Iranian Food

[merigayle]

I died and went to food heaven today. One of my long time patients who I love dearly is Iranian and her mother has been living with her since her son was born and is leaving to go back to Iran soon. She wanted her mom to cook DD & I an Iranian feast. We went for lunch today. OMFG. It was like a combination of Moroccan & Indian food. We started with a soup which had red lentils and brown lentils, some diced veg, spices, cilantro. Then for the main meal we had basmati rice with a main dish that was eggplant, walnuts, and pomegranate as well as some crispy rice stuff with lettuce on it. Dessert was rice pudding. OMG so good. The eggplant dish, at first bite, tasted weird, because the flavor was so foreign to my mouth, but after a few bited, OMG, i was so addicted. The mother speaks no English or I would have asked a million questions.

[rocketgirl]

I ate a Persian restaurant in Decatur, GA once, and I thought the food was very good.

[merigayle]

I ate a Persian restaurant in Decatur, GA once, and I thought the food was very good.

yes, she considers herself "Persian" so I would think it was similar. I am still dreaming about the food.

[Magic Microbe]

We have lots of Afghani restaurants here. It is so delicious!

[oblio]

DH has a Pakistani friend that made us a batch of Haleem. It was sooooo good. DH tried got the recipe and got pretty darn close to making it as good 

[caribougrrl]

I had to google haleem and it looks like there are a lot of ways to make.  Which means you, oblio, have to steal the recipe and post it here...

[onawhim]

It is amazing! Tahdig 

[oblio]

I had to google haleem and it looks like there are a lot of ways to make.  Which means you, oblio, have to steal the recipe and post it here...

 
For you, caribougrrl, Pakistani Haleem...

1 ½ kilograms of Mutton or Beef
½ kilograms of Wheat Grains (crushed and soaked in water for 1 ½ hour)
1 cup of Gram Lentils (soaked and boiled)(also known as gram dal or channa dal- can be tricky to find in the markets)
3 medium Onions (thinly sliced)
1 tbsp. Garlic Paste (Pisa Lehsan)
1 tbsp. Ginger Paste (Pisi Adrak)
1 tsp. Garam Masala Powder
2 tbsp. Red Chilli Powder (Pisi Lal Mirch)
1 ½ tbsp. Coriander Powder (Pisa Dhania)
1 tsp. Turmeric Powder (Pisi Haldi)
Salt (to taste)
A pinch of Soda
1 ½ cup Dalda Banaspati or any Clarified Butter (Ghee)

seasoning:
1 bunch of Fresh Mint Leaves (Podina) (finely chopped)
1 bunch of Fresh Coriander Leaves (Hara Dhania) (finely chopped)
Green Chilli (Hari Mirch) (finely chopped - to taste)
1 tsp. Cumin Seeds (Sufaid Zeera) (roasted and ground)
1 tsp. Garam Masala Powder
2 medium size pieces of Ginger Root (Adrak)
1 large Onion (thinly sliced)
4 Lemons (Nimbu) (cut in quarters)
2 cups Dalda Banaspati or any Clarified Butter (Ghee)

Recipe:

Heat banaspati or clarified butter in a pan. Put meat in the pan, add garlic, garam masala powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, and salt. Cook on medium heat.

In a seperate pan boil wheat grains with lots of water, add salt. When the grains become tender and mushy add a pinch of soda and cook further for 15 to 20 minutes.

Now mix the wheat grains with the meat and mix well. Stir continuously so that both are mixed properly. Now grind the lentils in a food processor. Make it into a thick paste by adding 2 cups of water while processing it.

Pour the lentil paste into the meat and wheat mixture and stir to mix well. Place the pan on a heavy tava or griddle on low heat and cook for 30 to 40 minutes.

Fry the sliced onion in clarified butter and drain on absorbent paper towel. When the haleem is cooked, sprinkle fried onions, garam masala powder, fresh mint, and coriander leaves. Garnish with cumin and ginger. Keep a little of the seasoning seperate and serve with haleem.

[caribougrrl]

thank you!