Carrot cutlet (Shami Havij)

Ingredients

 1.  Ground meat (turkey, beef or lamb) 5 ounces

2.  Carrot (finely shredded) 1 cup

3.  Onion 1 small

4.   Bread crumbs ½ cup

5. Egg 1

6. Turmeric 1 tsp

7. Salt

8.  Oil

Sauce ingredients

1. Tomato paste 1tbsp

2. Vinegar 2tbsp

3. Sugar 2tsp

4. Saffron powder 1/8 tsp

5. Warm water ¾ cup

Direction

In a medium size bowl shred the onion and add the other ingredients, except oil. Using your hand combine all of them together. Set aside

In a small bowl mix the sauce ingredients and set aside.

Add 2-3tbsp oil to a nonstick skillet pan. Take a large walnut size from the mixture and make an oval shape in your hand. Put it on the oil and fry on both sides. Continue until the mixture is finished.

Add the sauce all over the patties cover the pan turn the heat on medium low let it cook for about 20 minutes or until not much liquid is left in the pan.

Serve with bread and salad

Enjoy!

Pancake

Ingredients

1. All-purpose flour 1½ cup

2. Milk 1½ cup

3. Egg 1

4. Unsalted melted butter 3 Tbsp.

5. Baking powder 3 ½ tsp.

6. Sugar 1 Tbsp.

7. Salt ½ tsp.

You will also need some maple or any other pancake syrup or honey or even sugar powder, whip cream and butter as much as you like for top of the pancakes.

 

Directions

Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter; mix until smooth.

Heat a lightly oiled frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the pan, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Enjoy!

 

 

 

Fatir

Fatir is kind of sweet bread that is baked traditionally in my hometown.  It may be use for breakfast or as an afternoon snack as well.

Ingredients

1. All-purpose Flour (white, whole or mixed)   4 cups
2. Sugar                                                                   1.5 cup 
3. Oil (you may use butter instead)                   0.5 cup     
4. Milk                                                                       1 cup
5. Lukewarm water                                                0.5 cup
6. Yeast                                                                     1 Tbsp            
7. Baking powder                                                    0.5 tsp
8. Egg                                                                         1
9. Sesame seed                                                     
10. Saffron, rose water, vanilla extract (optional)

Directions

Mix yeast with 1 Tbsp of sugar then add the warm water, cover the container and leave it for 15 minutes. Mix the rest of ingredients (except egg) with yeast you may add 1 tsp vanilla extract, ¼ tsp saffron and/or 2 Tbsp rosewater if you want. Knead with hand until all the ingredients get together. (If dough is too loose add some more flour and if is too dry add some more milk). After kneading well, cover the dough with a damp towel for couple of hours. Make balls as large as a big walnut from the dough. Spread them in your hand palms or on a cutting board to make a small circle (thickness should be about 1.5 cm). Place them in a cooking tray. Using a fork or cookie cutter make some shapes on fatirs. Beat egg in a small bowl and brush on the fatirs surface. Garnish with some sesame seeds. Preheat oven at 350 degrees F. put fatirs on oven for 25 minutes or until the surface turn brown. Let them get cool down on wire rack. You may store them in zip lock bag or in a container with lid. If you put them in fridge, microwave them about 15 seconds before use.  

 

Enjoy!

Taco salad

Ingredients

1. Tortilla 1 piece

2. Iceberg lettuce (chopped) 2 cups

3. Tomato (chopped) 1 cup

4. bell pepper (chopped) ½ cup

5. cucumber (chopped) 1/2 cup

6. Ground turkey (you may replace with chicken or beef) 3 oz

7. Fried onion 1 Tbsp

8. Tomato paste 1 tsp

9. Olive oil

10. Hot chili pepper (powder or liquid)

11. Fresh lemon or lime 1

12. Salt

Directions

Fry ground meat in 1-2 Tbsp of oil and mix it with fried onion, tomato paste and some salt set aside.

Brush both side of the tortilla with olive oil and put them in preheated oven for about 10 min. or until get a little crispy let them cool down and put in a plate.

Cover the tortilla with lettuce then cover the lettuce with tomato, bell pepper and cucumber at the end spread the fried ground meat over them.

For dressing mix juice of one lime or lemon with 2 Tbsp of olive oil some salt and some hot chili pepper.

Add the dressing right before serving! (You may add some chopped avocado and/or sour cream if you like) 

Enjoy!

Spring rolls

Ingredients


1. Rice wrapper sheet 10
2. Rice vermicelli 3 oz
3. Shrimp 20 medium size
4. Leek 1 bunches
5. Parsley 1 bunch
6. Basil and/or mint 1 bunch
7. Sweet chili sauce
8. Lemon juice

Directions

Bring a medium saucepan of water to boil. Boil rice vermicelli 3 to 5 minutes, or until get soft and drain.

Fill a large bowl with warm water. Dip one wrapper into the hot water for 1 second to soften. Lay wrapper flat. In a row across the center, place 2 shrimps, a handful of vermicelli, leek, basil, mint, leaving about 2 inches uncovered on each side. Fold uncovered sides inward, and then tightly roll the wrapper, beginning at the end. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Cut the rolls into half and serve with sweet chili sauce or lemon juice with salt or even peanut sauce.

Enjoy!

Chicken kabob (joojeh kabob)

Ingredients



1. Chicken breast, wing, wing drum stick (1 whole chicken breast, 10 wings and 10 wing drumsticks)
2. Lime/lemon juice ¾ cup
3. Large onion 1
4. Roma tomato 10 small or 6 large
5. Whole Garlic 5
6. Hot pepper/ bell pepper (optional)
7. Saffron
8. Olive oil
9. Salt
You will need metal skewers, grill, charcoal and aluminum foil as well.

Directions


Usually chicken breast then wings and wing drumsticks are used for this kabob but if you like thigh more you may use it as well. Remove breast and thigh skin and cut the meats in pieces, leave skin on wings and wing drum sticks.

Mix lemon/lime juice with 4 Tbsp of olive oil, add grated onion and some salt to them. Marinade meat in the mixture for hours or over night in a covered container in your fridge. Add ¼ cup hot water to ¼ tsp saffron set aside

Take the meat out of marinade and  pu them on skewers (6 pieces for big ones and more for small ones) , brush both side using saffron witch already has prepared. Meanwhile prepare your grill; the fire shouldn’t be too sharp when putting your skewers on it. Put tomatoes on skewer, whole if are small or half them vertically if are large! Wash garlic and put them one by one in piece of foil, pour 1tsp olive oil over it and cover with foil, put then directly over the charcoals. If use hot pepper skewer them but if use bell pepper cut them to four, seed them and then put on skewer! Put the skewers on the grill and let them cook in all sides watch them closely, practically tomatoes are ready sooner also chicken breast cook earlier than other parts, before take them out of the skewer check a piece, if center is red and looks raw lets stay more on fire.

If you think the fire is going to die while kabob is cooking blew on it with a piece of card board.

After you are sure the kabob are fully cooked pull the skewers out and serve kabob in a dish on flat bread! Check the garlic when remove their skin they should be soft as butter! Serve the food with bread or rice.

Enjoy!!!

Abgousht (deezi)

Ingredients


1. Lamb shoulder or leg shank 1 piece (you may use any other part such as lamb ribs or neck but
in any case you should use bone in meat. You also may use goat meat instead).
2. Garbanzo bean (chickpea) 1 cup
3. Dry white bean 1 cup
4. Onion 1 large
5. Potatoes 3 medium
6. Turmeric 1 Tsp
7. Black pepper ½ tsp
8. Tomato 2 medium size
9. Tomato paste 1 Tbsp
10. Salt to taste
11. Small whole dried lime 2-3 (before use make some hole on them using a knife tip)

Directions

Wash meat put in a pot. Wash beans and add to the meat. Chop onion and tomatoes in cubes and add to the pot (you also may add 2-3 small whole dried lime). Pour water over them until all ingredients are covered by water.
Bring to boil cover the pot and let cook in medium low heat for about one hour and half or until beans and meat are cooked.
Add turmeric, pepper, tomato paste, some salt and potatoes (regularly potatoes use unpeeled but sometimes I preferred to peel them depends on potatoes. Add water if needed.
Cover the pot again potatoes will be cooked in about 15 minutes.

Pour the broth in a small bowls. Peel the potatoes and mash beans and potatoes well. And serve with meat in a plate.
If you have flat breads available cut them in bite size pieces (every body will do it for him/herself)
And mix in broth then eat:)

You then will eat meat and mashed ingredient because of these some people call abgusht as a double joy (2 zogheh) food!

Enjoy!!!

Tarkhineh soup (Ash tarkhineh dough)

This soup is one of  very delicious soup originally from my hometown (Arak).


First you have to prepare the tarkhineh itself.

Tarkhineh Ingredients


1. Bulghur or burghul wheat (cracked wheat # 2) 3 cups
2. Yogurt (whole fat and sour is preferred) 2 pounds
3. Turmeric 1 Tbsp
4. Dry aromatic herbs 1 Tbsp (optional)
5. Salt to taste

Tarkhineh making direction:

Soak bulghur in 2 cups warm water for 4-6 hours or over the night.

Put the presoaked bulghur in an appropriate, mix yogurt with ½ liter water and stir then add the mixture to the bulghur pot, stir well bring to boil then reduce heat and let bulghur cook in yogurt for a couple hours, stir occasionally and add turmeric and dry herbs while stirring also add some water if needs, continue cooking until you have a homogeneous mixture. 1/3 of that is enough for your soup place the rest in to freezer safe containers and put in the freezer for next times!

Now is time to make soup!

Ingredients

1. Tarkhineh 1/3 of what you have made as tarkhineh dough
2. Spinach 1 pond
3. Parsley and Cilantro 1-2 cups chopped
4. Beans 2 cups (you may use chickpea, white bean, pinto bean, black eye pea, lentil and mung bean use them all or mix of some of them I usually use pinto bean and lentil and some black eye pea or white beans!)
5. Onion 1 medium
6. Dry mint 2 Tbsp
7. Turmeric 1tsp
8. Salt to taste
9. Oil ¼ cup

Directions

Cook the beans; add tarkhineh in halfway when beans are cooking add some salt too. Chop the onion and sauté in some oil; add half of the onion to the soup set half of that aside.
When the beans cooked add fresh green veggies to the soup and let cook for 15 minutes add water if needs! Add dry mint and turmeric to the sauté onion which you had sat aside and fry them a little bit. Serve the soup in a bowl and garnish with fried onion and dry mint.


Enjoy!!!

Cold yogurt soup (Ash mast)

My sister taught me how to make this soup. She also learned it from a very dear friend of hers and me. Our friend is from Sabzevar, one city close to Mashhad so the soup is.

This delicious cold soup is very nice for hot summer days and is too easy to make

Ingredients
1. Spinach 1 kg
2. Leek 1 bunch
3. Noodle about 200 g
4. Yogurt 2 cup
5. Dried mint 1Tbsp
6. Salt to taste
7. Dried red pepper to garnish

Directions

Wash the spinach and leek separately and let get dry a little bit. Cut the spinach in not very small pieces, pour them in a pot and add 4 cups of tab water and bring to boil. Turn the heat to medium let cook for 5 min. then break the noodles in pieces (about 10 cm) and add them to the boiling spinach. Always have some hot water in another pot when making soup if needs some add it. stir occasionally! When the noodles cooked (after about 10 min.) turns off the heat set aside and let it get cold.

Cut the leeks in pieces, and then you should mash them. I used a food processor and in the end my leeks were like a thick green liquid which seemed great for my soup!

In a large bowl beat the yogurt a little and add mashed or so leek and mix well add salt and dried mint to.

Add the cooked material to the yogurt mix (be sure it is almost at room temperature)

Mix them thoroughly. Put in the fridge for 1-2 hour. That is ready to serve. Garnish with some dried red pepper powder or crushed. (It can wait more at fridge, until you are ready to eat)

Enjoy!!!

Fish stew (ghaliyeh mahi)

Ingredients



1.Fish fillet 12 pieces stew size (I used tilapia you may use salmon, cat fish or flounder)
2.Parsley 2 bunches
3.Cilantro 1 bunch
4.Dried fenugreek 1 Tbsp
5.Garlic 8 cloves
6.Tamarind paste ½- 1 cup (seeded and a little diluted)
7.Hot red pepper
8.Oil
9.Salt to taste

Directions

Peel garlic and cut them in small pieces, sauté on 4 Tbsp of canola oil.

Take the parsley and cilantro leaves from their stems, wash them and let get dry then cut them in small pieces. Add the greens and fenugreek to the garlic and fry for 7-10 minutes. With adding 1 cup of water and ½ cup of tamarind paste let them cook in low heat. You may need more water or if you like more sour taste add more tamarind!

In a nonstick skillet pan fried fish pieces in both sides.

When the stew boils for 15 minutes add salt and pepper then fish and let cook for another 10 minutes.

Serve on rice

Enjoy!