Notes about Recipes in this book

• Persian ajil granola

  • Yildiz100 on November 14, 2017

    Excellent! Subbed chopped pecans for sunflower seeds out of necessity and halved the recipe but otherwise followed it exactly. (Added the pecans together with the almond slices i.e. half way through cooking since I think they are prone to burning.) Crunchy and sweet with lots of lovely clusters. Goes great with unsweetened Greek yogurt. Used cranberries and apricots for the dried fruit. The red and orange looked very pretty with the green pumpkin seeds and pistachios. Baking times were spot on.

• Date, almond and tahini energy balls

  • Yildiz100 on October 05, 2017

    I followed this to the letter except for the fact that I did not measure the ground almonds that the balls get rolled in. I even had Iranian dates. I thought at first the mixture might be too dry to hold together but I kept pulsing in the FP and it wasn't a problem at all. These are so good! I love the way the slight bitterness of the tahini complements the dates. Huge hit with everyone in the house.

  • jenburkholder on August 18, 2020

    Delicious snack, and the dates don’t need to be too moist, so it’s a good way to use up old dates.

  • tges on March 14, 2026

    So easy, and great as a pick me up in the arvo or a bite before heading off in the morning.

• Date and cinnamon omelette (Gheysavah)

  • jenburkholder on August 18, 2020

    This was surprisingly enjoyable. I would cut the dates into smaller pieces, however, to spread them out across the omelette.

  • lkgrover on February 21, 2022

    Really good. I cut the my Medjool dates into four pieces each, so I had date in almost every bite. The hint of cinnamon was wonderful -- I used Sri Lankan (true) cinnamon; not cassia (which I suspect would have been too strong).

  • Beebopalulu on November 23, 2023

    Perfect balance between sweet and savory, comforting and novel.

  • tges on March 14, 2026

    Took me a while to get used to the idea of a sweet omelette but can now never go back; however I do alternate with "omlet" too. The Medjool dates add a nice texture difference and they are sweet so no shekar in the chai.

  • friendlytoast on June 04, 2026

    I’m usually a savory omelet person, but this is delicious!

• Tomato and spring onion omelette (Omlette-e gojeh farangi)

  • lkgrover on October 29, 2022

    Delicious egg & tomato recipe; served for breakfast. I substituted parsley for cilantro (coriander leaves).

  • tges on March 14, 2026

    A bit of a different omlet to the one you find just about everywhere in Iran. I much prefer the cooked-in version, scrambled with butter and Iranian tomato paste.

• Baked eggs with spinach and sumac (Nargissi esfinaj)

  • lkgrover on September 03, 2022

    Terrific vegetarian egg dish; the citrus & sumac add an unexpected burst of flavor. Flatbread is served on the side, so not in my photo.

• Scrambled eggs with feta and dill (Panir bereshte)

  • Yildiz100 on January 08, 2018

    I substituted 1 tbs fresh dill for the 2 tbs dry and cut the turmeric to 1/4 tsp. Next time cut turmeric to 1/8 tsp for my taste, though a turmeric lover would like it at 1/4 tsp. Very good and comforting.

  • jenburkholder on August 18, 2020

    Tasty flavor variation for scrambled eggs. Nice in winter, with the dried dill.

  • sayeater on September 29, 2024

    Loved this! Feta in eggs is not new to me but the technique of melting it first before adding beaten eggs is. Worked beautifully, no pan sticking, and the texture was delightful! I used a sheep's milk cheese in brine and about 1/4 c chopped fresh dill instead of dried. Absolutely delicious. Will make often when fresh dill is abundant. Might also try with dried in winter.

  • Deja1 on October 06, 2024

    Such a delicious and comforting version of scrambled eggs! Added a little pul biber.

• Saffron and cardamom vermicelli with fried egg (baalaaloot)

  • tges on March 14, 2026

    Despite never having, I was having a huge craving for this (I think it was brought on by watching a Rasoulef film set in the Persian Gulf) and luckily had all the ingredients so set to work at 11pm. It ended up being as tasty as I imagined it would be, and can see why it's so popular. The sweet vermicelli noodles goes very well with the fried egg, and as I have quite a few variations of this recipe among my Persian cookbooks, I would say Khan's is the most appetising and full-flavoured.

• Carrot, cardamom and rose water jam

  • tges on March 14, 2026

    Khan's is my favorite recipe for carrot morabba. The recipe works, and it comes together beautifully. Having this with toasted Turkish bread and feta with a cup of chai makes for a lovely brekkie or snack.

• Olives marinated with walnuts and pomegranates (Zeytoon parvandeh)

  • Yildiz100 on November 22, 2018

    Delicious flavors but I had a very thick batch of pomegranate molasses, and it wanted to form a dough with the walnuts. Next time, I will dissolve the the molasses in the olive oil and be careful adding the walnuts. Even better, only make this recipe with a thinnish pomegranate molasses.

• Easy naan bread

  • Yildiz100 on April 03, 2020

    My favorite ever homemade naan. Has a bit more yogurt than some, which keeps it soft. Needed a bit more water for the dough, which should be a bit sticky. Roll very thin - they do puff up. The pieces that I cooked a little less were best. Will need a bit of practice to get the pan temp and timing just right, but still excellent.

  • tges on March 14, 2026

    This is my favorite naan too. It is so easy and always works out. It is flavoursome and soft.

• Gilaki pinto beans (Loobia pokhte)

  • Yildiz100 on May 19, 2017

    I chose this because I wanted to use up some pintos but I didn't want to make a Mexican dish, and this fit the bill. This was just ok. My bean loving 4 year old didn't like it, so I will not repeat.

  • dylanjamesk on May 19, 2020

    Delicious - much more than the sum of its parts, and incredibly easy. Don’t forget the sumac!

• Mixed herb kuku (Kuku-ye sabzi)

  • Yildiz100 on February 26, 2019

    I used slightly less spinach. As for herbs, this recipe called for "bunches" so I used 40 gr parsley, 27 cilantro, 20 dill, and 10 chives. Next time reduce cilantro a tad. Can increase chives. The only thing that I didn't like was the technique causes all the garlic to be on the bottom, and since garlic burns so easily, it did just that. Next time try stirring it into the egg mixture to evenly distribute first. Very good, particularly delicious inside baguette sandwiches with feta, tomatoes, and Lebanese pickles.

  • jenburkholder on July 30, 2022

    This was good. I followed the recipe pretty much exactly, other than throwing the whole thing in the oven at 350 to finish baking through. Ours ended up a bit under-salted - watch that.

• Green bean and caramelised onion kuku (Kuku-ye loobia sabz)

  • jenburkholder on August 18, 2020

    This is very nice, although the amount of onion ended up making it a bit sweet. That didn’t bother us, but might perturb some.

• Saffron, potato and barberry kuku (Kuku-ye sibzameeni)

  • jenburkholder on August 18, 2020

    These were good, made a convenient meal-prep breakfast for the week. Two made a serving.

  • CourtneyT on June 23, 2025

    I made these as part of a large spread for a family gathering. Very easy to make, serve and eat and they were all gobbled up quickly. I made them a day in advance and they were perfect gently reheated.

• Salad Shirazi

  • jenburkholder on August 18, 2020

    This is an excellent salad, crunchy and refreshing. The 1/8 inch dice is a bit precious, though, so we’ve generally done it a bit larger with no real ill effects.

• Cucumber salad with sekanjibeen dressing

  • Yildiz100 on October 29, 2017

    This is a tasty, light, marinated cucumber dish that is very low in oil, so it would make a great contrast to a rich main dish. It made me think of a Persian version of pressgurka. The dressing has a lot of honey so the salad has a noticeable honey aroma. This was nice with the cucumbers, but I don't personally love that particular honey smell so I liked but didn't love this dish. A honey-lover would probably go crazy for it though. For a better presentation, add dressing and salt, blend, THEN add pomegranate. Otherwise, the seeds all fall to the bottom when you stir. I peeled the cucumbers because I prefer the texture, but the lack of green did make the salad less pretty. Maybe peel stripes next time.

  • jenburkholder on August 18, 2020

    We love this salad and have made it both with and without the pomegranate arils (they being available such a limited part of the year). Crunchy, sweet, and tart, this is a marvelous accompaniment to all sorts of things.

  • lkgrover on September 17, 2021

    Good, light salad. I did not use the pomegranate seeds, because my pomegranate was rotten. I brought this to a work potluck picnic, where it was very popular.

• Persian garden salad

  • jenburkholder on August 18, 2020

    We made this without the basil, as it was winter, but otherwise followed the directions. This was a pleasant salad, and the different ingredients worked together surprisingly well. As it has a lot going on, it could probably make a light meal with some people bread, if one were so inclined.

  • emeewhy825 on September 02, 2020

    This very good. It has a crunchy/salty/sweet flavor that I really enjoyed.

  • friendlytoast on November 09, 2021

    This is an amazing salad--I made it once a week for most of the summer.

• New potato salad with a dill yoghurt dressing

  • Anneherzberg on May 14, 2019

    This turned out delicious. I added fresh lemon juice for a little more acidity, and extra dill. Used some no sugar added pickles that were nice and crunchy.

  • jenburkholder on August 18, 2020

    This is a good but not exceptional potato salad. I prefer a vinegar-ier potato salad, so if you like creamier this may well be for you.

  • Clog on May 02, 2023

    The dill and yogurt really make this salad for us, complementing the potato very well.

• Watermelon, mint and feta salad

  • Baxter850 on August 21, 2021

    Simple, elegant and delicious. Perfect summer dish. Use only ripe summer watermelon.

• Carrot and pistachio salad

  • Yildiz100 on November 13, 2017

    Very nice. A bit like a french carrot salad but prettier and with a nice fruitiness from the pomegranate molasses. Added pomegranate seeds-they were nice.

  • TrishaCP on April 13, 2020

    I am craving the taste of fresh veggies while #stayathome, and this salad really worked for me. The mint (from the garden) brightened up the carrots, as did garden cilantro (instead of parsley, although I would have made that substitution anyway). The pomegranate molasses was just right, not too sweet.

  • jenburkholder on August 18, 2020

    This is an excellent winter salad that we have made several times. Goes well with anything that could use a tart and crisp side.

  • michalow on September 05, 2021

    Echoing other reviews...this is a lovely, bright, well balanced carrot salad. I used walnuts instead of pistachios and, following TrishaCP's lead, included some cilantro.

  • Clog on September 11, 2022

    Very easy to put together. Great taste.

• Persimmon, goat's cheese and rocket salad

  • lkgrover on December 12, 2021

    Great salad. The nuts, cheese, and persimmons & pomegranate molasses complement arugula well (so I don't notice its natural peppery-note).

  • jenburkholder on December 21, 2021

    This was very tasty. The persimmons added maybe a bit more sweetness than I would prefer, but it was still good. We used feta instead of goat cheese. Would make again.

• Broad bean, sour cherry and rice salad

  • jenburkholder on August 18, 2020

    This was good, but the effort required for the favas just wasn’t worth it here, as their flavor was hardly noticeable. I’m actually tempted to replace them with edamame; I think that would make a nice lunch salad.

  • jungliemonkey on November 13, 2020

    A great combination of textures and flavours! I included the feta, and may try with more/bigger broad beans or edamame another time. Edit: I have now made a variant of this with edamame and can confirm that it is just as tasty, and significantly less faff.

  • Clog on July 01, 2023

    A lovely combination of flavours and colours. We found it a bit dry on its own made with the basmati.

• Legume noodle soup (Aash-e reshte)

  • jenburkholder on May 07, 2022

    Good. Flavors blended well, came together in a reasonable amount of time, and the crispy onions worked better than I was expecting. However, felt like it was missing a base note - maybe a more umami-rich broth?

• Onion and fenugreek soup (Eshkeneh)

  • jenburkholder on February 15, 2021

    Very tasty soup. Tart, warming, deeply flavored, and easy. Went well with a hunk of bread and a green salad for lunch.

• Pearl barley and vegetable soup (Soup-e jo)

  • jenburkholder on January 27, 2023

    This was good, if not particularly special. Didn’t purée (weird for a soup like this!!). Subbed dried tarragon and used cashew milk instead of dairy. Nice for a different take on mushroom barley soup.

  • dosojosazules on May 21, 2024

    Agree with @jenburkholder. Soup is subtle but lime and tarragon come through. Definitely opted to not purée. It’s a hearty and nourishing meal

  • tges on March 14, 2026

    Soup-e jo is another standard dish I have whenever the weather is right for it, however this recipe is not one of my favorites and I prefer my soup-e jo dairy-free. Perfectly fine to have with the milk but still not a recipe worth repeating, personally.

• Spicy lentil and tamarind soup (Soup-e daal addass)

  • jenburkholder on August 18, 2020

    This was quite tasty. The only modification I would make is less ginger, and grating it instead of mincing - the flavor was quite overwhelming.

• Butternut squash and dried lime soup (Soup-e kadoo halva-ee)

  • Yildiz100 on February 05, 2018

    This was very disappointing - no one in the family would eat it. I think if the squash were roasted rather than just being sweated/boiled the flavor could have been improved. As it was it was pretty insipid. I wouldn't repeat it even with that change however, because I found the cinnamon, dried lime, and pomegranate molasses combo just tasted strange with the squash.

  • jenburkholder on August 18, 2020

    We really like this soup, however you have to like warm spices and dried limes, which is a distinctive flavor profile. Our in-season butternut had plenty of flavor to carry the soup.

• Persian rice (Chelow)

  • EdM on January 04, 2021

    Made the yogurt tahdig variation. 350g rice is 2 cups. Boil about 8 minutes, drain and rinse, then steam 25-30 min.

  • Yildiz100 on November 03, 2022

    This is my new favorite way to make Persian rice, replacing Claudia rodens version. I boiled my rice for just 4 minutes because it always takes a minute to drain it so it continues cooking for a moment. This made rice that was fully cooked but not breaking apart. I accidentally left the rice on medium Heat for longer than indicated so I burned the bottom of my rice a little bit, but it was still good. I don't have a non-stick saucepan but the trick of submerging the bottom of the pan and cold water to release the rice from the bottom of the pan still worked like a charm.

  • friendlytoast on February 12, 2026

    Finally nailed the tahdig!

• Stuffed aubergines (Dolmeh)

  • jenburkholder on August 18, 2020

    These were good, but the filling was a bit too mushy for our tastes. Would replace short-grain rice with basmati in the future.

• Rice with lentils, dates and walnuts (Addas polo)

  • jenburkholder on August 18, 2020

    The flavor is good, but the instructions are horribly confusing. Look elsewhere for an addas polo recipe.

  • tges on March 14, 2026

    One of my favorite dishes, however I cannot remember if I first made it from Khan's recipe or another cookbook so I am familiar the process. I don't like raisins in rice so I use craisins instead, and I used the Iranian fried onion you can find in Middle Eastern shops as I'm not a fan of frying onion at home for garnish if I can buy it prepared already. This is a full meal in itself, especially if you add the yogurt on the side and a nice crunchy shirazi salad. Love the inclusion of walnuts here for added texture, flavour, and nutrition. It's one of those dishes, I sneak back into the kitchen for extra bites here and there.

• Garlicky beans with dill and egg (Bagalee ghatogh)

  • jenburkholder on August 18, 2020

    These sounded really good, but the end result was pretty blah. Some more garlic might help, but I’m not sure I’d make again.

  • alysekstokes on July 17, 2025

    I skipped the egg when making this and served the beans over some saffron rice for a lovely light meal. The dill and garlic are a vibrant pairing and worked well with the Rancho Gordo Marcella beans I used.

• Bandari fishcakes with a tamarind and date sauce (Kuku-ye mahi)

  • Yildiz100 on February 05, 2018

    The potato completely overwhelmed the fish so that the fish was undetectable. The texture was spongy and unpleasant with a powdery mouth feel. I think this needed some flour or breadcrumbs to make it more solid. (Also less potato and more fish.) Not willing to risk trying it again with these changes though. Afraid it won't work out and will end up going to waste.

  • jenburkholder on August 18, 2020

    These were okay, but they were very salty as written, and the texture wasn’t the best. The sauce was quite nice, though, and I would use that for a different recipe.

• Grilled mackerel with a spicy pomegranate salsa

  • Yildiz100 on January 08, 2018

    Nice, but I wasnt sure the salsa really complimented the fish. The crunch of pomegranate is odd with the texture of fish. It was delicious eaten separately as a salad, however. The mint was a bit too strong. Not minty-more bitter. Reduce to 1 tbs next time.

• Lemon and saffron baked sea bass (Mahi baa zafaron)

  • lkgrover on May 04, 2026

    Delicious fish with lemons, saffron, and sumac. I substituted mahi fillets for whole sea bass.

• Lime and saffron chicken kebabs (Jujeh kabob)

  • inflytur on July 01, 2018

    Beyond delicious. I once made this for a barbecue pot luck and now it is the dish I am always asked to bring. One particularly great aspect of the recipe is that you roast the chicken in the oven and then crisp it on a grill. That means that you can largely prepare the dish the day before and that you don’t have to transport raw chicken. Keep in mind that longer the chicken marinates the better it will be. Let it marinate for at least 24 hours. 36 is best.

  • Yildiz100 on January 16, 2025

    I made This in the oven only since grilling wasn't an option for me. It's not bad this way but definitely lacking that grilled flavor.

  • friendlytoast on May 06, 2026

    Delicious and super easy

• Apricot and prune chicken stew (Aloo mosamaa)

  • hillsboroks on March 07, 2024

    This was a very flavorful dish that I will make again. The spices, caramelized onions and dried fruit meld together to make this a special dish. I took a few shortcuts such as using already ground cumin and coriander that I toasted and didn’t try to grind that small amount of saffron but just let it soak for the full cooking time before adding it. Next time I will skip the step of frying the apricots and prunes and just add them to the chicken mixture about 20 minutes before the end of the cook time. This will save a pan and I think it will do a better job of plumping and softening the dried fruit.

• Chicken stew with spinach and prunes (Aloo esfinaj)

  • meggan on December 15, 2023

    I used dried apricots for this and I found it delicious. I also changed up the order of operations - brown and crisp chicken, then caramelize onions and bloom spices.

  • CourtneyT on April 03, 2024

    Fantastic dish! I followed meggan's advice and browned chicken first, then set aside while I did the onions. I also subbed out half the chicken with good jarred chickpeas and it worked very well. I worried about the prunes being too sweet but they were just perfect. We served with basmati rice. Will certainly make again.

  • Omsafeeya on January 22, 2026

    Make this in Seville orange season.

• Chicken with walnuts and pomegranates (Fesenjoon)

  • Barb_N on January 16, 2019

    Please note- you must plan ahead or have an entire evening to make this dish, but it is worth it. Unlike versions on Food52, the walnut paste is cooked for an hour, then another hour, THEN you add the chicken. Maybe I skimped by 15-30 minutes but I thought I compensated by adding less water (some of which I replaced with stock) but I felt my sauce was too thin. By then it was almost 9 pm and we ate anyway. Delicious. Will definitely make again when I can keep ‘on the hob’ for 3 hours but I will still use less liquid. Wanted to serve with Melissa Clark’s Roasted carrots with walnuts, feta and dill from Dinner Tonight but used up all the walnuts in this recipe.

  • jenburkholder on August 18, 2020

    Excellent fesenjoon recipe. The pomegranate seeds are an absolute must to cut the richness of the walnut sauce - don’t skimp.

  • dosojosazules on January 08, 2023

    Sauce can taste gritty unless you get the walnuts super fine. I used a food mill to separate the walnut meal from the liquid, which worked well. Agree with the comment about the pomegranate seeds being a necessary foil for the richness of the sauce.

• Barberry and saffron rice with chicken (Zereshk polo baa morgh)

  • tges on April 07, 2026

    This was okay, nothing spectacular, but reliable. Think of it as a meal fit for fussy eaters but one that may not be repeatable for a foodie. Have come across much better recipes for zereshk polo baa morgh.

• Lamb meatballs stuffed with barberries and walnuts (Kofte berenji)

  • jenburkholder on August 18, 2020

    We loved these. The texture was soft and silky, the flavor was rich. The only change is not adding water near the end, as it absolutely didn’t need that. Will make again.

  • tges on March 14, 2024

    These were outstanding; and I have made numerous Persian kofte over the last fifteen years. The spices and herbs in both the meatballs and the broth was so richly flavoured, and I loved the prunes in the recipe as they're so nutritious and tasty.

  • eclairea on March 13, 2026

    Delicious, flavorful. Not really a weeknight-friendly recipe with lots of steps and busting out tools like the food processor and mortar and pestle, but for some reason I made it anyway. At least I ended up with tasty results!

• Slow-cooked lamb shoulder with dried lime and split peas (Gheimeh)

  • emeewhy825 on October 25, 2020

    This was good. I think getting the legumes to cook correctly is probably part of mastering this dish over time. Mine ended up a little undercooked and I actually cooked the stew for a little longer than the instructions said and at a slightly higher temperature. I think if I make it again, I might buy lamb stew meat . Trying to trim the fat from lamb shoulder is time consuming.

  • tges on March 14, 2024

    Made this with chicken and loved it. As per stews, the flavours deepen after the first night and when served with tahdig, made for a fine weeknight dinner. Good thing I bought a lot of dried lime - I really love this dish, especially with the potato straws.

• Lamb and mixed herb stew (Ghormeh sabzi)

  • Clog on February 13, 2021

    Uninspiring; neutral flavour rather than bland. We were expecting much more. It was rather greasy too, which we dealt with by pairing the stew with a simple but sharp watercress salad.

• Rice with lamb, tomatoes and green beans (Loobia polo)

  • jenburkholder on February 09, 2024

    One of the best meals I’ve made in a while - soothing and perfect with some yogurt on the side. I used a full pound of ground lamb and one 10 oz bag of frozen cut green beans, which worked great. Only tweak I would make is an extra splash of water and to let the rice cook slightly longer, since mine was a bit firm still.

  • CourtneyT on December 23, 2024

    Excellent! I cut the amount of lamb in half (because that's what I had on hand) and subbed chopped carrots for the remainder and it's worked out well. I soaked my rice for several hours because it's habit to set out my ingredients at lunchtime. It made about 6 servings and we certainly didn't mind the leftovers. Will certainly make again.

• Spiced beef with eggs and spring onions (Vaavishkaa)

  • emeewhy825 on November 08, 2021

    This recipe did not work. It calls for poaching the ground beef and onions in 1.75 cups of water. Never seen that as a way to cook ground beef before. In any case, the water makes this closer to soup than ragu.

  • Clog on January 21, 2023

    The spices give a lovely flavour to the beef and adding the egg at the end of cooking is a nice touch. As with a 'normal' ragu, reducing the amount of liquid or lengthening the cooking time works a treat.

  • friendlytoast on February 12, 2026

    Delicious. I have made this several times as a quick mid-week dinner.

  • tges on March 14, 2026

    The kids love this and it's easy, tasty, and usually the ingredients are at hand. Interestingly, I've only ever seen this recipe in one other book, but cannot remember if it was a recipe book or in food writing.

• Sour cherry and dark chocolate cookies

  • jenburkholder on August 18, 2020

    We have a sour cherry tree, so I’m always on the lookout for recipes. These are lovely cookies, soft and chewy with good chocolatey flavor.

• Date and walnut squares

  • jenburkholder on August 18, 2020

    This is just a basic crumble bar, but the spiced walnut-date filling is delicious and I absolutely recommend it.

  • Clog on February 13, 2021

    Incredibly moreish. While the spices are very subtle they really lift this into another dimension. Even if you normally cut up your walnuts quite coarse, ground/chop these finely to make sure the filling is a smooth paste.

  • Yildiz100 on April 13, 2021

    Very nice, but very rich! If you cut them into 24 squares as directed you may think they look small, but the portion size is just right. Note: I cut the butter into the flour and baking powder with a food processor, then blended this mix with the oats and sugar by hand.

  • s.shadan on May 28, 2026

    It is great fridge cold. Next time, I will not mill the walnut to a fine powder. I think some chunky bits would be nice.

• Eat Your Books by Jenny Hartin

  Yasmin Khan is a storyteller who happens to share tales of delicious food and beautiful lands.

  Full review