Borani esfenaj: spinach and yogurt dip
Cook the spinach, remove excess moisture, and cool it before mixing with plain yogurt. A small garlic-and-spinach side with no cream cheese or mayonnaise.
Read →Persian / Iranian · en-US
Persian cooking, made practical.
Explore Persian recipes and learn which ingredients, product forms and substitutions fit the dish you want to cook. Start with the pantry guide or browse the recipe collection.
Explore the collection
10 articles
INGREDIENTLimoo amani: choosing whole dried limes or powder
Identify dried Persian limes, understand whole-versus-ground forms, and avoid assuming that fresh lime juice is an exact replacement.
Read →Photo: Mervat Salman — Dried Lime.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia 960-pixel rendition; no further crop or edit. Image remains CC BY-SA 4.0.
INGREDIENTKashk in a US kitchen: what to buy and what a substitute changes
Recognize Persian kashk, distinguish a jarred sauce from dried forms, and understand the limits of yogurt or sour cream as a substitute.
Read →Photo: Shams948 — Kashk 01.jpg · CC0 1.0 · Wikimedia 960-pixel rendition; no further crop or edit.
Kuku sabzi: fresh-herb patties without a whole-pan flip
Fresh-herb and egg patties with parsley, cilantro, dill and leek greens. Cook small portions rather than turning a whole pan-sized kuku.
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RECIPEMast-o-khiar: cucumber, yogurt and dried mint
A simple Persian yogurt-and-cucumber side without walnuts or raisins. Measure the chopped cucumber and keep the dairy cold.
Read →Serving variation: The flower-petal garnish is not in this plain recipe. This illustrates a serving variation, not a Culinara kitchen test or the exact result below.
Photo: Ataax — Mast khiar.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia 960-pixel rendition; no further crop or edit. Image remains CC BY-SA 4.0.
Buying Persian herb mixes: match the dish and the form
Check the actual herb list and whether the recipe expects fresh, dried or rehydrated herbs. Sabzi mixes are not all the same product.
Read →Start a small Persian pantry by choosing the dish first
Avoid buying a cupboard of unfamiliar ingredients at once. Match the next Persian dish to the product forms you actually need, then build a reusable shopping note.
Read →Buying reshteh in the US: soup noodles, roasted noodles and alternatives
Read a reshteh noodle label, distinguish roasted products from other forms, and find a documented alternative for ash reshteh without inventing a universal swap.
Read →Salad Shirazi with lime and dried mint
A finely chopped cucumber, tomato and onion salad, with practical cucumber choices and a lime-and-mint dressing for an American kitchen.
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INGREDIENTZereshk and barberries: a practical buying and substitution guide
Recognize the small tart berries used in Persian cooking, check added sugar, and understand what changes when you use cranberries or sour cherries.
Read →Photo: Conifer — Dried barberries on a plate.JPG · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia 960-pixel rendition; no further crop or edit. Image remains CC BY-SA 4.0.
