Fesenjan (Iranian Special Occasion Dish) Recipe #91809
I had this marvelous dish in a Mediterranean Cafe. The fragrance is wonderful and the taste sublime.
by KerryBnTX
1¼ hours | 15 min prep
SERVES 6 -8
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 small onions, sliced thin
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 1/2 cups walnuts, finely ground
- 2/3 cup pomegranate syrup
- 2 1/2 cups stock or water
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 teaspoons pepper
- 1 1/4 teaspoons saffron (optional)
- 2 limes, juice of
- 2 1/2-3 lbs bone-in poultry, of choice
- Heat butter or oil over medium heat in a large Dutch oven.
- Add onions and sauté until wilted and translucent.
- Add garlic, cinnamon and nutmeg and sauté, stirring, for another 1-2 minutes.
- Stir in walnuts, pomegranate syrup, stock, sugar, salt, pepper and saffron.
- Adjust sugar and salt to taste.
- Bring to a low boil and simmer 1/2 hour.
- Add chicken and simmer on low heat another 30-60 minutes.
- Halfway through the cooking time, add the lime juice to taste.
- The sauce will thicken and darken during this cooking time, and the oil will begin to render out of the walnuts.
- Add water or stock if necessary to prevent the sauce from thickening too much and scorching.
- Serve with plain white rice.
- NOTES Fesenjan is special occasion food in Iran.
- It is traditionally made with duck or pheasant in the north of the country along the Caspian sea.
- It is a thick, rich, sweet-sour dish that improves in flavor the next day.
- Pomegranate syrup is available in most Middle Eastern and health food stores.
- If it is unavailable, you can use an equal amount of frozen, concentrated cranberry juice.
- The flavor is roughly the same.
- You can use a whole bone-in chicken if you like.
- Cut it into 8 serving pieces and remove most of the skin.
- The bones will give the dish a richer flavor.
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5 stars