• PinchOfSalt on April 12, 2022

  I first purchased the Kindle version of this title but returned it in favor of a hardcopy. The Kindle version consists only of images of pages. Without any text, there is no ability to navigate this version other than flipping pages or skipping to particular page numbers: no ability to search for text, no links from the Table of Contents to sections or individual recipes, etc. Worse, the images of the text do not render crisply (or even with consistent approach to spacing) on my PC screen. It's as if the publisher, perhaps concerned with digital rights management, generated a very imperfect set of page images based on the book's underlying digital text and illustrations. Very disappointing, especially considering the relatively high price being charged for the Kindle version.

• Rella on November 29, 2016

  There are two versions of this book here on EYB. 1) 1997 which has 272 recipes indexed. 2) 2011 which has 482 recipes member indexed. I just purchased the 25th anniversary edition 2016, which has 640 pages. The wrapper shows: 193382347X, which I assume is ISBN 10:1-933823-47X.

• TrishaCP on July 01, 2013

  This is an encyclopedic work- think Mastering the Art of French Cooking or Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking, for Persian food. The book contains detailed information about Persian ingredients, and how to use them, as well as information on Persian culture that helps one better understand the context of the meals- really helpful if you are not familiar with Persian culture. The book also provides helpful instructions on how to make vegetarian versions of many of the meat-based dishes. For example, all of the khoresh (stews/braises), can be made vegetarian. The dishes I've tried so far have been delicious. This may not be the best book for anyone with a more casual interest in Persian cooking- because there are specialized ingredients required and a good amount of sweat equity needed for some of the recipes.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Yogurt and spinach dip (Borani-e esfenaj)

  • metacritic on October 28, 2021

    This is a fantastic variation on what I Know as a raita. There is a bit of a discrepancy between the photo, which shows fresh mint, and the instructions, which has one cook the mint with the spinach and cilantro. I took the latter route, and will garnish with raw mint, which worked well. This was a treasured dish.

  • Ganga108 on March 01, 2022

    A lovely recipe, similar to but an extension of the recipe of the same name in The New Book of Middle Eastern Food by Claudia Roden. Batmanglij uses coriander and mint with the greens and adds spices. Either way - simple or more layered in flavour - it is a great addition to the table.

• Yogurt and celery dip (Borani-e karafs)

  • Ganga108 on March 27, 2023

    Looking for yoghurt to have with a overly-spicy curry, and this hit the spot. The flavours in this dish don't clash with Indian food, even tho it is Iranian in style (lots of herbs).

• Lentil dip (Adasi)

  • radishseed on February 25, 2015

    I'm glad I went out of the way to find angelica/golpar, a new ingredient for me. It adds an almost funky, cheesy umami flavor to this dip (I played on that by adding a little feta on top). I was also lucky to spot some hard-to-find Seville oranges at the grocery store. This is good with pita chips.

• Tomato and cucumber salad, Shirazi-style (Salad-e gojeh khiar [Shirazi])

  • TrishaCP on June 13, 2016

    This is a very simple salad so it really needs the best and freshest ingredients to shine. I like the flavor of tomato skins and seeds so didn't take the step of removing them. I had pretty small scallions and definitely could have used more.

• Yogurt, cucumber and rose petal dip (Mast-o khiar)

  • TrishaCP on July 19, 2014

    This dip is completely refreshing. I omitted raisins, fresh thyme and oregano, but used extra parsley instead as it was what I had on hand. It goes perfectly with the chicken kabab recipe.

  • Ganga108 on December 21, 2021

    A Persian take on the cucumber raita. A beautiful dish, chock full of herbs, green raisins, walnuts, spring onions, and topped with mint, green raisins and dried rose petals. The rose petals and green raisins are easily available in Afghan or Middle Eastern shops. I use Indian yoghurt (desi yoghurt) as it is the thickest by far. Other yoghurts might need to be drained in some muslin cloth before using. The dish is a cooling, summery dish, perfect as a dip, raita like salad accompaniment, or as a sauce/dressing for other components of a meal (try it with falafel for example).

  • metacritic on January 09, 2025

    This is fantastic. A sublime dipping sauce for lamb and would likely be a good dish on the side of any Indian or Persian meal. I'm curious about the soup version (but uncertain as to whether I would actually want to eat this as a soup).

• Cucumber and pomegranate salad (Salad-e khiar-o anar)

  • metacritic on October 28, 2021

    This is very, very good, even without the pomegranate, as I couldn't find any this evening. A refreshing dish that brightens a good Persian meal.

• Mung bean and turnip soup (Osh-e maash)

  • radishseed on January 12, 2015

    "Mung bean and turnip soup" is an unfortunate name for such an interesting recipe. I made a trip to the Middle Eastern grocery to get kashk, which I've never tried before, to make this. I think a good substitute would be a mixture of something thick and creamy (yogurt, sour cream, or crème fraîche) with a strong, smelly, meltable cheese (like Brie).

• Pistachio soup (Sup-e pesteh)

  • metacritic on January 17, 2020

    Needs abundant salt and might need extra orange juice and lime but when you get the proportions right, this dish sings.

• Fresh herb kuku (Kuku-ye sabzi)

  • metacritic on March 23, 2021

    A brilliant way to use up herbs. I love this dish.

• Cauliflower kuku (Kuku-ye gol-e kalam)

  • radishseed on March 18, 2015

    This would be nice with a couple of tablespoons of currants or even barberries added, because I love tiny, tart berries with cauliflower. Also, it has too much salt. 1/2 to 1 t. would be good.

• Fava bean kuku (Kuku-ye shevid-o baqala)

  • TrishaCP on March 12, 2013

    I made this using frozen favas from last summer. Similar to a frittata, but less eggy with lift provided by baking powder and since it is only 8 inch sized- a good option if you are only feeding a few. The dominant flavor was dill- which was heaven with the favas- it feels like you use tons of dill, but the flavor is perfect. I didn't have onions so used spring onions instead and wouldn't make that substitution again- I missed the oniony background notes. Really nice to bite into the sliced garlic as you make your way through this.

  • metacritic on October 18, 2022

    This is an exceptional dish. Every kuku in this book has been a revelation. The eggs merely bind the dish whereas the vegetables and herbs provide the substance of the "omelette." I used double-peeled frozen favas as I have no patience for peeling them. The dish felt fresh and bursting with flavor (partly as a result of two entire bunches of dill). It was slightly undersalted with 1-tsp but that's probably what health warrants.

• Caspian green garlic omelet (Sira bij)

  • TrishaCP on June 05, 2016

    Green garlic is really nice with eggs, and it was here too. I reduced the oil except for a few teaspoons since I was using a non-stick skillet. Baking powder is common in the kuku recipes in this book, but I didn't get much lift from using it here, so would probably omit the next time.

• Zucchini kuku

  • metacritic on July 19, 2022

    Interesting not least due to lime zest paired with zucchini, something I"ve never encountered prior to now, Fresh and light and herbacious, with abundant amounts of zucchini and only a small amount of egg. I prefer the other kukus I have tried in this book (cauliflower, herbs) by a fair amount but wouldn't hesitate to make this again.

• Shish kabab

  • TrishaCP on July 19, 2014

    Some herb from the marinade added an unpleasant bitter taste to the final product. Maybe it was the bay? Not nearly as appealing as the Chicken Kabab recipe from this same book.

• Chicken kabab (Jujeh kabab)

  • TrishaCP on July 15, 2013

    The classic chicken kebab recipe and it does not disappoint. I used boneless, skinless thighs and would do so again. I also had saffron water frozen in cubes a la Paula Wolfert, and that will save you a step here if you have that too. This kebab does cry out for a sauce (even with the moisture from the tomatoes)- I used a garlicky yogurt one.

• Sweet and sour stuffed chicken (Morgh-e tu por-e torsh-o shirin)

  • metacritic on January 17, 2020

    The chicken cooks for 90 mins at a high heat yet is the most succulent and exceptional recipe for a whole chicken I know. This and its variations are beyond good.

• Savory turnover (Sanbuseh)

  • jinna on March 07, 2021

    For those who have 2017 edition this recipe has been significantly changed, same page (50). Fillings have changed and now there is puff pastry instead of dough.

• Meatloaf (Dast peech-e gusht)

  • metacritic on October 27, 2021

    This is a dish that possesses enormous flavor and moves from savory to sour to gently sweet in a single bite. There is no compelling reason to ever make another meatloaf recipe, once you have encountered this one, unless it is for nostalgic purposes. I made this for a weeknight dinner - and if you have two hours to spare, one for cooking and one for prep that's completely reasonable. It is also festive enough to grace a holiday table. The tarragon, cumin, cinnamon + an herbaceous stuffing and a surprise hardboiled egg (optional but fun) lifts the whole dish and results in something truly special. The glaze is dead easy and fantastic.

• Persian Gulf-style shrimp with herbs and tamarind (Ghalieh maygu)

  • radishseed on May 04, 2015

    I love the herb-tamarind sauce!

• Saffron-flavored steamed rice with golden crust (Chelow)

  • metacritic on January 17, 2020

    I've used olive oil each time. This recipe is fool proof if you follow the steps carefully.

• Rice with shrimp and fresh herbs, Persian Gulf-style (Maygu polow)

  • Snopes on September 20, 2015

    This a delicious mix of flavors, but was very oily for my tastes. If doing it again, I would slash or maybe eliminate the amount of oil added in step 6 of the recipe.

• Baked saffron yogurt rice with spinach (Tah-chin-e esfenaj)

  • ashallen on October 17, 2019

    This was a nice dish - we made the version with chicken thighs. I'm always fond of rice baked with chicken since it gets really luscious from absorbing chicken juices while in the oven. This recipe also adds a luxurious amount of butter/ghee/oil. Recipe specifies use of a 4 quart pyrex dish (=10x15-inch). I only had a 3 quart (9x13-inch) dish, so I made a 3/4 version to fit in the smaller dish - worked fine. I further reduced the amount of orange blossom water and prunes used, using 2 tbsp and 2 cups, respectively. That amount of orange blossom water worked well - nicely aromatic without dominating over other flavors. It still felt like there were too many prunes in the final dish, though that could very well be due to my use of regular dark brown prunes from the supermarket which are very, very sweet, versus a tarter prune variety. Frozen spinach worked fine.

• Rice with fresh herbs and fish (Sabzi polow ba mahi)

  • metacritic on March 20, 2025

    The rice was good, although more work than a weekday wants. Given the pairing with fish, and that what I appreciate about fish is the simplicity of its cooking more often than not, I might prefer the Claudia Roden version of this rice, which is vastly easier. This recipe wins, though, if you seek tahdig and deep flavor. I very much liked the fish sub recipe here and used swordfish, which I dredged and panfried. Whole family really liked the fish.

  • Ganga108 on September 29, 2025

    I am using this dish as inspiration and using it to make a herbed rice (without the tadig a vegetarian version). I have a crop of chinotto oranges so that is quite a plus for this dish.

• Rice with sour cherries (Albalu polow)

  • metacritic on July 13, 2021

    I make this annually. The recipe is terrific and surprisingly easy given the number of steps and ingredients. I have been using chicken, not lamb meatballs, which are perfumed with lime leaves and turmeric. The cherries are spiked with cardamom, cinnamon, and rosewater, and the rice is doused in saffron rosewater. These are heady flavors that blend beautifully. Before discovering this book, I used to make Roden's version with lamb meatballs (which is pretty delicious in its own right) and will try Batmanglij's variation of the same In years to come.

• Okra khoresh (Khoresh-e bamieh)

  • jenburkholder on December 21, 2024

    Very tasty and very simple. Best the second day and with a nice blop of yogurt.

• Barberry khoresh (Khoresh-e zereshk)

  • BonneH on June 07, 2020

    Changed grape to pomegranate molasses.

• Quince khoresh (Khoresh-e beh)

  • Omsafeeya on November 27, 2022

    Perfect Thanksgiving recipe.

• Apple khoresh (Khoresh-e sib)

  • radishseed on December 12, 2015

    1. Halved the recipe. 2. Made it vegetarian by substituting Tofurky Lightly Seasoned Chick'n (don't judge) for the meat. 3. Converted it to a slow cooker dish by browning the onions and spices and then adding them to the slow cooker with 2 cups veg broth and the split peas and other seasonings. Cooked for 6 hours on low, then sautéed the Chick'n and apples, added them to the cooker, and cooked for 1 more hour. Ate with rice. SO GOOD.

• Fruit chutney (Torshi-e miveh)

  • AgusiaH on October 21, 2011

    A little time-consuming but very nice and less sweet than I expected (which is actually very good).

• Almond cookies [Dough #1] (Nan-e badami)

  • sherrib on October 11, 2014

    I used my Vitamix blender instead of my food processor to make the almond flour. I either over processed the almonds or did some other thing wrong because I ended up with a runny batter than yielded flat and very sticky cookies (they stuck together horribly when stacked.) The flavor, though, was very very good.

• Date pie (Ranginak)

  • Ganga108 on December 28, 2021

    This delicious Date (and walnut) Pie is very easy to make, although it does involve stirring a roux for 20 mins until it is toasted. When making the roux begin with a little less flour that mentioned and then gradually add more, even more than stated if necessary - the consistency of the roux should be like thin, smooth and spreadable nut butter. I will use ghee instead of butter next time after reading that it is a great sub for butter. Also recommended to let the date pie set overnight - the butter will permeate the layers and help keep it together (note I didn't do that for the first piece, then refrigerated the remainder till the next day. It was much better the following day.) Needs a sharp knife to cut.

• Raisin cookies (Nan-e keshmeshy)

  • mjes on June 04, 2018

    Using whole wheat pastry flour (note pastry not bread or all-purpose) and butter makes these cookies more authentic and absolutely lovely for an occasion where you want a delicate cookie. It's also worth sprinkling a small amount of crushed or ground rose petals over the top just before baking.

• Iced coffee (Café glacé)

  • Ganga108 on January 23, 2022

    With 40C days in our Summer, sometimes up to 45C, iced coffee made exactly this way is a staple. Home made icecream turns it into a special treat.

• Dried tamarind liquid (Ab-e tamr-e hendi)

  • Ganga108 on October 23, 2024

    I have also made this with fresh tamarind pods, and it is delicious! They are rare here, but I grab some when I see them.

• Dried Persian lime powder (Limu-Omani)

  • Ganga108 on October 23, 2024

    What a great service Ottolenghi did us when he introduced us to black limes. I powder any left-over ones, and I use it at times in place of other souring agents eg tamarind. Delicious.

• Cooking yogurt without curdling

  • Ganga108 on October 23, 2024

    I've always whipped yoghurt by hand and with a little chickpea flour, which works well too. But this is easier.

• Shirazi-style yogurt and cucumber dip (Mast-o khiar-e Shirazi)

  • Ganga108 on December 29, 2021

    This is a variation on the Yoghurt, Cucumber and Rose Petal Dip, and in a way, it is the "kitchen sink" of yoghurt dishes. I hope this saying translates - it means that the dish has everything. It is a delicious variation to the main recipe that adds a layer of spices. I had some left over ground pistachios, so added them as well for good measure.

• Yogurt, cucumber, and rose petal soup (Abdugh khiar ba gol-e sorkh)

  • metacritic on March 19, 2025

    Phenomenal as a soup. I look forward to turning to this in the height of summer -- even as it is worth consuming year round.

• Borscht [vegetarian variation] (Borsh)

  • radishseed on February 23, 2015

    This is okay, but it has an odd, ketchupy aroma and flavor that I'm not crazy about.

• Lamb kuku (Kuku-ye gusht)

  • L.Nightshade on October 29, 2018

    We bought a too-big leg of lamb, so ground up a pound of it for kuku. The recipe starts with a sauté of lamb, onions and peppers in ghee. I did the lamb separately, then added it back into the onion mixture, instead of sautéing everything together, just to ensure the timing was right. Also, I added a small amount of fresh chiles to the called-for chile flakes. Parsley, chives, and lime juice are added, along with cumin. The eggs are mixed with cinnamon and curry powder. The instructions here say to add baking powder, which is not listed in the ingredients, and I neglected to add it. Didn’t seem to matter, but will try it next time. The lamb mix and the egg mix are stirred with breadcrumbs (I used Udi’s gluten-free bread). It baked for 50 minutes. This was absolutely delicious! Perfect level of spice, perfect cooking time. Happy to have leftovers, and looking forward to making another one someday.

• Shirazi-style pan-cooked lamb kabab (Kabab digy-e Shirazi)

  • metacritic on January 03, 2021

    A number of ingredients seem to be missing here, including ground cardamom, grape molasses, market lime leaves. The dish took a full three hours but was quite delicious, especially the juices over rice.

• Ground lamb skillet kabab (Kabab-e kubideh-ye maitabehi)

  • metacritic on September 16, 2020

    This is a lovely little recipe, easy to overlook due to the lack of a photo. The taste is fantastic and it involves making a single large meatball that one then flattens in an 8-inch skillet and cooks. A one dish meal before the letter.

• Rice with eggplant and pomegranate [vegetarian variation] (Bademjan polow)

  • radishseed on October 27, 2014

    This came out good, but very oily. I was halving the recipe, so it's possible I miscalculated the amount of oil to use...In any case, trust your instincts (as I should have) and add less if it seems an unreasonable amount.

• Fava bean and dill khoresh [vegetarian variation] (Khoresh-e gol dar chaman)

  • radishseed on February 02, 2015

    I was surprised by how little of this I ended up with after I'd halved the recipe (which is mostly the same as the meaty version, but with the meat omitted). Maybe three small servings. I'd probably try replacing the meat with something else (like tofu, tempeh, or other vegetables) to bulk it up a bit. Filled out the meal with flatbread, yogurt, and (store-bought) olive tapenade, all of which tasted great together.

• Pistachio khoresh-e fesenjan

  • TrishaCP on May 25, 2016

    This was really very good. The sauce had a wonderful sweet and sour note, which helped to cut through the richness from the pistachios. Make sure to cut the squash in small cubes- mine were about an inch and rather al dente.

• Baked candied quince with walnuts (Moraba-ye beh-e dorosteh)

  • Ganga108 on June 10, 2023

    It is quince season, and I picked my late ripening quinces last weekend. Today I am baking a whole pan of them for desserts and toppings for muesli. This recipe is a 4.5 hr slow bake, the best to bring out the rich red colour. The flavourings are bay leaf, cinnamon and vanilla bean. I love the way that quinces can pair with sweet and savoury flavourings, and be used in both sweet and savoury dishes. This book has a few recipes for both. They scent the house while they cook.

• Clarified butter [ghee] (Roghan-e kareh, Roghan-e khub)

  • Ganga108 on October 23, 2024

    Watch your ghee carefully, it can go from golden to burnt very quickly. The better the butter quality, the quicker the process. Sometimes it won't take 20 mins.

• Grape leaves for dolmeh

  • Ganga108 on October 23, 2024

    These are very handy if you make dolmas with grapevine leaves - it extends the season. Leaves can alternatively been frozen. How special it is to have dolmas in the middle of Winter!

• Pomegranate molasses (Rob-e anar)

  • Ganga108 on October 23, 2024

    Easy to make, and delicious - different to store-bought product. Use a cold-press juicer to extract juice from pomegranates. I generally add lime, as suggested. Sometimes I add sugar too, but be careful it does not turn to toffee !! :)

• Seeding a pomegranate

  • Ganga108 on October 23, 2024

    Still the best way to seed a pomegranate, although my daughter doesn't agree :) Can splash juice around if not careful.

• Tomato and lime broth with lamb meatballs (Gushtabeh ba kufteh)

  • Ganga108 on October 23, 2022

    I used this recipe as inspiration for a vegetable soup - the stock was very interesting with turmeric, tomatoes and dried limes. Rather than the meatballs, I used a rich veg stock, added a range of veg but kept it potato-heavy, and added yuba sticks. Utterly delicious.

• Roasted chickpeas (Nokhodchi-e bu dadeh)

  • Ganga108 on August 04, 2023

    Delicious, but I prefer them tossed with spices before roasting.

• Washing herbs

  • Ganga108 on October 23, 2024

    It was Arto der Haroutunian that introduced me to A Bowl of Herbs as an Iranian dish (https://www.eatyourbooks.com/library/recipes/1004873/a-bowl-of-herbs-yazarf). I grow over 40 herbs, so it was a perfect recipe for me.

• Sprouts in a jar

  • Ganga108 on October 23, 2024

    This way works best for me.