Persian stuffed grape leaves have become one of my absolute favorite dishes, an absolute must of course when we offer a buffet, for example. You can make them completely vegetarian or vegan, replace the meat with vegetarian options, otherwise you can follow the recipe. It looks more difficult than it is really, it is worth making a lot at one time and freeze! Continue reading “Persian stuffed grape leaves”
Author: fastidiouschef
Welcome to Fastidious Chef. I have had a very hectic career, I am now a "time millionaire" (retired) and have the privilege to spend more time cooking. It is indeed a great joy to cook.
I was born in Iran, but raised in Sweden. In my childhood and early teens, the kitchen was a place I never visited, it was merely a place of service. It was only when I came to Sweden that I was introduced to what was going on in the kitchen! I have read and experimented a lot with food since then with wonderful raw models in my siblings and mom.
Glad to have you here.
Enjoy!
Spring rolls my way!
I received the recipe once on a flight where I had a Chinese gentleman who was seated next to me. We came to talk about food – wonderful subject that everyone is interested in. I asked how his mother used to make spring rolls and got a pretty good description, I wrote down some notes which I found the other day and just had to try it with some modifications of course 😊 Continue reading “Spring rolls my way!”
Salad Shirazi
This salad has its origin in Shiraz. Shiraz is one of Iran’s most historic sites. It is also the birthplace of some of our most respected Persian poets such as Hafiz and Saadi. Shiraz is famous for its magnificent architecture, beautiful gardens and the majestic cypress called sarv-eh-naz. It is also here that you can visit the ruins of Persepolis. Continue reading “Salad Shirazi”
Mast & Mosir! What a delight!
Sometimes when we have some kind of kebab or another barbeque dish, I serve Mast O Mosir as an accessory. What is Mosir? Persian mosir is a special type of shallots – not the one you can buy in grocery stores but allium stipitatum. Never seen fresh ones in Sweden but dried mosir is available in all Middle East stores (see picture below). A good thing to have at home. Its area of use is many. It is simply a mixture of onion and garlic, with the advantage that you will not smell garlic! Continue reading “Mast & Mosir! What a delight!”
Joje kebab or Persian chicken skewers
It is always nice to have joje kebab oor chicken skewers as it is called in Swedish. The Persian way to prepare the chicken is incredibly easy and the result is very good. The best thing is to let the chicken marinate overnight but you can also get it done by 4 – 5 hours. The accessories are Persian rice, grilled tomatoes, salad Shirazi and of course mast o mosir. Continue reading “Joje kebab or Persian chicken skewers”
Naan
In Sweden, everyone is convinced that naan is from India! But we Iranians firmly claim that naan is from Iran. Naan in Farsi (Persian language) means literally bread. Let us put the arguments about origin aside and just agree upon the fact that naan is incredibly delicious! One should preferably have a stone oven, but who has that? Not me anyway. I invested instead in a Gas burner and it works just fine! Continue reading “Naan”
Dry fruit dessert
It cannot be easier than this. I always have a stock of dried apricots and plums. I sometimes eat it as a snack. The dried apricots and plums that I use are washed and very soft therefore I do not need to boil them in water. A variation can be to cook the fruits for 10 – 15 minutes and then let them soak in the same water overnight. Continue reading “Dry fruit dessert”
Food memories!
I am very well aware that one should be careful not to generalize but there are some things I dare say most people born in Iran avoid eating. Second-generation Iranians living in Sweden or other countries have probably learned to eat some “trendy” dishes. Continue reading “Food memories!”
Whitefish steak (Kokoye mahi sefid)
The Persian New Year (Norooz) dinner is a must! It consists of Whitefish that is served together with Persian herb rice, grilled tomatoes, spring onion etc.
But this year I wanted to renew the dish a little bit – so I decided to make steaks (or burgers) made of smoked whitefish, it was amazingly delicious! It is also easy to make.
If you want more crunchiness you can add chopped walnuts or whole pine nuts. If you want some more acidity in the steaks you can add some berberis. I did not use nuts nor Berberis since in my opinion the breading gives enough crunchiness and the acidity is achieved by serving lemon wedges with the dish. Continue reading “Whitefish steak (Kokoye mahi sefid)”
Gothab – or Persian sweet nuggets
As a child, I was quite fussy when it came to food and sweets. These cookies nevertheless were and still are one of my favorites. Very delicious and quite easy to make.
For a luxurious version – add some saffron mixed with one or two tablespoons of warm water to the dough. Wonderful cookies for Easter. Continue reading “Gothab – or Persian sweet nuggets”
