Ponder!

Chug!

Salute! Be Salamati! Cheers!

In this fifth installment of  “Drinking in Iran” — a photo-essay series documenting the tasty drinks (aka nooshidani) yours truly had to sip, gulp, swig, imbibe, taste, devour, knock back, or merely gaze at covetously during my sentimental and epic trip to Iran — I thought it was high time to talk about one of the most popular Persian soft drinks, and that would be … doogh.

Iranians love doogh! But what is doogh? Let’s commence with our pictorial journey to find out. (Warning: there may be many yummy Persian food pix along the way as well. Accordingly, proceed your viewing pleasure with caution.)

Well, doogh is a yogurt-based beverage (seasoned with salt and dried mint and garnished with fresh mint, sometimes carbonated, sometimes not) that in some ways may be considered Iran’s national drink. It’s what the featured (gregarious and very charming) Iranian gentleman is drinking.

Side note: I snapped this shot after a yummy Persian lunch at the executive lunch room of a big deal company in Iran, where this lovely gent is a hot shot top exec. I got to be there because Afooli, one of my besties (she and her hubby are truly the best, and they were my gracious hosts for the bulk of my visit in Iran) is the Vice President of this aforementioned big deal company. Everyone except for the president of the corporation reports to her. Isn’t that interesting? Not what you might have expected about women in Iran, huh? Much more on Afooli and her work (and the food and adventures we had together) sometime soon.

Right now, let’s catch up with doogh! That classic minty, healthy, zesty yogurt-based Persian soft drink!

When it comes to the Persian culinary arsenal of goods, most Persian foods and drinks tend to bewitch and seduce the palettes of everyone at first taste. Doogh, however, is one of those rare tough sells for those unfamiliar with its taste– which is robust and tart and almost sour. Nothing shy about doogh’s flavor, specially when it’s carbonated. Basically, doogh may best be categorized as an acquired taste. A taste that once acquired, however; does lead to a lifelong craving and infatuation! Or maybe doogh is not so much an acquired taste as what you’ll begin to appreciate once you acquire taste! (Ha ha, this is an old joke!)

Do you know what pairs supremely well with doogh? Cholo kabab! It’s a marriage made in shekamoo heaven.

Cholo Kababi Yaas – Tehran, Iran (Farmanieh)

A snapshot at a popular cholokababi restaurant taken by a shekamoo nursing a thick minty cold glass of doogh, patiently waiting for the cholo kabab to arrive.

A popular cholo kababi in Tehran, Iran

Check out the cholo kabab once it finally arrived! Vai vai vai!!!!  (The plate at the bottom left is mast musir by the way, remember the yogurt mixed with Persian shallots? As you can see, Iranians have an unmitigated passion for yogurt!)

cholo kabab & doogh. Mouth: watering. PUDDLE Of drool: forming!

In sum:

Doogh goes with cholo kabab like breath goes with life. Need more be said?

But Iranians pair doogh with other types of food as well.

A delicious meal in the enchanting city of Isfahan!

This was in Isfahan. At a nice dinner with my lovely Khaleh Farzi (my maternal aunt.) We had doogh with fesenjoon, and that yellow thing? That’s a specialty dish of Isfahan called “khoresh ‘e mast” which is a most interesting dish I “must” tell you about, and I swear the pun is unintended. (Note to self: Write the long neglected post about the utterly beguiling city of Isfahan!)

Persian lunch in a kitchen in Shiraz!

This was a lunch at my paternal aunt’s kitchen in Shiraz. Note the bottle of doogh on the table. But for the love of all that is delicious, please also note the po’lo and khoresh (eggplant stew with ghoreh.) Of course there’s the sabzi khordan plate of edible herb (I told ‘ya, it’s always there at a Persian dinner table) and the bowl of my aunt’s rocking homemade torshi aka pickles.

Now my mouth is watering in earnest.

Talk about a festive & decadent Persian lunch!

Check out the doogh-being-poured-into-the-glass action. This was at a very fun and festive family lunch at my lovely khaleh Fuzzy’s house in Tehran.

Doogh for sale at Abeali, Iran

You can find bottled doogh in almost every Persian deli and supermarket all over Iran.

But do you know when doogh tastes the best? When you buy it from one of the many Abeli vendors (skiing resort half way between Tehran and Shomal) on route to and fro’ the Caspian sea.

Doogh can easily be made at home as well. The ingredients are few and simple: yogurt, water or club soda, salt, dried mint, ice cubes, and optional fresh mint for garnish. The technique and measurements vary however. When it comes to homemade doogh, each family have their own tried and true method.

A loaf of bread, a pitcher of doogh, & cholo kabab!  That’s the stuff of life!

And that’s it for our chapter on doogh. Allow me to repeat that: Iranians love doogh! It’s healthy, it’s delicious, it cools you off and it refreshes. (And let’s face it, Persians have an obsessive love affair with all things yogurt.)

I’ll post my Baba’s homemade doogh recipe sometime soon. It’s totes simple.

Till then, xoxo

T is for Tadig!

Persian rice! The stuff of culinary dreams!

You guys, this post is nothing more than a shameless plug for a Persian cooking class workshop that I’m offering on August 23rd in the merry state of Maryland. If you’re going to be in the DC area that day, do come, won’t you?

I’m calling the class a “Persian Culinary Feast Workshop” which is a mouthful but it’s apt because it will yield much delicious mouthfuls, and will cover a few essential genres of Persian cuisine into the bargain.

What’s on the yummy-for-your tummy learning agenda you ask? Why, let me tell you:

Persian Rice 101; green bean khoresh; Persian cucumber & mint yogurt soup; doogh; and we’ll end on the heady note of how to hack a plain vanilla ice cream into a sensory overload that is the delightful Persian saffron, rosewater & cardamom ice cream with pistachio slivers.

Here’s the link to the Eventbrite page for more info and to register. Register, mark your calendars, and rev up your tummy + taste bud engines.

May I please ask for your help in spreading the news of this class? I would appreciate it greatly from the bottom of my shekamoo heart if you could please pass this info along to your Washington DC area friends or family who might be interested.

khoresh loobiya | Persian green bean stew

Mast ‘ o Khiyar | Persian cucumber & mint yogurt Soup

xoxo

Your faithful blogger

Chilled Persian Cucumber & Yogurt soup. Perfect for summer!

Everyone knows that Persians have a thing for pomegranates, rosewater and all sorts of yummy fluffy saffron rice. What is less known is that we also have a major yen for yogurt. A bowl of yogurt is nearly always served with lunch and dinners as either a condiment or side dish or sauce; and we also have many yogurt-based dishes in the Persian culinary repertoire. It’s safe to state that yogurt is among the major staples of the Persian cuisine.

For example you may recall borani, a vegetarian genre of Persian dishes made with yogurt mixed with various types of veggies. Yogurt is also a tried and true ingredient liberally used in or added to hearty soups (like ash ‘e mast or ash ‘e reshteh); we also have yogurt as the essential and star ingredient of popular side dishes like mast ‘o khiar; and of course, last but not least, let’s not forget that yogurt is the main ingredient of doogh, a most popular Persian soft drink. (Remember this lovely dude?)

Today I have for you a  refreshing yogurt-based dish — a deceptively humble yet classic Persian delight called abdoogh khiar — that comes to you courtesy of an adorable relative of mine, nameed Valeh. How are Valeh and I related? Well, let’s put it this way: our fathers are brothers. Ha ha, yes, what I’m saying is that Valeh is my cousin or dokhtar amoo (literally: daughter of paternal uncle) as we say in Farsi.

Abdoogh khiar itself may be said to be a cousin of mast ‘o khiar, as they are quite similar, which is fitting then that the recipe is courtesy of your faithful blogger’s lovely cousin, Valeh.

Now I have to digress and tell you that Valeh is a beautiful Kurdish name that means “to be besotted by” and it’s an apt name for my very pretty cousin and her pretty green eyes. One of the many interesting facts about Valeh is that she lived in Japan for a few years where among other things she picked up the art of Ikebana (flower arrangements) that she enjoys greatly and practices beautifully. Valeh has a fine arts degree from the University of Tehran; an interior design degree from here in the U.S.; and most importantly, she has arguably the most adorable little girl in the world.

Thomas Jefferson Flanked by two Persian cuties | Monticello, Virginia

Aside #1: Thomas Jefferson, as it so happens, is my second favorite historical American. I kind of lurv him. Care to guess who’s my number one? Well, it’s a tie between Benjamin Franklin and Lincoln. I’m ardently passionate about both of those lovely American gents. By the way if you care for that sort of thing, I highly (HIGHLY) recommend this podcast: The Jefferson Hour. It’s amazing!

Aside #2:  If you think this photograph is the only Persian connection with good ol’ Thomas Jefferson, think again! On a whim and just for the hell of it, I Googled “Jefferson and Persian” without having the slightest expectation of finding anything and then THIS turns up: Cyrus Cylinder: How a Persian monarch inspired Jefferson. I mean!!!

Going back to our regularly scheduled programming, namely abdoogh khiar, that exquisitely simple chilled Persian yogurt and cucumber summer time soup:

Valeh like to add bread torn into small pieces to the yogurt soup, just like you might do with abghusht. That’s why Valeh likes to call abdoogh khiar a summer-time abghoosht!

Ingredients of a Persian Abdoogh Khiar

Cousin Val's Abdoogh Khiar (Persian Cucumber Yogurt Soup)

• Servings: 2-4
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

• 4 cups yogurt
• 2 medium sized seedless Persian cucumbers
• 5 radishes
• small bunch of green onions (scallions)
• small bunch of parsley
• a good pinch or two of dried dill weed, and dried basil
• handful each of walnuts and raisins
• water to add to yogurt
• Salt and pepper to taste
• crushed edible rose petals. a pinch or two (optional garnish)
• bread (lavash or if you don’t have lavash you can substitute with pita or other flat bread)

Note: Valeh’s measurements are given in a loosey goosey manner, as in: please feel free to adjust these to your preferred taste.

1. Peel cucumbers, slice ends.
2. Scrub radishes, trim root end and bottom.
3. Rinse green onions clean under cold water, trim root end, peel off slimy skin off the white parts, cut and remove almost all of the green tops. (You can use the green parts of the green onion for an omelet or soup or some such thing later.)
4. Rinse parsley clean under cold water; soak in water for awhile, drain, and leave to dry completely. Trim stem ends.
5. On a cutting board and using a sharp knife, chop cucumbers, radishes, green onions and parsley. (Try to get een sized small pieces.)
6. In a big bowl mix all the chopped ingredients with yogurt, dried dill and basil, walnuts, and raisins.  Add 1/2 cup of cold water (or add a few ice cubes and melt instead.) Stir to mix.
7. Garnish with rose petals and maybe more sprinkling of walnuts and raisins. Chill until ready to serve.

Serve chilled abdoogh khiar in a big bowl. To best enjoy abdoogh khiyar, serve with bread: tear bread into small pieces (we call this terid kardan), mix it with your portion of abdoogh khiar, and dig in!

Enjoy the crunch of cucumbers and walnuts and the sweetness of raisins offset by the smooth and delicious coldness of yogurt.

Thank you wonderful Valeh joon for your wonderful recipe!

Make it & enjoy it.
‎نوش جان! Nooshe jaan!

buying prescription sunnies in Tehran, Iran

Please forgive me re the title. I simply could not help myself! And yes, this is a post about purchasing eynak that is glasses (specifically prescription sun glasses) in Tehran, Iran.

By way of prologue let me say that I wouldn’t have made my epic trip to Iran were it not for my friends Afooli and Hossein who I stayed with for the bulk of my visit. So very many good memories from this time and hopefully one day I can do it all justice. This quickie photo post is just a fun and quick little photo vignette. Here’s the back story:

One day after coming home from work, Afooli decided she needed a new pair of prescription sun glasses, and so along with Hossein, we hopped into her car and drove to a street lined on both sides from one end to another with opticians and walked into my friend’s favorite spot. All told we spent nearly an hour there during which time Afooli — I’m chuckling at the memory of how strict and picky she was with her choice of frames — finally made  her pick, choosing a super fab pair of sunglasses. Yours truly meanwhile snapped away click click click, happy as a clam. As you can see (ha, pun!) this is a story that ended productively and well. And voila: some shots for your perusal. Hope you will enjoy it and now you have an idea of what people do when they want to buy prescription sun glasses in Tehran, Iran. You also kind of sort of can get an idea of the hijab sartorial choices of women as well.

Inside an optician shop in Tehran, Iran 2014

Afooli pondered and checked out the selection of glasses.

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Other customers walked in and pondered the same as well.

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Someone seems to have engaged in deep philosophical pondering as well. Talk about a thousand yard stare! Penny for your thoughts, lady with lemony scarf!

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Couples continued to browse and shop.

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I continued to snap away as was my modus operandi. Click click click. BTW, I really liked this lady’s head scarf.

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Selfie in Tehran

A selfie inevitably ensued. You didn’t need an eyenak to have seen that coming a mile away!

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An unintentional selfie ensued as well.

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Success! A tres chic (seriously!) pair of sun glasses is found and begotten.

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Afterwards, Afooli and Hossein humored me by posing for a celebratory commemorative shot outside the store. My camera, however, didn’t humor me with a good shot. Yes, I AM blaming the camera. It was not my fault, needless to say.

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And let’s end on this note: this little toddler Persian girl — with her mom, waiting outside the store — who waved and smiled and I swear was the cutest sweetest little thing I ever saw.

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The End. For now! :)

Farhang Foundation’s Nowruz Celebrations at LACMA in Los Angeles, California

I have long been a HUGE fan of Farhang Foundation — I absolutely love how they represent and promote the culture of Iran with heart and passion and wit and soul and exquisite taste — and was thus beyond proud and thrilled when I won their 2015 Nowruz Banner Contest. An honor that continues to give me goosebumps! (Thank you Mr. Ardekani and the entire Farhang Foundation founders and team & Nowruz Committee!)

And guess what? Farhang Foundation’s 2016 Nowruz Banner Contest — calling on aspiring and veteran graphic artists to submit original designs that conceptualize Nowruz (the Iranian New Year) or some other aspect of Iranian culture — is now in progress: open to the public at large and to artists worldwide! This is such a golden opportunity! The winner gets their design displayed on banners all over Los Angeles throughout the month of March and more importantly, gets to be a part of the glorious history of this amazing cultural foundation. Deadline for entry is September 1st. Hurry up and enter and make sure to spread the news of this fabulous opportunity to your friends and family and all your peeps as well!

Good luck!!! موفق و پیروز باشید!

A Persian Khoresh with French Fries!

Recently I’ve written a round of posts mostly about the people and culture and country of Iran. What about the food? What about recipes? Where’s the beef? (Are you old enough to remember that very funny campaign?)

Well, today I have for you the recipe for a wonderfully crowd-pleasing Persian khoresh made with cubed meat and split peas and limoo amani and potatoes that is called khoresh ‘e gahimeh sibzamini – or as my nephew calls it “French Fries Stew.” If our relations with France begin to suffer, first I will cry bitterly as I am a devout Francophile, but then after I pull myself together we can regroup and commence to rename the khoresh to Freedom Fries Stew. So no worries! Anyhow, as a French Embassy spokeswoman stated (rather condescendingly I might add … so French!) fries are, in fact, Belgian. Belgium has never provoked ire to any nation I believe. So, really, no worries!

Split peas + limoo amani | key ingredients of French Fries Khoresh

This is such a delicious khoresh that instead of talking a blue streak I’m motivated to get you to the recipe straightaway. Allow me to only make a few culinary notes re its preparation:

As with every other type of Persian stew, khoresh ‘e gaimeh sibzamini begins it wondrous journey with making a batch of piyaz dagh (chopped onions fried for 12-15 minutes till they are golden and translucent and caramelized but also somewhat crispy and yes onion can become all these things simultaneously!) and then browning the meat in the said piyaz dagh. Once you get the hang of both of these things, you’re pretty much well qualified to tackle almost every type of Persian khoresh.

Here in the East coast, it generally takes 70-75 minutes in total to cook khoresh but the cooking time (meat and even split peas) for Khoresh is longer in Tehran (nearly 2 hours) since temperature there is dry and not humid. The thickness and quality of pots and pans have an impact as well. Accordingly, as you cook Khoresh do keep an eye out and make a note of the perfect timing per your geographic location and other factors.

Final comment is a comforting one that should give you solace! Namely, while making rice in the Persian style takes finesse and technique and rather precise timing and can be a fussy temperamental wench, khoresh is entirely forgiving and docile and is relatively hard to mess up. Traditional tricks are: If khoresh becomes too ragigh (watery) to bring it to a boil and then simmer till it thickens; and alternatively if khoresh ends up too ghaliz (thick) add just enough hot/warm water to dilute it a bit, stir to mix, and simmer till the look and texture are satisfactory. (Of course don’t neglect the common sense step of tasting and adjusting salt and other seasonings.)

Oh dear Lord! Let’s make polo khoresh gaimeh sibzamini and let’s dig in!

As promised let’s cut to the chase and click our heels and then click on the link below to continue to read the recipe!

Khoresh Gheimeh Sibzamini | French Fries Stew

• Servings: 8
• Time: 2hr 30mins
• Print

• 1 1/2 lb stir fry round meat (or any type of meat that’s more or less fat free)
• 5 yukon potatoes
• 1 large onion, peeled, and chopped into small pieces
• 6 dried lime (limoo amani لیمو عمانی )
  
• 1/3 cup split peas
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger (optional, maman’s signature)
• 1 bay leaf
• several dashes of turmeric
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste (more or less to taste)
• a dash of cinnamon
• saffron water (optional: a dash of ground saffron dissolved in 2 tablespoons of hot water)
• 2 cups of hot water
• salt & oil

chopped onions and meat for khoresh gaimeh sibzamini

Prep meat: Rinse meat in cold water, drain, pat dry with a paper towel. Transfer to a dry cutting board, cut into one inch sized (or a bit smaller) cubes with a sharp knife.

Prep dried limes: Puncture each limoo amani (dried lime) with a fork on each side. (Securely hold limoo amani in place with one hand atop a cutting board or counter top and stab with a fork held in your other hand. By the way, yes, you do eat the cooked limoo amani. The texture is soft and chewy and the taste is delightfully tart.)

Prep split peas: Rinse split peas in cold water a few times and drain. In a small skillet sautee split peas with just a bit of olive oil. (This step prevents split pea from bubbling and frothing.) Add a cup of warm water and bring to a gentle boil on medium high heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer with the lid ajar and cook for 10-15 minutes till al-dente. (In Iran, once sauteed, split peas would be added and cooked with the meat because due to less humidity in Iran it would take far longer for split peas to cook than here in the U.S when it cooks quite fast.)

Make piyaz dagh: Peel and quarter an onion and make vertical and horizontal cuts (or your favorite method) to end up with small chopped pieces. (Ideally uniformly in size.) In a large wok or skillet heat (on medium high) 1/4 cup of oil till sizzling, add onions, reduce heat to medium, sprinkle with a dash of salt, and fry for 15 minutes. Initially, don’t stir at all. As onion shrinks and changes color, stir with a wooden spoon as needed, moving pieces from the outer corner (where it tends to fry more readily) into the center and around to make sure pieces fry evenly. Do so for 12-15 minutes, stirring as needed to prevent burning, until onion reduces in size, turns almost translucent and golden and a bit crispy. Then sprinkle with a dash of turmeric (1/8th of teaspoon) and ground ginger and stir to mix. With a slotted spatula remove fried onions and set aside for now but save the oil remaining in the skillet.

onion midway in its transformatin to “piyaz dagh”

Brown the meat: Add 2 tablespoons of oil to the same skillet you used to fry the onions and heat till sizzling. Once sizzling, add meat, season with salt, add ground ginger (optional) and fry for just a minute or so on each side till lightly brow. If your skillet is large enough, stir fry all the chopped meat at once, otherwise do so in separate batches, adding more oil each time as necessary. (Note: Meat tends to release juice and if so, discard remaining oil, wipe skillet clean, add more oil and heat till sizzling and start afresh.)

Prepare the stew:

• Transfer both the browned meat and piyaz dagh (golden fried onions) to a roomy pot. Add bay leaf and sprinkle with a bit more salt and a dash of turmeric. Stir to mix. Add 2 cups of hot (or warm) water. (Cold water will reduce the temperature of the meat and is not advisable. 2 cups of water should just about be enough to cover the meat mixture. If not, add more hot/warm water.) Bring mixture to a gentle boil. Then cover and reduce heat and simmer for at least one hour. After stew has been simmering for 10 minutes, add the limoo amani. (To make life easier for yourself, you could add it as soon as you start simmering the khoresh.)
• After khoresh has simmered for an hour, lift lid, remove bay leaf, test a piece of meat to make sure it’s cooked (add more water if necessary to cook meat longer.) Add tomato paste, al -dente split peas, saffron water (optional) and a dash of cinnamon. Bring to a gentle boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer again for an additional 10-15 minutes. Or longer until the quality of khoresh is to your taste.

Prepare the French Fries: While khoresh is simmering prepare the potatoes for the French fries part. Wash and peel 4-5 potatoes. Slice in half and then cut into (as uniformly as possible) matchstick size. If you do this part a bit ahead of time, soak cut potatoes in a bowl of cold water to prevent discoloration. Fry potatoes once Khoresh is nearly done. To fry: heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet till sizzling, add a batch of potatoes, sprinkle with salt, fry till golden on each side. Remove with a slotted spatula. Repeat same steps (adding more oil) with remaining batches of fries till done. (Alternative: Instead of frying the potatoes, you could use your favorite method of baking/crisping them in the oven.) Set aside fries till ready to mix with the rest of the khoresh.

Khoresh gaimeh – without the sibzamini! Where are the fries?

Homemade French Fries ready to top Khoresh Gaimeh to everyone’s delight!

Transfer your lovely and yummy khoresh ‘e gaimeh sibzamini to one or more serving bowls, top with fried potatoes and serve. Traditionally (usually and ideally and nearly always) khoresh is served with fluffy Persian saffron-scented rice.

However, you are not required by law to serve khoresh with rice and if you wish, you are free to enjoy this delicious Persian Freedom Fries stew with … let’s say anything from bread, to yogurt, to quinoa to couscous to whatever else inspires your taste buds and palette.

Make it, enjoy it, and nooshe jaan نوش جان!

Amoo & dokhtar amoo | Kermanshah, Iran 2014

During my epic trip to Iran last year, I mostly stayed in Tehran, the cosmopolitan capital of the country and the city of my childhood, but luckily I got to make several memorable short forays into a few other cities as well: I visited Esfehan (nesfe jahan) with my fabulous Khaleh Farzie; went to Yazd with Haleh, my dear childhood/family friend; visited my vivacious aunt in Shiraz; went to the holy city of Ghom with my uncle; took a short and sweet road trip jaunt to the Caspian sea with good friends where we stayed in a beautiful villa and explored the amazing wonders of the Babolsar food market; and near the end of this truly epic and sentimental journey to my homeland, I also went and visited my father’s side of the family in Kermanshah.

Each trip had its own indelible charm and memories, forging stronger and stronger my deep love for Iran, but it was the visit to kermanshah and spending time reconnecting with my paternal family there — each of whom were kinder and warmer than the next — that had me in tears when I had to leave to go back to Tehran.

Family connection and emotional sentimentality aside, Kermanshah is a region of Iran steeped in history and boasting of both natural beauty and cultural attractions — the historical sights, the Grand Bazaar, the drop-dead-gorgeous mountains, and oh yeah, the amazing food — that makes it a natural destination for anyone traveling to Iran.

The statue of Hercules in Bisotun, 480 BC and discovered in 1957. Near Kermanshah, Iran

Historic Taghbostan at Night

Lion & the Sun at Takeih Moaven al Malek | Kermanshah, Iran

Airplane Tray en route from Tehran to Kermanshah

Throughout nearly the entire duration of the flight to Kermanshah from Tehran, I had my face pressed and practically glued to the airplane window  … staring down at the land that lay below, unable or unwilling to peel away my gaze, and feeling … so much love. So. Much. Love. But also feeling sad. Feeling very very verklempt.

I don’t know how to explain it, except that the topography laying below me was not generic to me. I found it inherently dear, I found it … painfully beautiful. I mean both words (painful and beautiful) sincerely. Kind of like The Little Prince and his rose. These mountains weren’t any old mountains. They were MY mountains. You see.

Or perhaps you don’t see. I’m not being very articulate!

What I will do, however, is do my best to articulate many of the highlights of my trip to Kermanshah. Starting tomorrow, I will have posts sharing with you photos and memories from my short and sweet visit to Kermanshah with the hopes that you’ll enjoy the peek at this beautiful city in Iran, and in the spirit of inspiring you to make plans to go for a visit yourself. One day. Some day! Why not?

Kermanshah, “The Land of History & Myths”; “The Land of Eternal Lovers”; “The Land of Shirin & Farhad”, the land of LOL trees (see below, ha!)  is very much worth a visit.

Friendly tree in a traffic circle welcomes you! | Kermanshah, Iran 2014

So my friends, coming up in back-to-back posts for your perusing pleasure, expect the tales, anecdotes, pix and high jinx accounts of the following:

• A visit to the Grand Bazaar of Kermanshah.
• A tour of Takieh Moaven al Malek. A striking building with a stunningly long name!
• The tale of vanushk and unripe chickpeas. (You’ll like this, I just know it!)
• Persian roses and Persian Carpets in Kermanshah.
• A sing-along climb up the mountains at dawn and a picnic breakfast sur l’herbe.
• Visiting Hercules and Farhad in Bisutun, and going to taghbostan.
• And finally: A lusty tour of some of the yummy things I ate in Kermanshah. (Because we can’t possibly leave a real or virtual trip to Kermanshah without partaking of all its savory and sweet edible wonders now, can we?)

Even the restaurant napkins in Kermanshah are friendly and say: Welcome!

So khoda hafez for now and see you tomorrow! Basheh? Basheh!

As I said in the intro post about this series, I had a great time during my short visit to Kermanshah, Iran. A huge part of that enjoyment was due to the warm andd heartwarming hospitality I received at the hands of every single member of my family in Kermanshah as I was subjected to many and multiple graceful acts of charm!

Now I’m going to show you a few pretty things I experienced that may charm you as well.

Let me start by showing off what awaited me once my sweet cousin Roshank brought me to her home from the airport:

A good example of a choice Persian mehmooni table.

Oh! Nothing much! Just a little table with a few little things to tide me over till it was time to munch on lunch!

Let’s take a look from this angle too! This table looks good both coming and going!

It behooves me to note that setting these kind of tables laden with fruit and assorted edible goodies to receive and welcome a visitor, be it just one person coming over or an entire clan, is part and parcel and in the very DNA of every single Iranian.

This is what we do, people!

An array of goodies to melt the heart & water the mouth!

Here’s an aerial view of the mehmooni table. To the bottom left we have a choice box of assorted shirini Kermanshahi (be on the look out for these in the upcoming Kermanshah Grand Bazaar post!) Now, scoot your eyes slightly to the top and that’s a serving plate divided into compartments of goodies ranging from dried figs, pistachios, shelled walnuts and wrapped candy. Not bad, not bad! In the middle we have assorted fruits arranged into a pyramid shape which is THE classic and traditional way that iroonia (people hailing from Iran) serve fruit at parties. Just below the Persian pyramid of fruit we have a peek of my scarf/hijab cascading into the shot. Why I was still sporting my hijab inside is a mystery for the ages. To the right of that we have my red-espadrille-clad-feet peeking and sneaking their way into the shot. Which is a common hazard many food bloggers taking aerial shots experience. (And here you thought Persian-food-blogging was all fun and games and ta’dig.) Moving along past and above the red espadrilles, what do we have? Your eyes are not deceiving you, that’s a big bowl filled with many many many big and juicy gojeh sabz! Oh my!

Dear green unripe plum: you are tart, delicious and an icon of nostalgia!

After a suitable amount of picture taking of all the edible goodies, as is my sacred duty as your devoted food blogger, I commenced to gorge on gojeh sabz like a hungry savage BEAST.

I continued to munch and take pix and be merry in this fashion all whilst my cousin Roshanak was slaving in the kitchen, preparing a veritable feast in the kitchen. True to old-fashioned Iranian customs, I was strictly forbidden to set foot in the kitchen or to lift even a finger!

My sweet lovely uncle – who is officially the oldest (mash’allah & bezanam be choob) and thus the most respected member of the Houshiar clan – came to visit in this interim and seeing him was a feast as well. You know, for the soul. Awww! I know: SO CORNY! But: TRUE! Dudes, I mean it from the bottom of my refusing-to-be-jaded beating heart.

My sweet amoo taking his afternoon tea in the courtyard | Kermanshah, Iran

The whole time I was stuffing my face and catching up with my lovely amoo, my cousin Roshanak was continuing to put the tantalizing finishing touches to her luncheon feast in the kitchen, with awesome-smelling things wafting their way into the drawing room. A few times I poked my face in the kitchen, practically begging to help, but I was unceremoniously shoo’d away.

People: That is what Persians (aka Iranians) do as well! Ha ha! It’s true!

I will share pix of the lunch (and other yummy foods in Kermanshah) in an upcoming post but for now let’s switch gears and turn our attention to these camomile flowers, growing wild in the mountains of Kermanshah, that I picked when I went koohnavardi with Mehran (another of my awesome cousins) and his family — account of which will also be the subject of an upcoming post as well. I saved the camomile flowers as a souvenir of an exceptional and beautiful outing and took them with me to Tehran and regret that I didn’t manage to bring them back with me to New York. Oh well, at least I have a photo momento and here they are, resting peacefully on Roshanak’s pretty Persian carpet.

Speaking of pretty Persian carpets (by the way, practically everyone in Iran has carpets at home and the variety and beauty of the designs are stunning to put it mildly) I do have to say that I absolutely loved the silk Persian carpets in cousin Roshanak’s house. Gorgeous designs!

Let’s take a quick look, shall we?

The color green is a rare but prized choice in Persian carpets. I heart this pale pistachio green color. So beautiful!

Here’s a blurry look at another pretty Persian carpet design.

Glorious example of Persian Carpet artistry & design

The pattern and colors in this particular Persian carpet make my eyes very happy!

Now let’s switch gears again and check out something else:

This is a hand-painted plate portrait depicting Mr. S (my cousin Roshanak’s esteemed and affable husband) riding one of his favorite horses. The artist is a friend of their family who specializes in decorative paintings from photographs.

If you look at the 2:00 O’clock part of the photo, you may notice a crystal bowl — the designated nest of the pale pink Muhammadi rose petals harvested daily from Roshanak’s garden in their blooming season.

Here’s a blurry shot of the roses atop a paisley-patterned termeh. Termeh is the term (no pun intended, ha ha) for a specific and prized type of Persian fabric that is used for decorative and festive occasions.

Since we started this post with roses, let’s end with the account of these beautiful pink Muhammadi roses as well – the very breed of roses that are used to make rose water.  For 10 or so days, the several rose bushes in Roshanak’s yard bloom profusely, and every day of those days, Mr. S harvests the blooms and keeps the petals in a bowl as a beautiful potpourri till they dry out and then Roshanak uses the dried petals to crush and garnish doogh and mast ‘o khiar as is the custom in the Persian cooking tradition.

I loved being in Kermanshah in the rose season (although that meant I missed the barberry and quince season) witness to such charming rituals, and truly lucky to spend quality time in the company of my lovely cousin Roshanak and her awesome husband Mr. S (the master of daily rose-harvesting ceremonies) who were such incredibly thoughtful, generous, gracious and delightful hosts in every way possible way — and in ways that they really shouldn’t have! They really spoiled me! But: no complaints! In fact, here I am, a year later and I’m still charmed. Hope you are as well, vicariously!

Stay tuned for more upcoming Kermanshah posts … I’m just getting started!

For my first and only full day of sightseeing in my paternal homeland, my awesome and adorable cousin Roshanak started off by taking me to the Grand Bazaar of Kermanshah — a sight for saucer-sized eyes. Try as I might and even armed with digital equipments, there’s no way that I can truly translate and transcribe the experience and sights of the bazaars in Iran, but In this post, part 3 of the Trip to Kermanshah series, I’m going to show you some of the things I did see with my very own eyes that were nice and interesting and at times, wondrous.

Of course, what you’ll inevitably find in any bazaar in any city in Iran, be it ever so humble a market or so grand as to be Grand, are stalls after stalls of dried herbs and spices and advieh (Persian mixed spices.) All manners and diverse types of specially-mixed-combinations of spiced (advieh) for everything from making torshi to polo to soups to BBQ chicken. There’s something inherently mesmerizing about gazing at piles of colorful spices, don’t you find? It makes you want to dive into them and touch and inhale all of them!

Let’s go stroll through rest of the bazaar together, shall we? It’ll be fun and filled with marvels, I promise. Just make sure your scrolling finger is all pumped up and ready! 

The best and most unique part of the Grand Bazaar of Kermanshah was its deliciously aromatic pastry section …

… where bakers were busy making the various pastry doughs and crusts and fillings.

And where as is custom and a traditional marketing lure, passersby are offered a sample of the delicious fares. It’s hard to pass it by!

Nearly every city in Iran boasts of its very own special pastry and sweets. Kermanshah is justly famous and has bragging rights in this department as it lays claim to various types of unique and truly delicious pastries, collectively referred to as ‘shirini Kermanshahi” or “pastries from Kermanshah” but of course each specific type of pastry also has its own name and its own besotted fans. Time allowing, I’ll write a post waxing poetic about each of these pastries but for now let’s just gaze covetously at these wondrous creations of humanity.

What I can tell you right now is that some shirini Kermanshahi are soft, some are brittle, some are dry, some have fillings, some are speckled with sesame seeds or siyah dooneh (nigella seeds), some are crowned with nuts, some are stuffed with dates, and some are dusted with a fairy layer of ground pistachios or spun sugar.

All are nice and good and gladden the heart. All are perfect, but perfect, with چای.

Shirini Kermanshahi! Worth waiting for!

It was not just fun and shirini at the bazaar in Kermanshah. Let’s take a look at some other stuff:

Here’s my cousin Roshanak, digging through a canvas bag filled with dried camomile flowers. We call them babooneh and make tea with them, same as is done here in the West.

Camomile flowers grow wild all over the mountains of Kermanshah, as I saw for myself, one very fine day when I went mountain hiking at dawn with my wonderful cousin Mehran and his super duper awesome family. That story is going to have its very own post!  So stay tuned!

Another fun section of any Iranian bazaar is its gem and jewelry section.Ranging from the inexpensive ersatz to posh and pricy objects of desire.

Rings, necklaces, medallions, bracelets, pins, you name it, made with all manners of glittering metals (gold and silver) and gems ranging from firouzeh (turquoise – a quintessential Persian stone and also popular name for girls, I myself have a lovely cousin Firouzeh) and aghigh (carnelian stone – very much a Persian stone and in some ways very much a bazari stone) to zomorod (emerald) and diamonds and you name it. I didn’t manage to take any good pix of the rows upon rows of tiny goldsmith shops and glittering jewelry stores lined next to each other but I did manage to snap this blurry shot below …

of a tired and bleary eyed vendor with his glittery somewhat gaudy faux jewelry wares.

Time to make our way to other stalls …

What do we have here? A tailor and his customer? A tailor with his assistant? A tailor with his spouse?

In any event: a tailor!

And here we have another tailor. A serious Kermanshahi tailor at work earning his honest daily bread who has no time for hyphenated or unhyphenated people’s goofy tomfoolery.

Look at that cocked eyebrow! If looks could kill I would have been a dead woman! Oy Vey!

Even in the hustle and bustle of a grand bazaar it’s possible to snatch a few minutes to take off one’s shoes and sit down and have an earnest tête a tête. But where’s their chai? How could these Iranian gents possibly concentrate and converse without dunking sugar cubes in hot estekans of tea and taking sugary fragrant sips? Didn’t they get the memo that while 65% of the human body is made of water that at least 50% of that is made of tea in a typical Persian human body? Tsk tsk tsk!

No longer tsking and speaking of tea no more but of tête still … these are cow heads. A grizzly scene that did not smell very good either. Suffice it to say that Roshanak and I did not linger. (I do confess to loving kaleh pacheh, however. A hypocrite I am.)

A decidedly less gory but definitely not banal corner of the Grand Bazaar of Kermanshah had me stumbling upon balal بلال.

Balal is what we call Persian-style corn on the cob which is charcoal grilled then dipped in salt water and which is a much beloved street food.

For good and very easy directions to make your own balal, check Mystique Persia’s recipe. Also check out My Persian Kitchen’s stove top balal post which is a good read as well as a good stove-top balal recipe.

Just outside the perimeter of the Grand Bazaar of Kermanshah were a bunch of little shops and whole sale vendors …

Like this wholesale store where they sold all types and manners of seeds, like watermelon seeds and sunflower seeds, what we collectively and generically refer to as “tokhmeh” in Farsi. Iranians love to munch on tokhmeh! Tokhmeh used to be a popular snack in movie theaters, so that when watching a movie, there was an inevitable sub soundtrack teek teek teek of seeds being cracked between various filmgoers’ teeth, a sound like an army of mutant subdued crickets. Ah! Memories!

Tokhmeh is sold roasted, salted, unsalted, spiced, shelled, unshelled, mixed with other nuts to form many types of ajeel (Persian trail mix) …. you catch my drift … it is widely consumed and popular. I also caught the drift when noting this guy’s glare. Another scolding scalding look that could maim or kill or scorch! Why so bad ‘akhlagh Mr. Shopkeeper dude? I was just photographing the seeds, as is my sacred food blogging duty.

A closer less hostile glance at the tokhmeh!

And look what I found fluttering in the breeze on the pavement next to the wholesale tokhmeh forooshi?

I don’t know which country’s football team this is but point is that football aka soccer is huge in Iran. HUGE!

And what have we here? A red Mercedes Benz truck with a sign in Persian that reads “delnavazan” which can be translated as “pleasing to the heart” (isn’t that endearing?) which I initially considered yet another sign of the inherent poetic nature of the Iranian soul but that I somehow or other (forget how) later realized is the name of an old and classic restaurant in Kermanshah. Let’s end our gingerly and hopefully somewhat entertaining and delnavaz stroll of the Grand Bazaar of Kermanshah by riding shotgun in this truck and going off for some adventures.

If you didn’t get your fill of the bazaar though no worries and no need to pout and stomp your feet and give me accusatory looks! I omitted mention of the bazaar’s outdoor fruit and vegetable market, saving that for tomorrow when we will hear the tales of vanooshk (wild mountain pistachio) and fresh chickpeas and have a close and mercifully brief encounter with my nemesis, the okra!

Until soon, have a heart-pleasing smooth day!

Ghorbanetoon, mokhlestoon, chakeretoon! :)

Plate of Vanooshk aka Wild Pistachio | Kermanshah, Iran 2014

Vanooshk & flowers in cousin Roshanak’s house | Kermanshah, Iran 2014

Gentle reader, hello and welcome to part 4 of the Trip to Kermanshah series!

As you saw for yourself the other day when we strolled through the Grand Bazaar of Kermanshah you can find everything there from shirini kermanshahi to gold jewelry to grizzly rows of severed cow’s heads (let us not speak of those yet or better yet never again!)

I omitted mention of the thriving farmer’s market bustling with all manners of fresh fruit and vegetables and herbs just outside and around the bazaar. Saving its tale for now.

And this is freshly harvested chickpeas! Roots & all!

Back tracking a bit, and as I pointed out recently, you may by now have noticed a pattern with Persians and their passionate penchant for unripe produce! Let’s just go ahead and call it an impetuous love affair!

To wit, we have unripe almonds (chaghaleh badoom چاقاله بادوم ), unripe green plums (gojeh sabz گوجه سبز), and just recently we made the tart yet invigoratingly pleasant acquaintance of unripe sour grapes (ghureh غوره) all of which are specimens of things not yet ripe yet beloved by Iranians and consumed with relish as either a fruit snack, or as a cherished culinary ingredient, or for its medicinal benefits, or for all of the above.

While writing about ghureh I did wonder if I were missing any other unripe fruits and vegetables that have sweet-talked their way into the Persian palette, and while writing this post I realized I’d forgotten about at least one more such instance.

During the tour of Kermanshah’s farmer’s market I came in close contact with mountain grown wild pistachios called vanooshk ونوشک and I was also tickled to  find out about the nibbling possibilities of freshly harvested chickpeas!

Kind Persian lady demos snacking on freshly harvested chickpeas

Here’s what transpired:

I was walking and talking with my cousin Roshanak but out of the corner of my eyes I couldn’t help but notice this lady munching off what appeared to be torn off tree branches! WHAT!

Inquiring minds want to know and I played my tourist card and before my cousin could stop me, pounced on the poor woman and asked what she was nibbling on. As was wont of almost everyone I interacted with during my trip to Iran, the lady was super nice and friendly and warmly informed me that she was enjoying snacking on freshly picked green chickpeas or nokhod kham as we call it in Farsi.

[Aside: In the photo above please do note the presence of my nemesis, okra, piled on trays at the bottom and in the center of the photo. My father loves okra, particularly Persian okra stew (khoresh ‘e bamiyeh) but it’s the one thing I can not abide to eat in any way, shape or form.]

The freshly-harvested-chickpeas-snacking-nice-lady offered me to try some of the nokhod ‘e kham and I confess I was not shy enough to refuse and I heartily agreed to pick and munch. I no longer recall the precise taste but I do remember that the green chickpeas were kind of crunchy and overall: pleasant. Certainly a most intriguing way to snack!

Afterwards, my cousin Roshanak laughed and said “Vai, Azi jan, chera inkaro kardi? You shouldn’t eat unwashed things!” But you know what, I pretty much threw caution to the wind during my trip, or rather, I was not even conscious of the need to be cautious, to be honest. I ate and drank what was offered and was available or seemed novel, tempting or interesting and it was all good and I lived to tell the tales! And I do have a few fun tales left to tell in that regard!

Before leaving the bazar’s farmer’s market, Roshanak wanted to buy something. A little something called vanooshk!

Vanooshk piled high! | Kermanshah, Iran 2014

Here’s a mound of vanooshk, piled high. It bears a striking resemblance to unripe sour grapes, n’est ce pas?

What is vanooshk? Well, it is the fruit of a tree called “baneh” that grows in the mountains of Iran. In Farsi, vanooshk is also known as wild pistachio or mountain pistachio. In English the tree is known as the Persian turpentine tree and if you want to get all Latin about it, the tree is called Pistacia atlantica.

To the best of my knowledge, vanooshk is not nibbled on raw, but is used to make everything from torshi (Persian pickles) to ash and abghoosht (thick hearty Persian soups) to khoresh (Persian stews.) At least, Kermanshahi folks do so. My visit was not long enough for me to taste any of these culinary marvels. Alas!

Cousin Roshanak inquiring about purchasing Vanooshk in Kermanshah, iran

Roshanak buying Vanooshk! | Kermanshah, Iran 2014

The green bounty of freshly picked grape leaves

Gasp! What have we here? Do check out this gorgeous pile of fresh grape leaves as well! Oh my! These beauties! What I wouldn’t give to get my grubby hands on some right now to make dolmeh ‘ye barg ‘e mo دلمه برگ مو (stuffed grape leaves, Persian style.)

My cousin Roshank has a beautiful bagh (a term referring not to a farm per se but a piece of land, private garden, used strictly to grow fruits and vegetables) and before I left Kermanshah she made sure to give me a tote bag packed and filled with freshly picked grape leaves from the trees of her own bagh that I took with me to Tehran, as one of the many sweet and charming souvenirs of my trip to my father’s city of childhood.

Now for good measure, I present you with a short video below that captures just a minute of the escapades of the day …

And let’s end with this nice smiley vendor

… who was a little grumpy at first but hammed it up like a champ when I asked him to pose with a vanooshk bouquet. Damesh garm!

Back soon with the next installment of this Trip to Kermanshah series.

♥

Inner courtyard of Takieh Moaven ‘ol Malek, Kermanshah Iran 2014

Flower garden courtyard of Takieh Moaven ‘ol Malek, Kermanshah Iran 2014

Inner courtyard of Takieh Moaven ‘ol Malek

In this latest installment of Trip to Kermanshah series I’ll take you to one of the sights you must visit if you are ever in the Land of Shirin and Farhad. I only had 3 short days in Kermanshah, but thankfully my thoughtful cousin Roshanak planned a great itinerary for our one main sightseeing day. First we swung by and explored the Grand Bazaar of Kermanshah (exploits of which were detailed here & here) and then Roshanak treated me to a delicious lunch at a wonderful restaurant, and in between, we visited “Takieh Moaven al Malek” in the old quarters of the city.

Takieh Moaven al Malek, a striking 19th century Qajar complex, is neither a mosque nor a palace nor was it ever a private residence; rather, it is a Hosseinieh, a shi’ite Moslem complex used to perform religious ceremonies and plays. For further (succinct yet detailed) explanation of the building’s purpose, I’ll take the lazy way out (akhaysh!) and direct you to Lonely Planet Guidebook. As for the history and provenance of the site, I’ll take the easy way out once again and point you to a good informative paragraph at Wikitravel for Kermanshah.

Shah Abbas I presume?

I will be more forthcoming with my impressions of this sight, however, which are thus:

a flurry of tiles and turquoise, colored glass, walls of patchwork mirrors, many murals of mustachioed kings and men and swords and horseback battles, a serene and blooming flower garden inner courtyard, and a small museum. Takieh was perhaps not as enchanting as Narenjestan in Shiraz, nor as breathtaking as the many incredible edifices in Isfahan, but in its own right: quite interesting, quite striking, and very beautiful!

I may have taken a few strategic shortcuts here in this post, but I will not skimp on sharing a bunch of cool photos with you that kind of drive home the point that this place was pretty much a sight for sore eyes.

Let’s go inside, shall we?

Well actually, gotcha, this was not the entrance! Or at least it remained locked during our visit. Note the turquoise tiles and the beautiful old door. The lion and the sun motif above the door has been one of the main emblems of Iran. In Farsi, we sometimes nickname the sun as “khorshid khanoom” or literally “Madam Sun” so the sun is nearly always portrayed as feminine in many depictions of this emblem.

Now this, the arched opening beyond which you see the hint of the blue-colored shallow pool (or what we call “hoze” in Farsi) is the real entrance to the complex. If you pay close attention and squint you can just about make out the silhouettes of the two guys who were acting as admission guards. (Also, if you check out the bottom right-hand side corner of the pic you’ll see where I was standing to take that photo above of the gate with the sun and the lion emblem design.)

Let’s go take a look around, shall we?

The sign in Farsi reads: “Entrance to this part is forbidden.” Zut alors!

Mirror shrine and site of a grave

Cousin Roshanak at Takieh Moaven ol Malek | Kermanshah, Iran 2014

Roshanak reading the tombstone’s inscription.

I also have a teeny short video of this mirrored interior:

And now, for your viewing pleasure, the many tile murals of mustachioed men and martyrs and kings to follow:

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See? Lots and lots of tile murals and paintings.

Loose tiles – set aside to be used for repairs

There were also stacks of loose tiles piled here and there in the outer courtyard, set aside to be used to make repairs. At least that’s what the docent said.

Below I have for you a short video … a look at the interior, a medley of colorful tiles and mirrors and colored glass windows. In the video Roshanak tells me how she is so very fond of this type of colorful glass detail and we note how pretty it is to see the colorful light they cast inside the building. (I can’t dub it, it’s in Farsi!)

And below is another video, this one of the resident docent explaining the history and purpose of the building and the nature of the tile murals. (In Farsi! Not dubbed.)

Now let’s end this post with a photo of the docent lingering in thoughtful repose against a wall in the inner courtyard of Tekiyeh.

Caretaker of Takieh Moaven ol Malek in Inner Courtyard

Hope you enjoyed this virtual tour and keep posted for the new installment of Trip to Kermanshah by tomorrow or shortly thereafter.

xoxo

City of kermanshah viewed from Taghbostan mountain

In this 6th installment of the Trip to Kermanshah series, I’m finally gearing up to tell the story of going mountain climbing and picking up wild poppies and camomile … drinking in not just fresh air and elixir drinks but some much needed family goodness and bonding. Here’s how it came about:

Same afternoon that I arrived in Kermanshah, my whole family came over to my cousin Roshank’s house to see me. It was so good (and also super surreal) to see everyone after 3 decades! People I’d known as little kids were grown adults with families of their own and babies I’d not even been around to witness their births were now heading towards college or getting their master degrees! And then there were those dear departed members of the family whose absence cast a long shadow of longing and sadness. Where did they go? Where did time go? How did all of this unfold in a blurry blink of an eye like a greedily gorged Netflix series? (Scenes like this feel like experiencing sci-fi games of time! Except that it is not a game of time, but a game of life and the path that “sarnevesht” leads you to take.)

Our chit chat was mostly all fun, light-hearted catching-up-after-a-long-time variety, but at some point there was talk of the impact of the Iran-Iraq war on Kermanshah (the city was harshly ravaged) and I was told tales of the horrors of war they all endured and experienced. Roshanak and a few others joked about how jumpy they still feel when they hear loud noises, and the lingering impact of the war on everyone’s nervous system. I’d had no idea! I am grateful that my family survived living through the war with not just their limbs but their spirit and heart intact. To wit, my cousin Mehran, who was drafted as a teenage soldier serving at the front during the Iran-Iraq war probably had it the hardest and yet is one of the warmest, nicest, most effusive types of people I’ve come across. (Aside: As I was finishing off writing this post, a podcast episode dealing with post traumatic syndrome called “Healing Trauma” made its way to my listening queue and it’s quite interesting so here’s the link if you want to listen to it.)

Cousin Mehran has a truly lovely wife. I know I tend to throw that adjective around like I’m throwing seeds at pigeons but trust me when I say that Simin joon IS lovely. Trust! Case closed! They also have two wonderful daughters who impressed me with their open charm and calm maturity beyond their tender young years. Anyhow, cousin Mehran and his family told me about their standing routine every Friday (the weekend day off in Iran) of getting up at dawn to go kooh navardi (mountain climbing) followed by a round or two of badminton game after descent followed by a sobhaneh sur l’herb a picnic breakfast that is. (Most Iranians, myself heartily included, love love LOVE picnics! Any excuse to spread a sofreh in nature and eat and lounge and play and spend time with friends and family!) Theirs sounds like an awesome, invigorating and entirely wholesome family tradition that in part explained the riddle of the equanimity, poise and unbridled good nature of the family! Those endorphins, you know! And healthy body and healthy mind and all of that. I should also mention that kooh navardi, aka hiking up the mountains, has forever been and remains a very popular recreational activity for all Iranians, young and old and in between.

So cousin Mehran and Simin joon and the girls asked me: “Azita, mikhai biyaye kooh navardi ba ma?”  To which I responded with an enthusiastic: “Would I? I’d LOVE to!” They didn’t seem entirely convinced that I had what it took to get up at dawn and then climb atop the rocks of a steep mountain, but dear friends, they didn’t know they were dealing with not a sedentary but an entirely athletic specimen of a food blogger here. Ha ha!

Long story not that much shorter, my cousin and his family picked me up and there was a sense of exhilaration (sans a coffee buzz mind you!) already in the air as we listened to Persian dance music in the car and chatted up a storm and then we parked and started climbing atop the majestically tall and gorgeously rugged and imposing rocky terrain of Taghe Bostan.

We climbed and climbed and climbed. Poppies and dandelions and camomile flowers and butter cups sprinkled the steep jagged edges and even though it was so early in the morning, the mountains were alive with people! We could hear people singing! So many people singing! Men and women. It was a sight to behold. My cousin recited poems and said wise things and I videotaped him.

We picked flowers, we giggled, we took selfies and photos. We visited the Memorial of Unknown Soldiers on our path down the mountain. Once we finally descended after an hour or two of exertion, cousin Mehran bought me a cup of ab ‘e aloo to drink to nourish the body — as is the tradition to do after such a workout. Before getting in the car, we sat on the ledge near the car park – with all of the ancient city of Kermanshah, the birth place of my great grandparents and grandparents and my father and all of my paternal aunts and uncles — spread beneath us, with the tall jagged peaks of the mountain around to awe and humble and anchor us. The girls and I took photos of the ab ‘e aloo. Taking photos of food is a universal impulse, I tell you! That ab ‘e aloo was perhaps not the most delicious thing I had to taste during my sentimental journey back to my homeland, I admit, but it may have been the thing that nourished me more than anything else during my epic trip to Iran. It tasted of kindness, family, beauty. It tasted like being home. It was nourishment, and not just the body, but the soul. We all lingered a bit, and then we got in the car and drove a bit till we got to a park where we had our little picnic sobhaneh, a simple and very tasty fare of noon va panir va moraba and chayee (tea and bread and jam and cheese) and played a round or two of badminton and then went home. In the car ride home, and it was only 8:30 a.m. after all of that, Mehran played super cheerful pop Kurdish music and I held on to my bouquet of wildflowers wobbling in my lap (try not snapping your fingers to that song if you can, I dare you!) and we all chit chatted amicably and in good spirits home. The entire experience was gold star fun, pure exhilaration and joy. One of the true highlights of my trip. A memory that is a medal I keep burnishing and it keeps shining, brighter and brighter and brighter.

Here are a few photos from that day — followed by a recipe for a beverage that might be yet another Persian elixir!

camomile flowers freshly picked off the mountain | Kermanshah, Iran 2014

A rock that says: “Khasteh Nabashid!” AKA: “Keep on Trucking!”

Grave of Unknown Soldiers Memorial | Kermanshah, Iran

Poppies, buttercup & prune water (ab ‘e aloo) | Kermanshah, Iran 2014

And here’s a recipe to make ab ‘e aloof: 1) Soak a cup of dried plums in water overnight. 2) In the morning, drain, add 2 cups of fresh cold water and then boil for 30 minutes. 3) Allow to cool. Pour into a glass. 4) Hand it to your homesick cousin or to anyone needing an infusion of good will to salvage a heavy heart.

And with that my dear friends, I bid you a fond fare thee well for now but I shall return — nurtured and nourished and gung-ho with the excitement of sharing with you the next and penultimate installment of my excellent adventures in Kermanshah, Iran.

Hiking in the historic Bisotun trail | Kermanshah, Iran

As I’ve been saying, I only had 3 short days in Kermanshah, but it was one of those trips where every minute counted and was quality — either fun, poignant, intriguing or drole, and often a wonderful combination of all of the above. In this penultimate post in the Trip to Kermanshah series I’ll take you with me to visit the two major historical attractions of Bisotun and Tag-e Bustan.

On an overcast afternoon, me and cousin Roshanak and Mr. S and Amoo Fereidoon drove to Bisotun. It was nearly an hour long drive but we had a lot of fun. I videotaped some of it, see below. Since it’s not dubbed into English, I’ll tell you the context:

We were discussing the abundance of Muhammadi roses in Roshanak’s house and I asked Amoo Fereidoon to describe how to make rosewater. Amoo readily started talking about the golab making process, using an old fashioned Kermanshahi word (‘”miyan” instead of ‘vassat’ to refer to “in the middle”) that promptly had Roshanak dissolving into peals of laughter. Then the talk turns to the ancient statue of Herculus at Bisotun and what’s happened to it (i.e the nude statue’s immodesty was covered in the period after the revolution and at some point Herculus was sadly beheaded but its head was later replaced) and that made all of us start laughing as well. What is not documented in the video and what I just remembered with a jolt of pleasure and also a pang of covetous cognition of absence, was that Roshanak had brought along a huge box of assorted shirini Kermanshahi and lots of fruit for us to snack on our little fun road trip. It was such a good wholesome time! Simple things in life, people, simple things, those are the ones that count when you come right down to it.

Once we arrived at the massive car park area of Bisotun it was drizzly so Amoo Fereidoon stayed put in the car and took a power nap while Roshanak and Mr. S and I went and hiked and saw all the sights of this majestic mountain bearing historic traces of ancient Persia  … passing by the aforementioned 480 BC era Hercules; the “Farhad Tarash” parts of the mountain where the rocks are made smooth because as legend goes that crazy-in-love (or plain crazy) Farhad chipped at the mountains in the besotted hopes of winning Shirin’s love; and the gorgeous cliffs with world-famous bas relief and inscriptions dating back to Darius The Great’s time.

I’ll leave detailed info about the site and its history between you and Mr. Google but will tell you that Bisotun was registered in UNESCO’s List of World Heritage Sites in 2006.

Here are some pix:

The statue of Hercules in Bisotun, 480 BC and discovered in 1957. Near Kermanshah, Iran

Me & Cousin Roshanak hiking the historic Bisotun Mountain | Iran 2014

Allegedly this is where Farhad carved out the mountain for the love of Shirin

The legend goes that the Farhad the Stonecutter (Farhad Tarash) in love with Princess Shirin (who did return his love) was tasked by her father the king with creating a canal in the mountains to gain permission for her hand. This huge smooth rock face part of Bisotun mountains – popular with climbers – is allegedly proof of this legend. The story of Farhad and Shirin is riveting and (spoiler alert!) it has a Rome & Juliet ending. Here’s link to a very nicely narrated account of Shirin & Farhad: A Persian Love Story.

I don’t have any pix of the Darius the Great bas relief at Bisotun (I took it in instead of clicking away on the phone) so we might as well get in the car and drive to Taq-e Bustan, the other major historical site covered that day.

We drove to Tag e Bostan, in a race with the sun, arriving just before the sunset, and took in the beauty of this classic attraction of Kermanshah. I very much missed my father while I was there and hoped that he himself would one day soon return to this site which as my Amoo and dokhtar amoo described has long been a favorite family hangout.

Sassanian bas relief in the Carved alcoves of Tag Bostan | Iran

Sassanian era bas reliefs set inside and around alcoves carved into the majestic Tag Bostan mountains, a historic attraction that is surrounded by popular open air restaurants and a boating pond, was the final leg of my second day of sightseeing odyssey in Kermanshah.

And here’s another video below, offering a glimpse of Tag Bostan and the surrounding boat pond … excuse the wobbliness, and please do excuse the high decible screetch of yours truly. I am loud, I realize with dismay! Note to self: pipe it down, dude!

Here’s how the day ended:

After duly seeing the sights at Tagh Bostan, we grabbed a wickedly good dandeh kabab (Persian rib BBQ served with bread, oh my gosh so yummy I can’t even begin to tell you, jayeh hamatoon khalli) and called it a night. A very good night.

Stay tuned for the final installment of the Trip to Kermanshah series when I take a lusty tour of all the yummy food I had to eat there.

Till soon!

Your Faithful Blogger

homemade shahtoot lavashak | Persian fruit rollup w red mulberries

In this last installment of docu posts about my super sweet Trip to Kermanshah, I really wanted to give you a mouthwatering, lusty tour of all the yummy food I ate during this visit. Everything from the Kermanshahi classic stew of khalal ghaimeh va zereshk (almond & barberry with cubed meat stew) to the spectacular Persian rib kabab (dandeh kabab) we devoured after touring tagh bostan, to gojeh sabz (unripe green plums) to all the toothsome shirini Kermanshahi (boxes and boxes) I got to take and I had to savor. However, somehow or other, I managed to either neglect to take photos or when I did, I took mostly blurry or poorly lit or horribly composed photos. You won’t need to scold me as I’ve already had a stern, scalding talk with myself (“one more mess up like this, buster, and you will be turning in your food blogger badge, doing a 100 push ups, making 100 servings of piyaz dagh without a break, and ruing the day you started a food blog.”) I promise, I shall know better from now on. This terrible mistake will not happen again.

That said, I hope you’ll still enjoy this as-is tour de food of Kermanshah, Iran. (Aside: I was rather pleased with myself for thinking up that “tour de food” phrase — I never have claimed to be forootan, have I — but Dr. Google busted my chops once again by shrugging and saying “Meh! So what! So have a gazillion other people.” Hmmmf! Doctor Google may be smart and all but he could certainly employ a kinder less artist-killer bedside manner.)

In any event, let’s commence our lusty oftentimes blurry foodie tour of Kermanshah shall we?  Rolah jan, berim روله جان بریم as one might say in = the Kermanshah dialect!

Well to begin with, consider the cover photo of the Persian fruit roll up. These are called “lavashak” and they come in a variety of colors and flavors, depending on what type of fruit or mixtures of fruits has been used in its creation. Super popular as a snack, specially with kids, lavashak is sold in supermarkets and bazaars and delis all over Iran, but of course, some households make their own. One of those households being that of my cousin Roshanak, who is in the practice of making lavashak with all kinds of fruit from apricots to black plums to red mulberries, such as the one pictured above. It was so good! Akh! Ooof! My mouth is watering thinking about it.

Let’s move on before I drown in a pool of drool!

Typical example of Persian table set to receive a mehmoon

You may recall seeing from an earlier post in the Kermanshah series that a mehmoonie table laden with assorted awesome goodies, including the prototypical Persian pyramid of fruit awaited yours truly the second I set foot inside my cousin Roshanak’s house.

You may also recall reading that after a suitable amount of picture taking of all the edible goodies, as is my sacred duty as a Persian food blogger, that I commenced to gorge on gojeh sabz like a hungry and shameless savage BEAST.

You may further recall that my sweet lovely uncle – who is officially the oldest (mash’allah & bezanam be choob) and thus the most respected member of the Houshiar clan – came to visit in this interim as well and how seeing him, as corny as it sounds, was a feast too. You know, for the soul. And that the whole time I was stuffing my face and catching up with my lovely uncle, cousin Roshanak was slaving away in the kitchen and awesome-smelling things kept wafting into the drawing room. Of course I was not so bihaya to just sit there and eat while Roshanak toiled but I was strictly forbidden to set foot in there or lift even my little finger and the few times that I poked my face in there begging to help I was shoo’d away. Because: that is what Persians do! Ha ha!

Then what I didn’t tell you is that at some point Mr. S (Roshanak’s esteemed and genial husband) and Haji Agha (little inside joke about one of my favorite family members) arrived as well and the lunch bell was rung. What awaited us was a feast that was served super informally in the kitchen.

I can now also show you what I didn’t show in that post … et voila:

This was lunch! Hold me! Wowza!

Where to begin? Let’s diagram and identify.

Let’s start at the bottom of the photo so working our way upwards what we have here are: lemons, zaytoon parvardeh (an olive appetizer/condiment), mixed veggie torshi (pickles), cucumber and tomato salad, to the right above the salad we have the famous Kermanshahi Persian stew made with slivered almonds, barberries and small cubes of meat called khoresh ‘e khalal ghaimeh and I no longer remember what the dish to the left is although I’m sure it was delicious, then we have the kashk bademjan (a type of Persian eggplant dish) with plenty of piyaz dagh (crisp fried onions) and of course the inevitable heaping pyramid shaped mound of white saffron-laced rice encircled by a valiant army of potato tadig, and then more lemons and olive, some sabzi khordan, a dish heaped with what looks like a plate of cut honey dew, a box of Kleenex, some bread, and a big ol’ bottle of Coke. Woof!

This may seem like a LOT of food for only 5 people, and it was, but again, people: THIS is what we Persian do! :)

(And don’t worry, none of it goes to waste.)

Kashk Bedemjoon | Persian eggplant dish w fried crisp onions & fried dried mint

Kermanshahi khoresh (stew) of almond & barberries & cubed meat with limoo amani

I swear, my mouth watered looking at this just now! My mom learned how to make this from my father’s mother, marhoom Shahbibi, and I will have to post its recipe soon. A crowd-pleasing type of food, this one is. And it has just the perfect mixture of tart and sweet, crunchy and soft. As is the awesome signature of Persian food, which I love. Imagine a ladle or two of it poured over and mixed with fluffy saffron-scented saffron-crowned white rice and you can see why my mouth watered. Whoo boy!

Polo sefid encircled by a valiant troop of potato tadig

So by now I’ve talked lots of times about Persian rice and we’ve also discussed the wondrous joy that is ta’dig. Tadig can be made several different ways. Did you know that? Well, it’s true. Those wiley Persians even make a ta’dig using lettuce leaves, which I’m most keen to share with you sometime in the not too distant future.

Here we have ta’dig sibzamini (potato tadig). Every kind of ta’dig is good but they each have their own characteristics. Like, let’s say if ta’dig was your family then potato ta’dig would be your kind, loving, cuddly, comforting grandma who you love a lot. That’s ta’dig ‘e sibzamini for you!

My sofreh runneth over! | Kermanshah, Iran

Remember in that post about vanooshk and freshly harvest chickpeas in the Kermanshah bazaar I showed you a pic of a heaping stack of freshly cut grape leaves and told you how Roshanak gifted me with a tote bag filled with grape leaves she cut for me from her own bagh ‘e miveh (fruit orchard) that I then took with with me to Tehran?

Well, Roshanak et famile have a cottage in that aforementioned orchard as well and one night during my visit the whole family we went there and everybody cooked up a storm. The men built a bonfire and skewered and roasted chicken and meat and tomatoes and onions kabob (which is basically Persian BBQ) and the women made the saffron rice and salad and prepared sabzi khordan and filled serving bowls with yogurt and torshi. Then a sofreh (cloth) was spread over the Persian carpet, old-fashioned style, and we all sat around it, the whole lot of us, young and not-so-young and old and a few babies and kids and young adults, and we broke bread and ate cholo kabab and joojeh kabab and drank doogh. Need I say that it was good? Really really really good?

Verily, it was kind of awesome.

After unskewering (isn’t that a word?) the joojeh kabab, the fire-roasted chicken laid in this pot atop a big traditional tray (I LOVE these trays) till it was time to serve supper.

Moving on to other things I love:

Like these assortment of shirini Kermanshahi. I think it’s safe to say that I tried each and every kind and upon leaving Kermanshah, Roshanak got me several boxes to take back with me to Tehran as well. Talk about a bounty!

Speaking of leaving Kermanshah to go back to Tehran, shortly before heading to the airport we had a little family get together goodbye party. Edible delights were present of course and 3 kinds of ice cream were passed around as well. I initially protested but then I admitted defeat (you can’t battle with ta’rof!) and had some of each!

Now this, what we call “nooneh sokhari” in Farsi, bearing brand name of “Vitana” with the image of this smiley boy is not a thing specific to Kermanshah but that’s where I found a package and snapped a shot of it, so I’m including it here. For most of you, this doesn’t mean anything, but for certain Persians in diaspora, this is the stuff of nostalgia.

Speaking of, thus concludes my nostalgic look back at my sweet visit to Kermanshah during my epic and sentimental journey to Iran.

Hope you enjoyed it! And khoda hafez for now till we meet again.

My epic trip to Iran is so 2014! Here we are in 2015 and brushing up against 2016 — and guess what? Yes, yes, YES! I’m going back for a nice long visit to Iran again!

This time I’m going with my folks. It’s their first visit back after 20 years.

One occasion is my cousin’s wedding —  we are all tickled pink by the idea of seeing him as a sha’damad and I’m delighted by the idea of actually attending a real Iranian wedding in Iran!

Another occasion is that my mom is having her first solo art exhibit at Haft Samar Gallery in Tehran! The opening reception is September 18th. (The gallery’s website will be updated in a week or so — after their summer hiatus — with all the relevant info.) If you’re in Tehran, do come and say hi! (دوستان حتما بیایید!)

Yet another occasion is something exciting in the works for moi, but I will keep that under the wraps as a surprise till later.

I’ll be off for a couple of months. In my absence, I’ve scheduled a few blog posts that I hope you’ll enjoy. This time around, I won’t blog while traveling in Iran (I have my priorities straight finally and plan to devote that time on eating kooloocheh instead) but I definitely plan to post updates and pix of sights and food (yummy yummy Persian food) every chance I find via social media. If you do want to follow along my excellent journey (and please do!) there’s Twitter, my personal Facebook page, Fig & Quince’s Facebook page, and Instagram which may just be the best option.

Khoda hafez for now and till soon my friends!

[This post scheduled to publish while I’m on my Epic Trip to Iran, part 2.]

So a few weeks ago I went on Twitter asking for help identifying the fruit in this photo (that I had snapped sometime last spring time during my epic trip to Iran) because for the life of me, I could no longer remember its name. Twitter friends came out fast and furious to help (in a good way!) and before you knew it, my mystery fruit was identified as loquat (in English) or azgil ازگیل (in Farsi) or Mespilus Germanica if you want to get all botanical and Latin about it.

A Twitter friend informed me that loquats are quite popular in Pakistan.

Then @Freejust1 told me that there are sweet and sour varieties of loquat in Kashmir and that the tree blossoms in November. He then made me quite jealous by boasting of not just loquat but also peach and pomegranate trees growing in the yard of his house in Kashmir! To prove his point, @Freejust1 shared a peek of his garden in bloom and then he just had to really rub it in by sharing a photo of this view of the mountains from his garden!

I mean! Look at that! I have a bump on my head because I swooned and tumbled off my chair! I have decided that I may just move to Kashmir! Where I may feel quite at home apparently because according to @FreeJust1 “Iran has always had a deep cultural influence on Kashmir which is known in the subcontinent as iran-i-sagheer. (Iran ‘e sagheer means little Iran, by the way.)

Back to our fruit, it turns out loquat (azgil) grows abundantly in California as well, particularly in the San Diego area, and many Californians can boast of having a few of its trees growing in their yards. Laura Bashar, fellow Persian food blogger compatriot over at Family Spice also waxed poetic about the abundance of loquat in San Diego and Tannaz, another dear Persian food blogger, over at All Kinds of Yum noted: “my area of LA blows up with loquats in spring. I have (non-Persian) friends with a tree who make jam from them.” OK, Tannazie, no need to brag! ;) Another Twitter friend @Dawn_Hawk mentioned her 3 loquat trees as well and made mention that the loquat fruit in her yard were ripening right on the branches as we bantered on Twitter! She also invited me to go harvest them in California! What a sweet offer! I’d love to accept. In fact,  after moving to Kashmir, I will then move to California. (Honestly though, after my recent visits to Los Angeles I swear I am this close and so very tempted to move to Tehrangeles for real and I’d do it too in a New York minute were it not for the deal breaking factors of the cars and the sun, ha ha. After all these years of happily dwelling car-free in New York, I cringe at the thought of having to own and drive a car and navigate traffic and I’m somewhat like a vampire, verily shunning the sun, so as you can see I would not fare well in sunny southern California.)

I was so happy to have received immediate and straightforward answer to my “Identify this mystery fruit” Twitter query but of course @RezaShaer just had to volunteer that: “I think these are called Azgil Japoni, Different from regular Azgil.” Of course, as an attorney, it behooves him to make such distinctions! Echoed by a couple of other people as well who observed that the fruit in the pic are actually called Japanese azgil. Then someone said that “no, these are not loquat” but rather a fruit called “konar“, however, others objected vehemently and pointed out that azgil is not be mixed up with Konar that does look very similar but is smaller and is a fruit of an entirely different type of tree. But people, oy vey, let’s not even worry about these things!

Konar! Fruit of “sedr” tree in Tajrish Bazaar | Tehran, Iran

It’s so funny! I Googled for images of “konar fruit” and found one of my very own pictures, ha ha, that I’d published in a post about my tour of the fabulous Tajrish bazaar in Tehran. A fruit which I back then reported as “quite popular to eat in the southern regions of Iran”, and one that “tastes something like a combination of apples and pears.”  Sounds pretty good to me! According to the yellow sign, konar is also good for problems with diabetes, cholesterol, nausea and lung diseases and filled to the brim vitamins A, B, C and calcium. That sounds pretty good too! And also, a sweet friend tells me that “they make ‘sedr’ which is the what they used as shampoo back in the day (and some still do) from the leaves of konar tree.” Very neat, no? According to my friend @andoust whose mom used to make her put the sedr “shampoo” in her hair couple of times a month after her regular shower, it did wonders for the hair. “My grandma and her mom before her all used it too.” Ha! Must give it a try if I get a chance! 

I swear that writing about and exploring Persian food sometimes feels like being Alice in the Wonderland and falling down the rabbit hole and bouncing from one amazing thing to another so that you forget where you started and have no idea where you might end up. It’s all fascinating but for the interest of efficiency and for the sake of my sanity (what little shreds and jagged shards of it remain) I’ll pretend I never did hear of this distinction between Japanese and regular azgil and I will be in steadfast denial about dealing further with konar as well! (La la la, my fingers are in my ears. I know not what you speak of.) But seriously, sigh, I’ll honor my blogging duties and look into it and report back one of these days.

In conclusion, it was fun how much activity this one simple question generated (drawing comments from Kashmir, San Diego, Los Angeles, New York, Iran and Pakistan and elsewhere) and it just shows how much people love talking about and discussing food and food related stuff on social media.

Thank you lovely Twitter and FB friends: @Dawn_Hawk @Eyeblinks @sidewalk lyrics @RezaShaer @Freejust1 @HameedPooya and Laura and Tannaz and @zozobaking and @anadoust.

And let’s end this fruity (but not nutty) post with a couple of other sightings of azgil aka loquat aka Mespilus Germanica (a sweet fruit which may just be Japanese azgil but is not to be confused however under any circumstance with Konar) as captured by your faithful blogger, aka moi, during what I frequently and persistently (although hopefully not annoyingly) refer to as #myepictriptoiran.

Azgil (loquat) in Shiraz, Iran

Fallen branch with unripe azgil (loquat) in my va va voom’s aunt‘s garden in Shiraz, Iran.

Azgil in blue glass goblets in Haleh’s kitchen in Tehran, Iran

And azgil as detected (and very probably gobbled up shortly thereafter) in blue glass goblets in lovely Haleh‘s kitchen.

That’s it folks!

Till soon’ish & until then may you have many ripe delicious things in your fridge!

Oranges on Orange

A dinosaur in Brooklyn, New York | Norooz 2012

Dried flowers in a jar | Brooklyn, NY 2012

Matchstick cut carrots for havij polo (Persian carrot rice)

Dried mint | fragrant staple of Persian cooking

A seedy affair

A seedy pair

Seeds! When spring is but a promise!

Red Wheat on Orange to sprout Green!

Red Wheat Seeds – coddled to grow & sprout sabzeh

hint of green sprout on Orange

Green sabzeh in jam jar on orange background

Still life with sabzeh & a foregone yellow tulip! | Norooz 2012

Grated squash to add je ne sais quoi charm to Khoresh fesenjan

grated cantaloup for yummy paloodeh talebi!

Persimmon (khormaloo) | a fruit fraught with personal history

merry go round; pink egg, orange peels & sabzeh | Norooz 2012

Star anise & orange peels| pretty homemade potpourri

Orange & Blue Rhapsody

havij polo ta’dig (crunchy crust of Persian carrot rice)

Orange & Blue Rhapsody

Oranges in red bowl

Oranges, intimately yours

[This post scheduled to publish while I’m on my Epic Trip to Iran, part 2.]

Recently I craved decluttering — a veritable urge to get rid of extra and extraneous stuff that extended not just to physical things but also my thoughts (getting all deep and philosophical on you here and progress report is that the abode of my thoughts still needs a good and proper and vigorous khoneh takooni and maybe even refurbishing) and also all the computer and digital stuff and junk as well. I don’t know about yours but my computer desktop and folders — bulging and busting at the seams — were in need of a good non-sentimental editing. The process of feng shuing my digital life has been a fun, comforting, purifying, unnerving, daunting and overwhelming endeavor all at the same time! Fraught with fussy deliberations! Is it best to save beaucoup MBs and delete a bunch of slightly different versions of a photo in a series, or do I risk ruing the day in the future where one or more of these would have been perfect and by then it’s too late and they are in that big cyber trashcan up in cyberheaven? Mostly, in my zest, I’ve answered this modern philosophical dilemma with brutal keystrokes of destruction: control+Q! Deleting with gusto! It has not been all annihilation, however; the counterpart of the editing journey has been getting reacquainted with forgotten scribblings (oh when will I ever get to organize and purge those) and lots of photos that I really like but have never used. I thought I’d share some of the pix with you. Hence this post. A post which may become a series. Who knows. I’m juggling way too many series over here as it is. So as this is not being entirely random, we have a theme: orange!

Knock, knock.

Who’s there?

Orange.

Orange who?

Orange you going to humor me and enjoy this decluttering post? ;)

[ps To follow along my excellent journey as I travel on my second epic trip to Iran (and please do!) there’s Twitter, my personal Facebook page, Fig & Quince’s Facebook page, and Instagram .]

Chia seeds (tokhm ‘e sharbat) | Nothing to be cross about!

[This post scheduled to publish while I’m on my Epic Trip to Iran, part 2.]

Before the social climbing advent of chia seeds as one in a series of trendy superfoods sweeping the U.S., what the noun “chia” used to conjure were …. Chia Pets! Remember those? Chia pets were all the rage in the early 1980s. I am pretty sure we bought and grew and housed a lamb-shaped Chia Pet in the very first suburban American house we came to call home after leaving Iran. I can’t swear on it, but I think Chia Pets might even have existed in Iran. (Total Aside: Two truly kitsch popular-craze Western products that did exist in the 1970s Iran of my childhood were: the cuckoo clock and Felix the cat clock. One of my earliest memories is that cute and crazy little bird springing purposefully (and somewhat manically, ha ha) out of her quirky wooden house hung on the wall of our living room and going: cuckoo cuckoo cuckoo! As for the Felix the Cat clock — with his big mischievous eyes moving one way, the tail swaying another, hypnotic to behold  — I am pretty sure that practically all of my childhood friends, including most probably myself, had one in their bedrooms.)

WHERE WAS I? Ah yes, chia seeds! Tokhm ‘e sharbat or tokhm ‘e raihan in Farsi. Salvia Hispanica in Latin. A species of flowering plant in the mint family popular with the Aztec and Mayan cultures and also popular with Iranians who use it to make delicious thirst-quenching sharbats (remember this Drinking in Iran post?) or just soak it in water and drink it up like medicine for its its thousand and one health and nutritional benefits.

The many benefits of chia seeds (tokhm ‘e sharbat):

The monicker of super food is not an exaggeration for our cute little seeds — indeed they are super full of antioxidants and a magnificent source of Omega 3. (Recently dubbed a “miracle food” as well since they suppress the appetite and can help one lose weight.)

Maman says that back in the day (“garneh pish!“), postpartum women were taken to hamoom (public baths) in a ceremony and pampered and served chia seed sharbat and she said now it makes sense why because chia seeds are a wonderful source of calcium!

NOTE: Chia seeds have glutten so for those following a glutten free diet, sadly, you need avoid these miracle seeds.

Aside from getting Dr. Google’s input or my esteemed mother’s anecdotal information, I thought I’d also reach out to Nirvana (a dear friend who is as wonderful as her name may lead you think she might be, who is a superb nutrition & wellness consultant and the founder of Nourished Living) to get Nirvana’s sage and expert 2 cents as well.

Nirvana joon is a fan of chia seeds!  She reports that chia seeds are “high in fiber (helpful for digestion, and keeps one satiated for longer) and are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are crucial to the body’s fight against inflammation. Nirvana further reports that “chia seeds are a great (and easy) way to add more antioxidants to your diet and are also a surprisingly good source of minerals such as calcium and magnesium.”

That’s it then, if chia seeds (tokhm ‘e sharbat) get the seal of approval from Aztecs, Mayans, trendy and healthy hipsters in the U.S., my mom, Nirvana joon and ancient Persians, would you need any further proof to do everything you can to zestfully add them to your diet? Thought not!

In the New York area, chia seeds are also widely available in various health food stores, but I actually buy mine online. Once again, however, I turned to Nirvana for her input and Nirvana joon reports that: “Organic is always best, raw organic is even better. I don’t really stick to a specific brand to be honest – I usually buy a big bag which lasts in the fridge for quite a few months before I need to restock. Right now I have some International Harvest raw and organic seeds in my kitchen (I think from Whole Foods).”

So there you have it. And if you don’t have it, go and get it!

How to add chia seeds to your diet:

How best to consume chia seeds? In the summer and as an occasional treat, sharbat will hit the spot, and I shall turn you over to Turmeric & Saffron, one of my all time favorite Persian food bloggers, for a wonderful chia seeds sharbat (sharbat ‘e tokhme sharbati) recipe.

If you are not in the mood for either sugar or recreation, make a plain herbal drink by soaking chia seeds in some water till they turn gelatinous (for at least 15 minutes or overnight if you wish) and drink it up. To add some joie de vivre to the concoction, you may want to add a bit of rosewater to it.

Nirvana joon suggests using chia seeds in smoothies as well as sprinkled over steel-cut oatmeals and notes that “there are some really creative uses for those little seeds out there – everything from using them to make puddings, in salads, to even as a skin exfoliator!”

Personally, my favorite method of adding chia seeds to my daily diet is adding them to my breakfast smoothie. I love green smoothies and I love my recent Persianized iteration of it that among other things counts chia seeds as a key ingredient.

Go ahead and get some chia seeds and start soaking them and I’ll be back with the recipe of my delicious and nutritious Persianized green smoothie recipe (now with chia seeds!) before you know it.

Meanwhile, I plan to hypnotize you with some psychedelic chia seeds dancing (bonus: to lovely Persian music) below! ;)

xoxo till very soon!

My dinosaur guards my Persianized green smoothie!

[This post scheduled to publish while I’m on my Epic Trip to Iran, part 2.]

I pretty much live on green smoothies – a blending of yogurt and veggies and fruit. My blender is the hardest working member of the household you might say, I suppose, and it is not entirely rewarded for its labor, save for showing signs of wear and tear. No day spa for my (non union) blender! Oh no!

My green smoothie concoctions have served me well, morphing here and then with seasonal ingredients and moods. I’m a creature of habit when it comes to what goes in my smoothie, a serial monogamist, that is to say I’m loyal to a fault to a particular combo until one day, I’m not, and boom, it’s time to move on!

There was a time when I was fixated on using macca powder and goji berries; there was that time when flax seeds were a must; there was a bout of using soy or almond milk instead of dairy but for a long while now, I have a very streamlined staple list of ingredients.

Right now my magic formula for making a delicious and super healthy green smoothie potion is to take a whole bunch of fresh kale (at least 2 cups, use more to thicken smoothie, less if you like your smoothie with less “grassie” flavor) a large ripe banana (a MUST ingredient, as it is the only sweetening agent), water to dilute (one cup or more depending on how much kale I use) and one cup of whole plain yogurt. That’s it. And it’s great — a balanced if not dazzling flavor. But recently I’ve also been on a kick of Persianizing my green smoothie and have concocted my own mixed spice Persian advieh that hits the spot and delivers a punch of health benefits into the bargain. It’s a keeper!

What does it takes to Persianize my green smoothie?

My green smoothie’s Persian advieh (mixed spice)

A good looking bunch of advieh (mixed spice) to Persianize your green smoothies

Here’s the cast of the usual suspects, in a line up, from left to right:

dried mint, senjed powder, chc chc chia seeds (remember I just posted about they myriad goodness of chia seeds last week) turmeric, and dried rose powder.

Not pictured but an exquisite and requisite little touch for both health and that je ne sais quoi touch: rosewater and saffron water!

Persianized Green Smoothie

• Servings: 2 frothy delicious servings
• Time: 5 minutes
• Difficulty: easy!
• Print

• 1 large ripe banana
• 2 cups of fresh kale (more if you like it dense,or less if you prefer a less “grassie” flavor)
• 1 cup whole fat yogurt
• cold water (1 cup more or less depending on how diluted you prefer it)
• 1 teaspoon dried mint
• 1 teaspoon senjed powder
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon dried rose powder (if you can find it)
• a handful of ice cubes (optional)
• 1 teaspoon chia seeds (soaked in 1/4 cup of water overnight or for at least 15 minutes)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground saffron dissolved in 2 tablespoons hot water
• 1 teaspoon rosewater

Combine all the ingredients including (except for chia seeds, saffron water and rosewater) in the blender and blend till you have a smooth consistency.

Add chia seeds, saffron water and rosewater, and stir to mix.

Serve!

Serve in a glass. Sip and enjoy!

Make it, enjoy it, and nooshe jaan نوش جان!

family taking photo at Ibn Sina tomb

[This post scheduled to publish while I’m on my Epic Trip to Iran, part 2.]

Let’s start perusing the Persian nooks and crannies of cyberspace in part #5 of Internet: Persian Style series! with this paparazzi style family portrait. What did we all ever do before smart phones? I wonder if Ibn-Sina would have enjoyed putzing around on his smart phone? I have a feeling he would have greatly enjoyed it actually. Ancient polymaths: They are just like us!

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Such a quiet and serene shot! It feels like a short poem. In one of my favorite cities in Iran: Isfahan. (Nesf’e jahan!)

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Maybe masked portraits would dethrone the reign of the selfies? Doubt it.

Anyhow, the lady in the photo is holding a children’s music album called “Red Autobus” to cover her head. She mentions how a chance conversation at work prompted the purchase and that the music, while geared towards children, can be enjoyed by all who enjoy cheerful and fun songs.

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Photos and stories like this are the reason I’m such a besotted fan of @Pedestrian on Instagram and on Twitter

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This is the Iranian singer named Ramesh in the pre-revolution Iran of the 1970s. When it came to pop stars, Googoosh was number #1 in popularity and then there was Ramesh. Googoosh was all coy and charm, and Ramesh was all edgy and fierce. Image found via @reorientmag a hip, trendy and nearly scholarly magazine “celebrating contemporary Middle Eastern arts and culture.” And celebrate it does, with style to spare!

Thus concludes our relatively sedate yet hopefully entertaining round #5 tour of some interesting nooks and crannies of Persian cyberspace.