5 Best Persian Food Recipes You Can Make Today

Iranian cuisine is famous for its intense flavors and aromatic spices, from hearty stews to aromatic rice dishes and flavorful kebabs – there’s something deliciously Persian to satisfy every palette. If this is your first time experiencing Persian food, get ready for an adventure in taste! In this blog post, we’ll introduce some of the best Persian food recipes you can prepare now, whether you’re just starting as a cook or are an experienced foodie! These dishes will be sure to please your tastebuds and satisfy your hunger. So, get your apron on and let’s get cooking!

 

5 Persian Food Recipes

Here, we’ll go over some of the most authentic and delicious Persian food recipes and how to serve them for maximum culinary impact. Let’s go!

Ghormeh Sabzi

Ghormeh Sabzi is a classic Persian stew beloved by Iranians and non-Iranians alike. This hearty and flavor-intensive meal is made with herbs, kidney beans, and chunks of red meat. That makes it an excellent option for lunch or dinner.

Here’s a recipe you can easily try at home:

Ingredients for This Recipe:

1 Cup Dried Kidney Beans Soaked Overnight

1 Pound Beef Stew Meat

1 Large Onion Chopped

3 Cloves Garlic Minced 1/2 Cup chopped Parsley

1/2 Cup chopped Coriander

1/2 Cup chopped Scallion Greens (Green Parts Only)

1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil

1 teaspoon Turmeric

Salt and pepper (as much as you usually add)

2 Cups of Water

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add chopped onion, and saute until golden brown before stirring in minced garlic and turmeric; continue sauteing for another minute before adding beef stew meat, cooking until all sides have turned brown.

Combine the kidney beans, chopped herbs, salt, and pepper, and stir. Next, add 2 cups of water and bring the mixture to a boil before turning it down to low, covering, and simmering for two to three hours while stirring periodically. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary before serving.

Ghormeh Sabzi is often served with fragrant basmati rice. The steamed rice can be enhanced with saffron, giving it that unique golden hue you can’t help but admire. The aromatic texture pairs beautifully with the rich, savory stew to balance its flavors and textures. To serve this authentic Persian food, simply put some of the Ghormeh Sabzi onto a plate. Add generous portions of rice on the side, and it’s ready! Consider adding some sour yogurt as a side dish for everyone to enjoy.

Fesenjan

Fesenjan is another famous Persian stew featuring sweet and tangy notes, thanks to combining pomegranate molasses and ground walnuts into a thick, nutty sauce. Fesenjan can be prepared using chicken, lamb, or beef and is usually served alongside rice as its primary component.

Ingredients

1 cup ground walnuts with 2 diced onions. 2 tablespoons vegetable oil.

1. Pinch of cinnamon; 1 teaspoon of salt; 1/4 teaspoon each of black pepper and turmeric (optional); two cups of chicken broth, one cup of pomegranate molasses (optional); one tablespoon of sugar for garnish.

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat and add diced onions until translucent. Simmer for five to seven minutes until the chicken has turned golden on all sides. You can add more chicken to the mix if you’d like it to be more protein-rich; just make sure they’re all equally browned.

Add ground walnuts, cinnamon, salt, pepper, and turmeric to the pot and mix until evenly distributed across the chicken pieces. Next, add chicken broth and bring it all to a boil before reducing it to low and allowing it to simmer for 30- 40 minutes before periodically stirring the dish.

Add the pomegranate molasses and sugar to the pot, stirring well. Allow this mixture to simmer for 20-25 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked and the sauce has thickened.

Fesenjan is traditionally served family-style with a large bowl of rice at the center of the table and chicken and sauce spooned on top, plus chopped walnuts or pomegranate seeds for texture and flavor enhancement.

Tahchin

Tahchin is a classic Persian dish consisting of rice mixed with either chicken or lamb and is known for its crispy outer layer and flavorful interior layers. Often served during weddings and other celebratory occasions.

Ingredients

2 Cups of Basmati Rice

1 Pound of Chicken Breast or Lamb

1 Cup of plain or sour yogurt

1/2 Cup of vegetable oil and chopped onions

Two Cloves of Garlic, Minced

1/2 – 1 teaspoon of saffron

Instructions

To start, rinse the rice under water several times and soak it in salted water for at least an hour before moving on to step two. In a pot, cook your chicken or lamb with onions, garlic cloves, turmeric root powder, salt, and pepper until fully cooked – remove from the pot once it’s finished cooking so it can cool completely. You can save the broth and use it some other time.

Mix together cooked meat, yogurt, saffron and salt and pepper in a mixing bowl to form the tahdig mixture. This word basically means “what’s left at the bottom of the pot” and it refers to a crispy layer you get if you cook the rice right. You should try to get this crispy layer right in Tahichin because it’s actually an essential part of the meal.

Bring 6 cups of water to boil in another pot before adding the soaked rice for approximately 10 minutes, stirring regularly during that time, before draining and mixing it into your tahdig mixture.

Heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a large pot or nonstick pan and evenly spread your rice mixture on its base. Pour one cup of your saved meat broth over the rice mixture and allow it to cook for approximately 10 minutes before checking again for doneness.

Reduce heat to low and cover pot with lid; cook an additional 30 minutes or so until the rice is fully cooked and the tahdig has become crispy.

To serve, use a spatula to loosen the edges of the tahdig from its container, invert it over a serving dish so that the tahdig remains on top, and then set it back down onto its original serving plate. Tahchin is often served with salad and Doogh (a yogurt-based beverage).

Ashe-e-Reshte

Ash-e Reshteh is an authentic Persian Ash, a thicker soup variant that’s comforting and perfect for the colder months. It includes nutritious ingredients like beans, noodles, herbs, and a fermented yogurt product called Kashk. It’s often served alongside fried onions as accompaniment. Ash-e Reshteh can be prepared at home in no time at all! Here’s how:

Ingredients

1 Cup of Red Kidney Beans

1 Cup of Chickpeas

1 Cup of Black-eyed Peas

1 Cup of Lentils

1 Cup of Chopped Onions

Chopped Parsley

1 1/2 tablespoons of vegetable Oil

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 cup of dried mint

Salt and black Pepper

2 1/2 Pound Noodles per serving

2 Cups of Kashk

1/2 Golden-brown Fried onions (for garnish)

Instructions

Wash the beans and chickpeas overnight in water before rinsing them when you want to start cooking. This reduces your overall cooking time, which is important because this meal takes some time to make. Cook the beans in a pot with additional water until tender. Add lentils at that point and let it all simmer for an additional 15-20 minutes.

Saute onions in vegetable oil until golden brown. Once done, add chopped herbs and saute for several more minutes until wilted. Now stir in turmeric, dried mint, salt, and black pepper before proceeding further with this dish.

Add the herb mixture to the pot of beans and lentils, and simmer for another 30 minutes. Next, prepare noodles (according to the directions on the package) before incorporating them into the soup pot. Serve this Ash piping hot and in bowls. You can garnish each serving with spoonfuls of kashk and golden-brown fried onions! Don’t forget to include some bread with Ash-e Reshteh — if you want to go absolutely authentic, try finding an Iranian bakery and get sangak bread as part of this meal.

Shirin Polo

Shirin Polo is an authentic Persian rice dish often served at special events such as weddings or parties. This unique and flavorful treat features basmati rice seasoned with saffron, rose water, cinnamon, nuts, dried fruits, and other elements for an irresistibly delicious taste.

Ingredients

3 cups basmati rice

2 cups of sugar

1.5 cups water

1.75 cups rose water (Golab)

1.5 cups vegetable oil for garnish

1/2 cup each of slivered almonds, pistachios, walnuts & raisins

1/2 cup chopped dates + 1/2 cup chopped apricots (optional)

1 teaspoon each ground cinnamon + cardamom + saffron

Instructions.

Rinse the rice thoroughly under cold running water until all of the debris has been eliminated, then soak for at least two hours in cold water before placing it into storage.

Bring 8 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Drain and add your rice directly into this boiling liquid; cook for approximately 10 minutes before draining and setting aside.

Mix 2 teaspoons of hot water with the saffron in a small bowl and set it aside.

Combine sugar, water, and rosewater in a separate pot over medium heat until all the sugar has been dissolved – stirring continuously!

Heat the vegetable oil over medium-low heat in a large nonstick pot. Stir in almonds, pistachios, and walnuts and allow them to brown lightly before stirring again for another 2-3 minutes.

Add raisins, dates, and apricots to the pot and continue cooking for an additional 2-3 minutes.

Add the cooked rice to the pot and mix thoroughly.

Pour the saffron mixture over the rice and add cinnamon and cardamom for garnishing.

Cover the pot tightly with a tight-fitting lid and cook over low heat for 30- 40 minutes or until the rice has absorbed all the broth and the rest has evaporated.

Shirin Polo rice can be served alongside many delicious side dishes such as roast chicken or lamb, fresh salad, and yogurt. This rice-based Persian food combines sweet and savory flavors, making it the perfect complement to all kinds of meals.