8 essential ingredients for Persian cooking

Aisan Hoss and Mehdi Parnia source their Iranian ingredients from Persian grocery stores in the East Bay, mostly Super Tehran in Concord and Bazar Tajrish in Walnut Creek. For anyone interested in trying out Persian cooking at home, Hoss recommends these eight essential ingredients.

1. Saffron: Saffron is essential to Iranian cooking, especially when cooking rice. “If you have a guest over and your rice doesn’t have saffron in it, you are considered very rude,” Hoss said. Hoss likes to grind the saffron finely and rehydrate it in warm water, which she uses to season her herb rice.

2. Turmeric 3. Cinnamon

4. Barberries: These berries are very tart and acidic, and are commonly sold dried in the U.S. Hoss likes to cook them slightly in warm oil before pouring them over her kuku sabzi.

5. Fresh herbs (especially fenugreek): Iranians love cooking with fresh herbs. Fresh fenugreek is available occasionally locally, making appearances at Berkeley Bowl or at Middle Eastern/Indian grocery stores, but you can also find it sold dried. In Farsi, it’s known as shanbalileh.

6. Rosewater: This fragrant liquid is made by steeping rose petals in water. It’s a popular Persian flavoring, especially for sweets.

7. Pomegranate molasses: This is made from pomegranate juice that has been reduced to a syrup. Some versions contain sugar, but most Iranian versions are sweet and sour, providing a tangy, rich flavor to anything it’s added to, especially dishes like fesenjoon (a walnut and pomegranate stew).

8. Nuts: Pistachios, almonds and walnuts are particularly popular.