Persian recipes from my great-grandmother

Welcome! Here I present (and cook my way through) three dozen recipes my mom, Nura Amerson, learned from her grandma Katayoon Shahrokh. Each of the pages of this e-cookbook includes the recipe written by Nura in her “Persian Recipe Sampler” in 1991 along with my reflections on making the recipe, and, in some cases, my sister Jasmine’s comments on making a vegetarian version.

To view a page, click on the associated photo below. I recommend starting with the Introduction (immediately below), which explains the recipes’ history.

Introduction

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Salads

In our family, we would usually have a basic lettuce salad or salad containing cucumbers, tomatoes, onion, lemon, and oil with our Persian suppers. However, we also enjoyed several other Persian salads. These salads may constitute a large portion of a noontime meal.

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Soups

Ash is a general term for very thick, hearty soups, and is made in many varieties. Ab-gusht is a soup that is more broth-like.

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Rice Dishes

Rice is an art in Persian cuisine, which features a variety of delicious pilafs.

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Stews (Koresh)

Koresh, a general word for meat-vegetable stew, is served over plain white rice (chelo). These stews taste even better when served the second day, as the flavors blend over time.

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Miscellaneous Main Dishes

A few delicious outliers!

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Desserts

Persian desserts are very aromatic, and often include cardamon, rosewater, saffron, and almonds. Nura’s favorite is baklava, a very dense and sweet layered pastry which her grandmother (Katayoon) masterfully baked.