surfaces using a piece of towel paper.
Mix one cup flour with 2 tsp cumin and 2 tsp cinnamon and 2tsp of salt.
Put both sides of tilapias in flour mix and fry both sides in preheated oil in a skillet pan.

You may have any kind of fish (salmon, cat fish, etc) or even baked or grilled fish with this rice mix.

Enjoy!

Eggplant stew

Ingredients:

1. Eggplants 3 pound
2. Beef 1 pound (chopped in not very small pieces)
3. Tomatoes 4 medium
4. Onion 1 medium
5. Oil
6. Turmeric 2 tsp
7. Salt

Directions:

Chop onions and sauté on 2 Tbsp of oil until golden brown.
Add beef and stir and fry for about 10 minutes.
Add 2-3 cups of water, bring to boil turn the heat to low and let beef cook for about an hour.
Peeled eggplants and cut them in pieces (5”.2”.1”)
It is better to cut the eggplants a few days earlier and set aside.
Sauté the precut eggplants in oil until all surfaces turn golden brown.
Put them in an appropriate pot add some turmeric and some broth from your beef that is already cooked or still is cooking (if no juice is left in beef add more water)
Cut the tomatoes and put on the surface of eggplants.
Let cook until everything is tender.
Add beef and any remaining juice and let cook for 10 minutes.

Serve with rice.

Enjoy!!

Celery stew

Ingredients:

1. Beef 1 pound (cut into cubes)
2. Celery 1 bunch (washed and cut into not very small pieces)
3. Parsley 1 bunch (separated leaves, washed and finely chopped)
4. Mint 1 cup finely chopped if using fresh or replace with 1 Tbsp dry mint
5. Whole dry lemon 4 pieces or dry lemon powder 1 Tbsp or replace with lemon juice
6. Onions 1 medium (chopped)
7. Vegetable oil 6 Tbsp
8. Turmeric 2 tsp
9. Salt ½ Tbsp
10. Saffron powder ¼ tsp

Directions:

Add celery on a 2 Tbsp of preheated oil in a skillet pan, sauté the celery up for ten minutes; take them out from the pan, set aside.
Add 2 Tbsp oil to the skillet, sauté parsley and mint (either fresh or dry) in oil for a few minutes and set aside as well.
In an appropriate pot sauté onion using 2 Tbsp oil.
Add the beef chopped to onion and let it fry until beef color has been changed and no more meat juice is left in it.
Add 2 cups water and turmeric let beef cook on medium heat for a half an hour.
Add celery stem and let cook until beef and celery are almost done (add some water if need)
Add parsley and mint, salt and saffron then let cook for 15 minutes.
At the end you may add lemon powder or juice.
If you are using whole dry lemon you should soak them on hot water after making some hole on them for a few hours and add them sometimes between cooking beef and celery.
Serve with rice.
Enjoy!

Split pea stew (Gheymeh)

Ingredients:

1. Beef 1 pound (chopped into smaller cubes)
2. Split pea 1 cup
3. Potatoes 4 large
4. Whole dry lemon 4 pieces or dry lemon powder 1 Tbsp or replace with lemon juice
5. Onions 1 medium (chopped)
6. Tomato past 1 Tbsp
7. Turmeric 2 tsp
8. Oil 6 Tbsp
9. Salt to taste

Directions:

Wash split pea and sauté it up in 2 Tbsp of oil in a skillet pan, combine with tomato paste and mix well as they are frying.
(There are different kinds of split pea slow cook and fast cook first one is one we use in our stew but if it is not available you can also use the fast cook one but be careful because adding time is different for different split pea)!

In an appropriate pot sauté onion up in 2 Tbsp of oil and let it turn golden brown, add beef and let it also fry until all meat juice are gone, add 2 cups of water and turmeric, let it cook for 30 minutes.
At this point add split pea if you are using slow cook one otherwise wait!
After another 30 minutes add whole dry lemon which already had hole and soaked in hot water for a few hours.
If you are using fast cook split pea add them 20 minutes after whole lemons.
Cook for another 15 minutes or until split peas are done and turn off the heat.
Peeled and cut potatoes and make French fries with them, set aside.
If you are using lemon powder or juice add it at the end.
You may add salt in half time of cooking to taste.
Serve in a not very deep bowl and add French fries on top.
This dish goes well with rice such as other Persian stews!
Enjoy!!

Rice and milk pudding

Ingredients:

1. Rice 1 cup
2. Milk (whole or low fat) 8 cups
3. Cinnamon to garnish

Directions:

Wash the rice thoroughly, add 2 cups of water and bring to boil and let it boil and reduce the heat to medium.
Add milk cup by cup about every 10 minutes stir frequently. (Don’t let the rice get dry)
At the end all rice grains should be broken apart and milk should be like a thick sauce.
Serve on a not a very deep bowl, garnish and design using cinnamon.
You can have it warm or cold for breakfast or as a side or dessert.
It goes well with jam or honey.


Enjoy!!!

Chicken omelet (Persian style)

I prefer home made chicken stock more that one we buy from grocery store.
So every time I make it for soup I will have some chicken meat leftover.
I already wrote we can use the leftover chicken in other dishes such as Tahchin and Potato salad; here is another dish that you can use your cooked chicken meat on it.

Ingredients:

1. Chicken (cooked and cu into very small pieces) 3 cups
2. Egg (extra large) 6
3. Onion (fried) 2 Tbsp
4. Lemon juice 3 Tbsp
5. Saffron ¼ tsp
6. Salt 1 tsp
7. Oil 4 Tbsp

Directions:

In a large bowl beat the six whole eggs, add fried onion, lemon juice, saffron and salt and mix well.
Combine chicken pieces and mix thoroughly until well blended.
Add 3 Tbsp of oil to a nonstick skillet pan. Add your mixture to preheated oil in the pan and make it flat.
Let one side get fried and cut the food in for pieces, turn the pieces upside down and let the other side also get fried. (Add more oil if you think it needs)

Serve it with bread.
Enjoy!