Welcome back! This time, we’re talking about Iranian/Persian food! An old and rich food culture with very distinct flavor profiles. Heavy on saffron and rose, the dishes get a rich and sweet aroma and for some a strong floral note.
Iran has an old and deeply proud culture – this is well-reflected in their cuisine. It sports a unique set of flavors and dishes and I had a lot of fun making Iranian food.
As for the cook day itself:
Figuring it out
Iranian food is honestly not hard to research! There is a large diaspora of Iranian people and they are very happy and willing to share their food and their culture among themselves and with others – and I was very happy to take them up on their wisdom and knowledge and try to do their food justice.
Originally I had also planned to make an Iranian noodle soup (Ash Reshteh) but with temperatures at 30+ degrees (86+ F for my Americans) I wasn’t really feeling soup. You’ll forgive me I’m sure 😊.
This week’s menu (2025/07/13)
The Dishes:
Joojeh Kabab: Grilled Chicken Skewers!
These skewers were SO good. Marinated in spices, saffron and yogurt this chicken was juicy, tender and perfectly accompanied by the other dishes.
Tahdig: another staple Iranian dish.
Rice is cooked and put into a pot to keep cooking until the bottom crust is buttery, crispy, saffon-y and delicious.
Shirazi Salad: This refreshing salad with mint, lemon, cucumber, tomato and onion is the perfect thing to eat on a hot day! It will immediately feel 10 degrees cooler, especially paired with:
Homemade pomegranate Sharbat: Pomegranate (Anar) juice, sparkling water, a dash of rose and lime and a bunch of mint (and some simple syrup). Delicious, floral, fruity, citrusy, sweet, REFRESHING.
Sholeh Zard: Iranian Rice Pudding
To close out the meal, I wanted to make a dessert – this cold rice pudding seemed like the perfect dish for a summer day and it was quite nice. Honestly, I easily find rose flavor to be overwhelming and a bit too floral, so I wasn’t THE biggest fan but if you like rose this is definitely for you!
A really nice cook – with most of the dishes being able to be prepared a bit ahead of time it was not too stressful. Usually the worst part is trying to get everything hot on the table at the same time but this was luckily not an issue since I only had to make the tahdig and the chicken at the same time.
Cook Time: 2-3 hours, Budget: about 40 Euros, Research Time: 3-4 hours
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