For Persian new year, a menu of memories.
I ranians around the world are preparing to mark our new year. Nowruz means “new day” in our native language, and the ancient holiday’s 13 days of celebration mark what we consider the most logical time to start the year: spring, the annual rebirth of nature.
For me, this time is made rich from a lifetime of memories, as it is for most Iranians. New clothes are purchased. Families deep-clean their homes for weeks in advance; we do this because the days bring a constant parade of visits from friends and relatives.
Joyous festivities begin on the last Tuesday of the Iranian calendar year with bonfires that are danced around and jumped over. Firecrackers keep everyone awake late into the night. Children disguise themselves and go door-todoor, asking for treats while they make a ruckus by banging on pots and pans — like a mash-up of Halloween and the Fourth of July. In my neighborhood, my dad was always the first to make a fire.
Food plays a central role in all this, of course, and dishes are infused with symbolic meanings. Some are prepared once a year, only for Nowruz.
The past two years that I have been away from Iran, I did not get to jump over any fires. But I did make Ash Reshteh, the hearty soup of beans, herbs and noodles that can chase away a winter’s chill. Garnishes of dried mint that’s fried until blackened, fried garlic, caramelized onion and whey make it special. My mom would make a cauldron of it on that bonfire night, called Chaharshanbe Suri. In some parts of the country, such as Shiraz — one of Iran’s most beloved cities, known for its rich history of wine, flowers and poetry — locals say their food must be at the boiling point the moment the year changes. (In the U.S., that moment will happen on March 20.)
No matter what time of day the change occurred, my
Instructions: To remove excess starch in the rice, place the rice in a large bowl and add enough water to cover it. Use your hand to stir the rice and hold it back as you pour out that water. Rinse the rice two or three times this way. Cover the rice one last time with water by about 1 inch; let sit for 30 minutes, then drain.
While the rice is soaking, place the saffron threads in the hot water in a cup or small bowl; cover and let it brew for 10 to 15 minutes.
Combine the onion, 1/4 cup of the oil and 1 teaspoon of the turmeric in large saute pan over medium heat. Cook for 25 minutes or so, stirring occasionally, or until the onion is lightly golden and starting to caramelize. Reserve a few tablespoons for garnish, if desired. Add the chicken to the pan, along the remaining teaspoon of turmeric, cooking and stirring until the meat is evenly colored (yellow).
Add most of the brewed saffron water, a good pinch each of the salt and pepper, the cinnamon and cardamom, stirring to incorporate. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring just to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Stir in the raisins and cook for another minute or two. The chicken should be softened and tender. Remove from the heat.
Fill a separate pot with the 6 cups of water and a generous pinch of salt; bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in the soaked/drained rice; cook for 2 minutes, then stir in the toasted vermicelli and cook for another 3 minutes. Drain the rice and noodles well in a colander and immediately rinse with cool water.
Return the pot to the stove top. Pour in the remaining 1/2 cup of oil and the remaining saffron water. Add half the rice and noodles, spreading the mixture evenly over the bottom. Next, spread the spiced chicken mixture evenly over the layer of rice and noodles. Then spread the remaining rice and noodles evenly over the chicken mixture. Gently and slowly mix the layers. Arrange the dates on top. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for about 45 minutes, or until the dates have softened.
Uncover, use the handle of a spatula to create 4 or 5 holes in the surface of the mixture. Wrap the pot lid in a dish towel; this will help absorb moisture inside the pot. Cover the pot tightly with the wrapped lid. Increase the heat to medium-high; cook for 7 to 8 minutes, then reduce the heat to low and lift the
just long enough to pour the melted butter evenly over the rice mixture. Re-cover and cook for 45 minutes low heat); a crust should form on the bottom of the pot. To serve, uncover and invert a plate over the pot. Holding them tightly together, carefully turn the pot upside down, trying to keep the crusty tahdig intact; you should hear the rice hit the plate with a thump. Lift off the pot. Garnish the tahdig with chopped pistachios, the slivered almonds and the reserved onions, if desired. Serve warm. NOTE: To toast the vermicelli noodles, heat 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil shimmers, add the broken vermicelli and cook, stirring, until golden brown. Be careful not to burn it, or you’ll have to start over. Let cool. Nutrition | Per serving (using teas 1 spoon salt): 520 calories, 10 g protein, 63 g carbohydrates, 28 g fat, 5 turated fat, 30 mg cholesterol, 310 sodium, 5 g dietary fiber, 21 g sugar
grandmother had her soup set to boil at that precise moment. It’s that rhythm of consistency across centuries, I think, that makes Iranians such a proud people.
We always eat Reshteh Polow, rice with vermicelli noodles, on the eve of the new year. It pays homage to the notion that life is like a mess of tangled noodles, and eating them as the year changes will help us take control of our destiny. This stems from an old proverb that says “may life’s noodle always be in your hand,” which seems to make more sense in Farsi. The dish takes some time to make but, trust me, it is delicious.
On the day of Nowruz, we eat rice with fresh green herbs, which symbolize the freshness of the new day and capture the quintessential Iranian way of cherishing spring’s greenness, with fish signifying life.
My grandmother used to reminisce about a time when there was no way to transport fresh fish from the Caspian Sea in the north to Tehran. So to enjoy fish in the rest of the country, Tehran residents began eating smoked fish as part of their annual feast. It is now among the most popular Nowruz dishes throughout Iran and among our diaspora.
Shopping for the right fish — plump with roe — and watching my mom’s talent for bargaining with fishmongers to make sure she got the freshest, best fish available are vivid childhood memories, equal parts fun and lesson. White-fleshed mahi from the Caspian Sea region is the preferred type of fish for the Nowruz feast. The fish has many bones in it, so trout has become a popular alternative.
Pickled vegetables, jarred in the fall, are key to the Nowruz spread. Seer-Torshi are sweet-and-sour garlic cloves, at their best when aged for several years. They are more than a delicacy — they are a national treasure. Iranians also say Seer-Torshi has medicinal qualities, and the older it gets, the more potent those curative properties become.
My mom pickles her own and replenishes them periodically. Hers was one of the few possessions that accompanied her as a new bride, arriving in my dad’s home 40 years ago. The bottom of that original jar is now a thick mud. Every time she reaches past the newer top layers to pull from the older cloves, we know the recipient is someone very dear to her.
Another of our favorite Nowruz bites is an olive spread that we call Zeytoon Parvardeh. Most people buy it already prepared, but I’m not sure why, because it’s so simple to make and adds so much flavor to our meals.
The centerpiece for Nowruz is a ceremonial arrangement of seven symbolic food items, because seven is a lucky number. Each one has a name that begins with the letter S in Farsi. Families gather around the sofreh to wait for the beginning of the new year. The celebrations come to an end on the 13th day, called Nature Day. Iranian families go on picnics together, taking with us sprouted wheat or lentils one of the S foods from the ceremonial setting — that we throw into a body of flowing water. It symbolizes a letting go of the misfortunes and sadness of the past year.