Welcoming a solstice with pomegranates Iranians pass around symbolic foods to welcome back the light and longer days
On Shab-e Yalda, the Iranian celebration of the winter solstice, elders take turns reading from a book of poetry by celebrated 14th-century Persian poet Hafez, and interpret the rhyming couplets as a form of fortunetelling. Their families listen and tell stories by candlelight, sing, laugh and fill the house with light and warmth while gathered around the korsi to graze on trays of delicately cracked clusters of pomegranates, sparkling bowls of their ruby red seeds and cool, crisp watermelon slices.
A korsi is a large, low square table that is heated underneath — by coals in the old days and electric heaters now. The table is draped with blankets, to tuck your legs under to keep them warm and cozy, and surrounded by cushions to lean against.
While the use of a korsi is not common outside of Iran, Iranians in the diaspora create similarly inviting setups for their own Yalda celebrations. On this longest and darkest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, symbolic foods, pomegranates chief among them, are passed around to welcome back the light and longer days.
The Yalda evening celebrations begin with dinner, but unlike Nowruz meals, there isn’t a set menu. Families typically feast on
Kaale seerabeh salad (salad with pomegranate dressing)
Makes: 6 servings
Total time: 10 minutes, plus 24 hours’ marinating
For the dressing:
1 cup pomegranate juice, plus more as needed
1 cup pomegranate seeds Heaping ¼ cup walnut halves 2 large garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice, plus more as needed 1 teaspoon kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ cup packed cilantro leaves 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped mint leaves 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped parsley leaves 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Sugar, to taste (optional) For assembly: regional warming stews, rice dishes, ash — thick, hearty Iranian soups — and especially pomegranate-based dishes, such as khoresh morgh naardooni, khoresh-e fesenjoon and ash-e anar (pomegranate ash).
“Historically, the pomegranate — anar — holds special significance in Persian culture,” said Nader Mehravari, the food research fellow at San Francisco State University’s Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies. “Pomegranates originated in the region of modern-day Iran. From a religious aspect, the pomegranate is considered a heavenly fruit and perhaps the original forbidden fruit. It is also a sign of fertility, light and goodness, which is why it is so auspicious on Yalda night as a symbolic opposing force of darkness.”
This victory of light and goodness over the forces of darkness has been celebrated by Iranians for more than 5,000 years.
According to Mehravari, the origins of Yalda date back to pre-Zoroastrian Mithraism, the worship of the god of the sun. It is said that Mithra was born on this day, and “Yalda” comes from the Cyrillic word meaning birth or rebirth.
On Yalda, which falls on Dec. 21 this year, it is customary to take refuge from the darkness and remain indoors, and to welcome the new light by staying up as long as possible. 2 romaine lettuce hearts, or 4 to 6 heads Little Gem lettuce 2 large radishes (watermelon, red, white or daikon, or a mixture), thinly sliced into rounds
1 large carrot (preferably purple), peeled and sliced into ¼-inch-thick rounds 1 large orange, segmented Kosher salt
Bread, for serving
1. Prepare the dressing: Place the pomegranate juice, pomegranate seeds, walnuts, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a blender, and blend until smooth. Add the cilantro, mint and parsley, and blend until smooth. With the blender running on low, drizzle in the olive oil. Taste and adjust seasoning. If the sauce is too sour, sprinkle in a little sugar; if it’s not acidic enough, add a little more pomegranate juice or lemon juice, one tablespoon at a time. Be mindful that the It is believed that, with the sun’s triumphant rise, our days will shine brighter and longer with hope and good will.
For his Northern Iranian-inspired dishes at Komaaj, a restaurant and catering company, the Bay Area-based chef Hanif Sadr uses pomegranate in all its forms — seeds, juice, molasses. This year, his Yalda menu will include an interpretation of seerabeh, a traditional Northern Iranian sauce. Seerabeh is tangy, made with walnuts, pomegranate juice (or verjuice), pomegranate seeds, garlic and herbs, and is typically served with fish.
The combination of walnuts and pomegranates is a classic pairing in flavors will meld more and pop as the sauce rests. Strain the sauce through a finemesh strainer and discard any tiny bits of pomegranate seeds. You should have 1 ¾ cups. Transfer the sauce to a container, cover and refrigerate overnight. (The sauce can be made up to 5 days in advance.) The sauce will thicken slightly as it rests, but it’s not a thick sauce.
2. Assemble the salad: Remove the larger outer leaves of the romaine hearts and set aside for another use. On a serving platter or on individual plates, neatly arrange the lettuce leaves, stacking some on top of one another. (If using Little Gems, just halve them lengthwise and place on the platter; no need to stack them.) Or, chop the lettuce if you’d prefer. Scatter the radishes, carrots and orange segments on top. Sprinkle
Iranian cuisine. In this version, Sadr takes the classic preparation of kaale (uncooked) seerabeh and serves it as a dressing for a salad. Romaine hearts, purple carrots, radishes and orange segments provide the chromatic canvas upon which the pinkish sauce is drizzled.
Khoresh morgh naardooni (pomegranate chicken stew), also called anar mosama, is another celebratory dish to serve on Yalda. The combination of pomegranate molasses and pomegranate seeds in this deeply flavorful stew showcases the various ways pomegranates can be used to achieve layers of flavor.
After dinner, families snack on symbolic foods that are placed on the korsi. The red hue of pomegranates and watermelon flesh represents the rising crimson sun, and the melons, traditionally stored in cool basements in late summer to last until winter, are believed to keep illness at bay in the coming warmer months.
A bowl of ajeel — mixed nuts, watermelon seeds and dried fruits — is also set on the korsi for prosperity, alongside hot tea, sweets and fresh seasonal fruits like persimmons.
All of the food, the pomegranates in particular, serves as a joyful reminder that the re-emergence of the sun, light, hope and goodness is only but a night away.
A tangy pomegranate and walnut sauce usually served with fish is used here as a dressing for a salad of crisp, colorful vegetables and fruit.
and serve right away. Use as much sauce as desired. Serve with a side of bread to sop up any lingering dressing.
Khoresh morgh nardooni (pomegranate chicken stew)
Makes: 4 servings
Total time: 1 ½ hours
A pinch of saffron threads (about ¾ teaspoon)
A pinch of sugar, plus more as needed
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken legs (about 3 pounds) Kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
¾ teaspoon ground turmeric ¼ teaspoon black pepper, plus more as needed 1 tablespoon tomato paste 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses (see note)
1 ½ cups pomegranate seeds (from 1 large pomegranate) Lemon juice, as needed Mint leaves, for garnishing (optional)
Steamed rice, fresh herbs, sliced radishes and scallion segments, for serving
1. Bring 2 tablespoons water to boil in small saucepan, kettle or using the microwave, then let stand for 2 minutes to allow the temperature to drop slightly while you grind saffron. Using a mortar and pestle (or small bowl with the handle of a wooden spoon), grind saffron with small pinch of sugar to fine powder (about ¼ teaspoon) and add the hot water. Gently stir, cover and let steep until ready to use.
2. Season the chicken legs generously with salt (about 3 ½ teaspoons). In a large skillet with a lid, heat ¼ cup of oil over medium-high. When the oil is hot but not smoking, reduce the heat to medium and add the chicken legs, skin-side down. Cook until the chicken is golden, 5 to 8 minutes; we’re not looking to brown the chicken skin here, just to get a nice golden color. Flip and cook the other side until golden, 5 to 8 minutes. You may have to do this in batches. Transfer the chicken to a sheet pan or large plate.
3. Leave behind about ¼ cup of the rendered fat in the pan and discard the rest. Add half of diced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle the onion with a little salt, ½ teaspoon of turmeric and the black pepper, and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. 4. Transfer the chicken legs along with any juices back to the pan skin-side down. Swipe the chicken through the turmeric-stained oil and flip so the skin side is up. Add 1 ½ cups water, scraping up any bits stuck on the bottom. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to mediumlow, cover and gently simmer the chicken for 25 minutes. 5. Meanwhile, prepare the pomegranate sauce: In small pan, heat remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over medium. Add remaining diced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle onion with a little salt, add remaining ¼ teaspoon of turmeric, and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Reduce heat to medium-low, stir in tomato paste, and cook just to take off the raw taste and deepen its color, but taking care not to burn it, 1 minute. Add pomegranate molasses, give it a quick stir just to incorporate (pomegranate molasses burns quickly), then stir in 1
¼ cups pomegranate seeds and save rest for garnish. Sprinkle with a little salt and remove from the heat.
6. Add pomegranate sauce and saffron water to chicken, gently stir, and simmer uncovered over medium heat until the sauce reduces by about half and the chicken is tender, about 25 minutes. Every once in a while, spoon a little sauce over the chicken. If the sauce reduces too quickly, reduce the heat to medium-low or low. (You want enough sauce to spoon over rice and the chicken.) Taste for seasoning, and add a little sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, if the pomegranate molasses is too sour or bitter. If your sauce is too sweet, balance it with a little lemon juice, 1 tablespoon at a time. 7. Garnish with reserved pomegranate seeds and mint leaves, and serve over rice with a side of fresh herbs, radishes and scallions. Note: The flavor and tartness of pomegranate molasses varies by brand. Before cooking, taste it to get an idea of how tart, bitter or sweet yours is; you can always balance it with a little sugar, if necessary.