Stuffed whole chicken

Ingredients:
1. Whole chicken about 4 pound 1
2. Garlic 5 gloves
3. Black pepper powder ½ tsp
4. Garlic powder ½ tsp
5. Saffron ¼ tsp (dissolves it in 5 Tbsp of hot water and set aside)
6. Olive oil or sesame seeds oil 1 Tbsp
7. Lime 1
8. Salt to taste

Stuffing ingredients:

1. Barberries 1 cup
2. Almond (peeled and chopped) 1 cup
3. Rice ½ cup dry (or 1 cup half cooked)
4. Sugar 2 Tbsp
5. Onion 1 medium
6. Oil 2 Tbsp
7. Cumin 1 tsp
8. Salt to 1 tsp
9. Butter 2 Tbsp melted
10. saffron

Directions:

Chop onion and fry it in 2 Tbsp oil until turn golden brown.
In another skillet pan fry barberries in 2 Tbsp of butter, at the end add sugar and turn heat off and add it to fried onion.
Add almond and cumin, some salt and one Tbsp of liquid saffron which has been prepared already!
Boil the rice with 1 tsp of salt and combine with other ingredient set aside.

Wash chicken and put it in salt water at least 1 hour then remove from salt water, pat dry using a paper towel.
Try to put garlic gloves under its skin all around. Cut lime in six round pieces and use them inside/outside of chicken.
Brush inside and outside using olive oil/sesame seeds oil and sprinkle with black pepper salt and garlic powder.
Fill chicken with prepared stuff and stitch it together using a needle and string, it will prevent to stuffed come out.
Preheat oven in 400 Fahrenheit degree.
Place chicken in a roaster pan and bake in oven for 30 minutes on the same temperature.
Turn oven to 350 Fahrenheit brush chicken surface with remaining liquid saffron and bake for 70-80 minutes. I served it with barberries and rice it was very delicious.

Enjoy!!!

Yellow rice pudding (shole zard)

Ingredients:

Rice 2 cups
Sugar 3 cups
Almond 1 cup (pealed and chopped)
Saffron ¼ tsp
Rose water ½ cup
Cinnamon

Directions:

Wash rice and add 10 cups of water and bring to boil after 30 minutes add sugar and saffron and let boil on medium heat until all rice grains are broken.
Add rose water and almond and let cook for about 30 minutes if it needs add some water too.
Cooking time is about 2 hours.
Serve in a deep bowl and garnish with cinnamon and pistachio powder (optional)

Enjoy!

Koufteh

Ingredients:

1. Rice 3 cups
2. Ground beef or turkey 1 pound
3. Dry herbs (basil, tarragon, parsley, mint, dill and etc) 1 cup
4. Onion 1 large (grated)
5. Yellow split pea 1 cup (cooked) or baby lima bean 2 cups (cooked)
6. Turmeric 2 tsp
7. Cumin 2 tsp
8. Tomato paste 1 Tbsp
9. Oil 2 Tbsp
10. Salt 2 tsp

Directions:

Wash rice and boil it to half cooked and drain it (you may use about 6 cups leftover cooked rice instead if you have)
Combine all ingredients except oil and tomato paste mix well for a few minutes until it is well blended.
Make balls using the mixture (balls should be almost as big as a large orange)
Put them in the bottom of a pan, try the balls don not touch each other.
Mix tomato paste with 2 cups of water and 2 Tbsp of oil.
Put the pan on medium heat while it get warm pour your prepared liquid in pan try to don’t pour it over the balls directly.
When it start to boil turn heat to low and close the lid tight.
Let steam for about an hour and half.
You may need to add some water between cooking time.

Serve with or without bread
Enjoy!

Salad

Ingredients:

1. Cucumbers 2
2. Tomatoes 4 medium
3. Bell pepper 1 (I use it instead of onion, you can use both)
4. Onion 1 small (I don’t like onion and my salad never have it)
5. Dry mint ½ Tbsp

Directions:

Cut all ingredients into cubes (onion cubes should be smaller)
Mix them and sprinkle dry mint over them.

Dressing:

1. Apple cider vinegar or balsamic vinegar ¼ cup
2. Olive oil 2 Tbsp
3. Salt to taste
4. Black pepper (optional)

Dilute vinegar using ¼ cup of water, add salt and olive oil and black pepper.
Add dressing right before serving.

In Iran most dressings are made by sour grape juice which is very delicious but if you want you may replace vinegar with lime or lemon juice.

Enjoy!

Yogurt

Ingredients:

1. Milk 1 gallon
2. Plain yogurt 1 cup

Directions:

Pour milk into a big pot and bring to boil, try to watch and stir milk especially in the end of procedure, if you don't want to have to rub your stove surface every time you make yogurt!
Turn off the heat and let boiling stop.
Pour the hot milk in a glass or porcelain jar which has lid (you can use plastic jar but I prefer not to do this)
Let milk get cool a little I use my finger as a thermometer as my mom taught me.
Put your point finger inside the milk if it burn your finger still is too hot.
If you feel the warmness but your finger do not burn then milk is ready to work.
Beat the plain yogurt which is the starter a few minutes until it looks smooth.
Add yogurt to milk and stir for a couple of minutes.
Put the jar lid on and cover the jar with a piece of cloth (towel, blanket, etc)
Leave it over the night or for about 10 hours.
When yogurt is ready put it in refrigerator slowly until completely get cold.
Before it gets cold thoroughly don’t touch it or you will ruin it.
It needs to be in refrigerator also about 10 hours.
(If you have some water in yogurt surface after or before refrigerating remove it slowly without touching the yogurt and throw out).

Enjoy!

Green bean and rice (Loubia polo)

Ingredients:

1. Rice 4 cups
2. Ground beef or turkey 1 pound
3. Green bean 1 pound
4. Onion 1 medium
5. Tomato paste ½ cup
6. Turmeric 1 tsp
7. Salt
8. Canola oil

Directions:

Wash green beans and cut them into ½ inch pieces, set a side.
Chop onion into small cubes and sauté in 2 Tbsp of oil in a skillet pan until turn golden brown.
Add ground meat to the pan and stir frequently to prevent the ground meat pieces attached to each other (to prevent that it will be good to add a couple of Tbsp water while stir)
Add turmeric and stir until meat is almost cooked.
Combine with green bean, stir for a few minutes.
In a bowl mix tomato paste with a cup of water and pour all over the mixture add some salt too.
Close the lid and let cook for about 20 minutes (if it looks need more water then add some)
Wash rice and add about 12 cups water and 2 Tbsp salt, bring to boil and let
Become half cooked then drain it.
Add 2 Tbsp oil to the cooking pan you may put some sliced potato or piece of flat bread in the bottom or you may just add about one third of rice and spread one third of meat and green bean mix over it and repeat this until rice and mixture are finished.
Make a cone shape with your food using a spatula and make some whole in it using a spoon or fork.
Put on high heat mix 4 Tbsp of oil with ½ cup water, pour all over and around the rice.
Put pot lid in a piece of cloth or paper towel, keep the lid tight, turn stove temperature on medium low.
It will be ready in 30-40 minuets.

Enjoy!

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!

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