Persian Excursion
Tonight, I felt the need to move to the Middle East, and enjoy something a bit closer to my point of origin.
First, to drink, we had my simplified version of Qamar Al-Din (Stewed Apricot Juice). This is normally made by soaking, then stewing, dried apricots, then adding sugar as needed to make sweet enough to compensate for the sourness. In Egypt, white raisins are frequently added to the mix. I simplified the recipe, for a quick and reasonable facsimile I mixed apricot nectar with white grape juice. While not the same, it was close enough to be quite nice with our dinner.
Next, we had the national dish of Iran: Ghormeh Sabzi (Persian Herb Stew): cubed beef (Texas tri-tip), red kidney beans, chopped vidalia onion, chopped flat leaf parsley, chopped cilantro, chopped garlic chives, chopped scallion greens, chopped fenugreek leaves, dried black Persian limes, turmeric, salt, pepper, and water. This would be best with lamb, but my beloved does not generally like lamb, so beef first; lamb next time (maybe duck).
Next, we had some fresh, buttered plain Paratha (a flat bread from southern India).
Finally, the most difficult, Chelow with Tahdiq (Persian Rice with a Golden Crust). This is fairly complicated to pull off, and is cooked in a single Dutch oven. First, the fluffy part: Bazmati rice, cumin seeds, chopped parsley, salt. The golden crust (tahdiq): Bazmati rice, plain Greek yogurt, butter, water, vegetable oil and salt. The trick is in the multiple stages of rice preparation, stages of heat application, and placement of the various rice components in the Dutch oven.
For my first shot at this dinner, everything turned out just so, except the tadiq was cooked just a bit darker than it should have. I learned alot, and next time it will all be perfect. The tastes were very different than I am accustomed to, but all was superb. It is worth a try for all adventurous souls.
Enjoy,
Rich P