Nourouz

[Hector]

Any Iranian in here who can tell what they ate for the Iranian new years eve. It would be nice with some recipes.. if you have some.

[zeitoun]

Any Iranian in here who can tell what they ate for the Iranian new years eve. It would be nice with some recipes.. if you have some.

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Do you know what dishes are traditionally served for Nourouz?

[Hector]

Any Iranian in here who can tell what they ate for the Iranian new years eve. It would be nice with some recipes.. if you have some.

←

Do you know what dishes are traditionally served for Nourouz?

←

That's what I'm trying to find out! My iranian friends isn't interested in food at all.. when I ask them they just say: we eat this and that..

[zeitoun]

That's what I'm trying to find out! My iranian friends isn't interested in food at all.. when I ask them they just say: we eat this and that..

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I googled and found a pretty interesting article on Nourouz here. It sounds like quite a feast!

[persiancook]

I would say that the most common Norouz dinner is "sabzi polo va mahi," which is herbed rice with fish (usually white-fleshed). This is the traditional dinner in Tehran, but has spread to other regions as well. In Shiraz, "shirin polo" (sweet rice) is usually served with chicken. The side dishes vary by family, but the main course of rice and fish is very traditional.

This year, I made dill rice with trout. The commercially available "sabziye polo" (rice herbs) mix made by Sadaf is nice, but I was out of it, so I used dried dill only. In my experience, dried herbs spread more uniformly in the rice than minced fresh herbs, and hence give a more attractive appearance.

I brought Basmati rice to a boil in cold water with a pinch of turmeric added for color. Once the rice was al-dente, I drained it, mixed in the dried herbs, and steamed it for about 10 minutes. I garnished it with saffron and melted butter.

[SwatiC]

Is the mahi (fish) that accompanies the sabzi polo grilled or fried? And can this be made with any kind of white-fleshed fish or only a certain type of fish is preferred, e.g., mahi safeed from the Caspian? I'm really interested in learning about Persian cuisine and would love to read more from you!

[persiancook]

Is the mahi (fish) that accompanies the sabzi polo grilled or fried? And can this be made with any kind of white-fleshed fish or only a certain type of fish is preferred, e.g., mahi safeed from the Caspian? I'm really interested in learning about Persian cuisine and would love to read more from you!

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The fish is usually fried. We rarely grill at home in Iran, and ovens are a relatively recent addition to Iranian kitchens, so very few of our traditional dishes are baked.

Mahi sefeed from the Caspian is definitely the preferred fish, but it is expensive and out of reach for most families. Any white-fleshed fish will do. I would not have a problem serving salmon or a non-white fish either, as the dish is supposed to be "sabzi polo va mahi," where the "mahi" can be any fish.

I am always delighted to see others interested in Persian cuisine. I would be happy to share recipes with you.

[lalala]

I was in Rome for Noruz, so no feast for me. I did manage to put together a pretty nice little haft-seen including senjed and sumac that I got from my aunt in London for our apartment, so it felt like new year.

We're Azeri, but its typical, sabzi, noon, panir, yoghurt, sabzi polo with fish (white fish - usually find a nice piece of halibut in the freezer for this. Sometimes I get inspired and make ashe-reshteh, but it can be pretty stodgy.

As always, my mom sends the makings for ajil (trail mix) for the wednesday before the new year (Chahar Shanbeh Suri) and we eat it for the next few weeks.

I still have a few rice cookies stashed away somewhere.

I leave the sweets to someone who enjoys molding chick pea flour.

lalala