Recipes

Khoresh-e Fesenjoon is one of the most delicious Persian dishes. Using fresh ingredients in Persian cooking is key. Place of origin, Iran. The fesenjan is one of the best stews of Iran, which is believed to have originated in the province of Gilan bordering the Caspian Sea.

However, nowadays, Persian mamas cook fesenjoon with pomegranate syrup or molasses. Khoresh (which translates to “meal” in Farsi), is actually a generic term that defines many stews in Persian cuisine.

Ingredients:

Serves 4

Time: 2.5 hours

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts/thigh, rinsed, cut in small chunks
• 1 large onion, peeled, finely chopped
• 2 cups shelled walnuts, finely chopped
• 1 cup pomegranate syrup/molasses/ concentrate (sour, sweet, or sour-sweet; to your taste), plus more if needed
• 1/4 cup sugar, plus more if needed
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1 tbsp flour (to thicken the stew)
• 1/4 tsp of cinnamon 
• 2 cups Vegetable oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Water (as needed)

Direction/Method:

1. Fry finely chopped onions with two tablespoons of oil over medium heat until slightly golden.
2. Add turmeric powder and stir for just a few more minutes.
3. Add chicken and continue heating until the meat pieces get golden brown on all sides. Then set them aside.
   Notes:
   • You can cut chicken into medium size pieces.
   • If you wish, bone-in chicken can be used instead
4. Toast the flour in a pot over low heat until slightly brown. Remove it from heat and let it cool down.
   Note:
   • While toasting, stir the flour constantly, otherwise it burns quickly. And don’t make it too brown because it’ll give a bitter taste to your food.
5. Toast the walnuts in a pan for about 2 minutes. Then, let them cool down.
6. Get the toasted walnuts medium or finely chopped in a food processor.
   Note:
   • You can substitute about ¼ of walnuts with pistachio or almond.
7. Add about 3 cups cold water gradually to the toasted flour and stir simultaneously. In this way, you prevent forming lumps.
8. Add chopped toasted walnuts. Put the pot over high heat and bring it to a boil. Meanwhile, stir the mixture constantly and watch that it doesn’t boil over. It has to be cooked on a low temperature/simmer setting for all the tastes to blend in and the walnut oil to be released gradually onto the stew.
9. Add the prepared chicken and stir a bit. Then, let the stew simmer gently for about 2 hours over low heat with the lid on. Stir approximately every 30 minutes to prevent the mixture from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
   Note:
   • Put the lid on loosely to prevent boiling over.
   • You better cook this Persian dish gently over low heat to let the walnuts give off their oil. That’s the only oil needed for this food.
10. At the last 20 minutes, add pomegranate molasses, sugar, and salt (to taste). Stir for a few minutes and then let it continue simmering.
    Notes:
    • You can substitute sugar with palm or grape syrup.
    • Adding sugar or the amount of it depends on how sour or sweet you prefer your Khoresht Fesenjan to be. So, adjust it to taste. The amount of pomegranate molasses can also be decreased or increased a little bit if you wish.
11. Take a look at the stew. If it’s as thick as a spaghetti sauce, the meat is tender, and you can see a thin layer of oil floating on the top, your food is ready to serve.
    Note:
    • If the meat is tender but the mixture does not have the desired thickness, remove the meat from the stew and then continue heating for a few more minutes. Before serving, you can add the meat again later.
    • Adding sugar or the amount of it depends on how sour or sweet you prefer your Khoresht Fesenjan to be. So, adjust it to the taste. The amount of pomegranate molasses can also be decreased or increased a little bit if you wish.

Serve hot with aromatic basmati rice. If there are any leftovers, freeze them! Leftovers taste good too.