Notes about Recipes in this book

• Turmeric chicken with sumac and lime

  • Breadcrumbs on January 03, 2015

    p. 103 – Outstanding dish! Very quick and straightforward to prepare yet the dish has deep, bold flavours that give the impression this dish has marinated or braised for hours. I added the zest of one lime to the water added for braising. We liked the results and I’d repeat that step next time. I served this with a quinoa/wild rice dish, which worked well. Definitely a dish that we’ll make again. Photos here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/1000517?commentId=9366405#9366405

  • vinochic on September 12, 2013

    Very good flavor, but the "sauce" was a little oily...

  • TrishaCP on February 15, 2016

    This was so flavorful with very few ingredients- the sauce was great with a side of plain bulgur. I used a cut up half chicken-this worked well but the thigh was definitely the most succulent piece. I agree with the previous reviewers that oil can be omitted completely if you have a non-stick skillet (otherwise greatly reduced). I also concur that a tablespoon of salt is way too much-I used half of a tablespoon of Diamond Crystal (less salty tasting than table salt)- and that was plenty.

  • kath on January 04, 2016

    My daughter made it and loved it but said it was way too salty. 1 tablespoon of salt for 4 chicken thighs? Seems too much. I made it with 1 teaspoon of salt and it was fantastic!

  • meggan on June 04, 2020

    I made it with boneless thighs and did it in the instantpot. It was done in 15 minutes!

  • stockholm28 on October 20, 2016

    I also enjoyed this but I'd be inclined to call this Garlic Chicken with Turmeric as you really get a nice mellow garlic flavor. The "sauce" at the end really almost is like a garlic butter/chicken drippings thing so you have to have rice so you can sop up those drippings.

  • julesamomof2 on September 03, 2019

    This was deemed 'one of the best things I've ever made' which was surprising since it's just chicken. I served this over a bed of wheat pearl couscous with zucchini and tomatoes . The sauce with the interesting spice combination of turmeric and sumac makes it different.. I agree with the other posts, watch the salt and oil and you'll have a special dinner.

  • bching on April 03, 2015

    This is delicious. I will be making this often. I agree with a previous reviewer about the oil. Next time, I will add just enough to slick the bottom of the pan and place the thighs in skin side down to start the saute.

  • Barb_N on July 09, 2014

    This is a quick tasty dish- sooo easy. With chicken thighs I skipped the oil altogether.

  • shoffmann on November 13, 2016

    Agree with others that this is far too salty as written. Adjusted this down and the chicken is excellent. We usually serve with rice.

  • cjc67 on September 19, 2017

    I make this dish with boneless chicken thighs, I thinks it's a typo on the salt 1 tsp (not 1 tbsp) and cut the oil a bit (without the skin it's less oily).

  • dc151 on March 21, 2020

    This is one of my go-to recipes when I'm tired and don't want to work too much, but want something flavorful. It feels like cheating!

  • Trishnotjustnyt on January 09, 2023

    Decrease salt, increase turmeric and pepper to compensate

• Quinoa with French lentils, wild rice, and golden raisins

  • Breadcrumbs on January 02, 2015

    p. 141 – Lovely dish. Made this to accompany Cornish Hens for our New Year’s dinner and the recipe worked perfectly. The raisins were the star of the dish and their sweetness complimented the nuttiness of the quinoa. I added some chopped Italian parsley at the end for a contrasting colour. This much-loved dish will go into our regular rotation and has added appeal as it can be enjoyed hot, cold or at room temp. Good for entertaining. Photos here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/1000517?commentId=9364775#9364775

• Cleansing spring nettle soup

  • vinochic on May 01, 2013

    Very light --nice for spring. (I added a bit of cooked quinoa to the leftovers to give it a bit more substance)

• Sweet and smoky beet burgers

  • radishseed on September 12, 2014

    These are great! They were a little bit soft inside, but not pasty as the other note says. I think it helps to only use the food processor minimally, so the ingredients are mixed just enough to hold together but still retain some chew. I love the flavors of beets, raisins, walnuts, and smoky paprika.

  • Yildiz100 on January 06, 2014

    This had a good flavor and a lovely color, but I found the texture to be very pasty. I wonder if it would be better with only part of the ingredients processed in the food processor, and the rest just chopped to give it a little more body. *update* the texture of these is actually better the next day. The recipe made enough for me to pack for lunch all week, so it was well worth the effort.

  • shoffmann on July 24, 2018

    We really enjoyed these - lots of flavor. After reading the other comments here, I was careful to minimally process the mixture and found the texture to be really nice.

• Date shake with toasted nuts (Majoon)

  • radishseed on July 04, 2015

    I used only four dates and thought 1/2 t. vanilla was too much (using 1/4 t. next time). I love the crunch of nuts and coconut on top. This drink is very much like a Mexican licaudo, creamy, sweet, and full of chunks of fruit and nuts.

  • Yildiz100 on March 31, 2015

    I modified this recipe so much that I won't give it a star rating, but the flavor profile was fantastic. I'll try it as written in the future. The nuts add an incredible texture.

• Stuffed tomatoes with pistachio pesto

  • pluralcow on June 11, 2013

    If you already have quinoa and beans cooked this makes for a quick weeknight meal. I might reduce the chevre a bit next time--otherwise I would make the recipe as written. It's a nice summer vegetarian dish that is light enough but still has plenty of protein.

  • blepharisma on September 05, 2013

    I made this with feta, because I didn't have any chevre on hand. It was amazing.

• Chile-saffron fish kebabs (Kebab-e mahi)

  • TrishaCP on August 31, 2021

    This was ok but not a repeat for us. You need to be careful with the jalapeño that you use in this recipe. I had a really spicy one and it overpowered the saffron flavor. It also tasted a bit dry, though we used halibut and perhaps overcooked the fish.

• Grilled shrimp with lime powder and parsley-olive oil sauce

  • TrishaCP on September 05, 2021

    This was really simple to prepare (especially if you have pre-ground lime powder) and incredibly delicious. I served this with quinoa.

  • blepharisma on September 05, 2013

    So easy to make, and tastes great. I would actually add more of the ground dried lime, but I'm addicted to it.

  • pistachiopeas on October 11, 2016

    Really loved this. Super easy and a great translation of Persian flavors into light weeknight cooking.

• Seared chicken with peaches (Khoreshe hulu)

  • TrishaCP on September 28, 2016

    I wanted to sneak in one more dish with the last of the season's peaches, and I am glad that I chose this one. I used chicken breasts so I shortened the cooking time (and decreased the water) so that I wouldn't overcook them. The sauce was a really intriguing combination of spices and tartness from the lemon juice. (I reduced the lemon juice to about 1/3 cup because I thought it would be too much otherwise with the tartness of my peaches, and I was satisfied with that choice.)

  • blepharisma on September 05, 2013

    I think I used chicken thighs. Such a yummy dish, and a great way to use up some peaches!

• Chicken kebabs in yogurt marinade (Joojeh kebab)

  • TrishaCP on April 13, 2020

    I agree this made way more marinade than needed, but this was really good. I was only able to marinate the chicken breast for a few hours (bad time management on my part), but it seemed sufficient. I also skipped the basting step (I agree with Barb that it seems a waste of pricey saffron), but would do the basting next time (minus the saffron) when cooking chicken breast, as mine did get a tad dry without it. This would be really nice with a yogurt sauce, but I was out due to using it all for the marinade.

  • blepharisma on September 05, 2013

    Was really tasty, but it felt like I wasted a LOT of marinade. Wondering if I can get away with using less next time.

  • Barb_N on October 02, 2014

    I've made many a variation of this as it results in such moist chicken. I used it on boneless skinless thighs skipping the basting step. I figured the saffron flavor would get lost amid the garlic and turmeric anyway. The sumac is a nice addition. I will definitely make this version of an old standby again.

• Eggplant and tomato stew with pomegranate molasses (Bademjian)

  • TrishaCP on October 14, 2013

    I thought the recipe used too much pomegranate molasses and the split peas made it unpleasantly murky and weighed the entire dish down. I have alternate versions of this dish (including another vegetarian version) that I would try from New Food of Life but I won't be making this version again. I will be using this eggplant technique though (roasting instead of frying-it came out beautifully and was by far the best part of the dish.)

• Vinegar carrots with toasted sesame seeds

  • Melanie on May 30, 2015

    I loved this - very quick and easy and can be made ahead (note I didn't add the garlic).

  • lkgrover on November 23, 2021

    Quick carrot salad/side dish to make while the rest of the meal is cooking. I julienned my carrots, so they would be in smaller pieces (and easier to manuever with a fork).

• New potatoes with dill and lemon

  • Yildiz100 on May 25, 2015

    This recipe calls for two cups of dill for two pounds of potatoes. There is no way I was using that much dill so I ended up using about 3 tablespoons of minced dill and that was perfect. The turmeric in this recipe basically just contributes color, but somehow, it was so worth it. They just looked sunny and fresh. I don't think they needed as much dressing as she called for either, however, I do think the 50/50 ratio of oil to acid was good. The starch calls for a tangy dressing.

• Parvin's tamarind stuffed fish

  • hillsboroks on January 18, 2021

    We loved this recipe! It is so full of intense flavor yet so relatively easy to make. This is going into our dinner rotation for sure.

• Sour cherry spritzer

  • stockholm28 on July 03, 2017

    This was delicious and would make an interesting cocktail. I made 1/3 of the sour cherry syrup recipe. Because I don't have a blender, I pitted the cherries, but then boiled both the cherries and their pits. My syrup was extremely thick (like jelly). I should have reduced the cooking time for the reduced recipe.

• Sour cherry syrup

  • stockholm28 on July 08, 2017

    Made this syrup for the sour cherry spritzer. Delicious.

• Saffron rice (Chelo)

  • stockholm28 on November 08, 2016

    I made the version with tahdig and her suggestion to use a cast iron pan was brilliant; it was the first time that I've ever gotten the tahdig out in one single piece.

• Green herb and kidney bean stew (Ghormeh sabzi)

  • blepharisma on October 13, 2013

    I found that the dried limes were not soft enough when the dish was ready to eat, although I had presoaked them for a while as directed. I think adding them in earlier would probably help it soften and allow the flavours to incorporate a little better. I added a few extra, too. Two limes isn't quite enough for a pot of stew this size! (I have made Ghormeh sabzi before, but was curious to try a different recipe).

• Herb frittata with walnuts and rose petals (Kuku sabzi)

  • IsaSim on February 17, 2014

    Very good, flavourful. I liked the crunchiness brought by the nuts. I could not say if the rose petals added much, but the ones I used were fragrant, so they must have done what they were supposed to do...

• Persian shepherd's pie (Tah chin)

  • Barb_N on July 09, 2014

    I cheated a lot with this recipe. In spite of being called a one-pot meal in the head notes, this has many components and make ahead steps- marinating chicken in saffron yogurt overnight, roasting potatoes, par-boiling rice. Instead I used left over roasted potatoes and carrots, already cooked lamb pieces mixed into the saffron yogurt for a quick dip not a marinade and managed to make it and serve it the same night. Using a cast iron skillet did achieve the 'tahdig'- crispy rice crust that I've never before gotten right. The flavors of the yogurt, saffron and lemon make this true comfort food.

• Oat and mushroom soup (Soup e jo)

  • pistachiopeas on October 11, 2016

    Made this with the traditional barley instead of oats. Refreshing and satisfying.

• Jeweled brown basmati rice and quinoa (Morassa polo)

  • lkgrover on March 31, 2015

    I made this as a vegetarian main dish. I loved the unusual mix of flavors with the dried fruit, nuts, spices, and rose petals. And it was colorfully beautiful!

• Sweet rice with carrots and rice (Shirin polo)

  • lkgrover on March 31, 2015

    This was filling, and as colorful and beautiful as the photo. It is similar to the "Jeweled brown basmati rice and quinoa" (p. 121), but easier to make. And the ingredient list is less expensive.

• Rice with sour cherries and almonds (Albalu polo)

  • nyb34 on November 27, 2016

    DELICIOUS!

• Nutty chocolate bark with cardamom and coffee

  • nyb34 on November 27, 2016

    Delicious! My friend made this without coffee beans and it was amazing. I would definitely make this as a gift or simple but delicious dessert.

• Pomegranate walnut stew (Fesenjan)

  • nyb34 on November 27, 2016

    I made the vegetarian version of this stew (with Tempeh). It was a hit! I doubled the recipe and as it was cooking I was very concerned since it was super salty. I ended up cooking it about an hour longer than written and adding more water. At the end it was delicious! Would definitely make again.

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