Persian Fesenjan with Jewelled Cauliflower ‘Rice’

Living in Toronto for almost 23 years now has meant a regular introduction to faraway lands, via my neighbours, workmates, store owners, and fellow subway patrons!

Exploring Ethnic Cuisines in Our Neighbourhoods

Through the years my neighbours, or roommates have included ones from Jamaica, the Ukraine, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Poland, Portugal, Finland, Estonia, Russia, Ethiopia, the Philippines, and the list goes on. And I was privileged to eat with all of them, or else at least pick their brains for recipes.

When you live in an apartment building, you are going to be introduced to all their cooking, just by nature of the hallway! The aromas of curries, cabbage rolls, dal, pelmeni, zigni, pancit etc don’t stop at the door.  We all got to enjoy them as we got off the elevator and walked towards our own little space on the floor.  So I decided to embrace the aromas, and find out who the makers of said aromas were.

One of my favourite discoveries was Persian or Iranian cuisine.  I can still remember the first time I tasted Zereshk Polow.  It was at the home of a friend who was helping me with some sewing.  She had a sewing machine set up (she was a fabulous seamstress, making suits, even wedding dresses for clients) My machine was packed away, so she graciously allowed me to use hers.  While I was busy away at the machine, she was preparing dinner for the family.  And that evening the family would include me.  

At first I didn’t really pay attention to the fragrance drifting over from the kitchen. But then suddenly it was there.  Oh my! That perfume of  orange water, mint, onions cooking, and even pistachios that were being toasted in the oven.  But I had no idea what the meal was.  Then we sat down to eat.  There was the most beautiful bowl of rice, finely chopped veggies, chicken pieces perfectly browned, the glorious green pistachios peaking out, and something red.  I wasn’t sure what that was.  Smaller than a cranberry.  She served me, and I took a spoonful of the rice.  Oooh! The little dried red berries were so pleasingly tart. What a contrast to the warm spiced rice and veggies, and the juicy chicken thighs.  What is this?  Those are barberries.  Where do I find them?? And she gave me a small bag to take home.  It would take a while before I would actually attempt to cook with them.  Again, the internet wasn’t yet at my disposal.  But I was able to get the entire recipe slowly and thoroughly out of dear Shirin.

Fesenjan, aka Walnut and Pomegranate Stew with Chicken

And then, about 5 years later, I was now married, and living in the east end of the city.  In a condo building this time.  But it still had hallways!!! Eventually I got to know our neighbours.  They were also from Iran.  Oh I learned so much from them.  The way they drink coffee and tea, the way they make rice and vegetable dishes.  The little delicacies they serve on special occasions. And Fesenjan.  This was way out for me.  The idea of grinding walnuts, combining them with pomegranate molasses and stock to braise chicken in definitely intrigued and yet made me pause.  But when she presented it to me, and I tasted the richness of the sauce, the tartness of the pomegranate coming out, and all of it imbuing the fall-apart chicken was fabulous.  She showed me how they layered their special occasion rice in a pot.  And how the bottom of the pot where the rice was cooked into a perfect crusty layer, tahdig, was actually the prized part of the preparation!  Here is a bit of background on Fesenjan.

So now I try to make Fesenjan for company a couple of times a year.  It isn’t at all complicated, and the end result is festive enough for feeding special friends or family.  At its most basic, it is a ground walnut and pomegranate stew.  Walnuts are first toasted, and then some of them are ground up in a food processor. Usually chicken pieces are included and braised in the liquid of stock and sautéed onions.  Then the ground walnuts and pomegranate molasses and spices are added to cook down into the best thick sauce.  The chicken takes on the most luscious burnished hue as it all cooks down on the stove top.  Sprinkle the finished dish with some chopped walnuts, pomegranate arils, even orange peel and fresh mint. The stew may look a little ‘muddy’ but that’s alright.  The flavour makes up for it!  A little bit spicy, a little heat, a little tang, and a little sweet.  A real party in your mouth!

Some recipes call for boneless chicken pieces.  I don’t think you’ll like it as much as cooking chicken still on the bone.  So much flavour is released from the bones as the chicken simmers away.  Yes, boneless will mean that this dish is ready faster, but go for the bone-in, trust me.  And here’s a great alternative if you don’t want to serve this walnut stew with meat:  Cook down the stew till it’s the thickness you would like, and then serve it with roasted chickpeas or even with roasted cauliflower florets hard halved boiled eggs! Fabulous vegetarian alternatives!

Here is my tip for using a fresh pomegranate.  How to open a pomegranate to get to the arils is pretty easy.  Cut off the crown part at the tope of a pomegranate, so that it reveals the segments (the white pithy lines)  Then take your knife and score along these pith dividers from the outside, just through the skin.  You can stop before you get around to the very bottom, thus creating a flower that opens up, since the sections are still attached at one end.  You can serve a pomegranate this way on a cheese or fruit board, or you can separate the sections, and pop out the arils to store in a container in the fridge.

Jewelled Sides

I usually make Jewelled Rice as a side, a simpler form of the rice Aarta showed me, but still has all the components to make it dinner party worthy.  In the recipe below I’m sharing the Cauliflower version.  It’s such an easy, fresh way to have the same flavours.  Cauliflower whizzes down into the best ‘rice’ or ‘couscous’.  It is such a light accompaniment to this glorious, rich stew.  Of course, use Couscous if you desire. Check out my Jewelled Israeli Couscous or my Jewelled Couscous

And even if you don’t want to go through all the trouble of the jewelled rice, why not make a Saffron Rice with barberries?  So easy.  Just steam or cook basmati rice according to your preferred method.  Before you start however, have about 1 tablespoon of barberries soaking in 1 tbsp of boiling water in a small bowl or cup.  And have 1 tsp of crushed saffron threads soaking in 1 1/2 tbsp spoon of boiling water.  Add the strained barberries to the rice and let them cook along with the rice.  I use a rice cooker, because I can just turn it on and walk away. Perfect rice every time.  But even if you are simmering rice on the stove top, add the barberries when you drop the temperature to low to simmer the rice.  Afterwards, when the rice is completely cooked through and fluffed with a fork, gently pour the saffron threads and golden water over a small section of the rice, along one edge.  Then spoon the rice onto a serving plate or bowl, adding the saffron rice periodically throughout.  You don’t want to completely stir them together- you want to see the white strands contrasting against the golden yellow ones.  A perfect accompaniment!   This is what I’m showing in some updated photos.  The old ones were horrendous, trust me!

Here is my Link for Saffron and Barbarry Rice, and a fun version using ditelli or orzo pasta is here: Saffron Butter Pasta.

If you make this Fesenjan, please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! It’s always lovely to hear from you guys, and I always do my best to respond to each comment or question. And of course, if you do make this recipe, and you post it on Instagram, don’t forget to also tag me so I can see! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is such a treat.

Love Jen

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Persian Fesenjan with Jewelled Cauliflower 'Rice'

A rich, warm, wonderfully tart (but not too tart) dish of chicken braised in stock, toasted ground walnuts, pomegranate molasses and middle eastern spices.  Here it is served with a lighter alternative of jewelled cauliflower 'rice'.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Persian

Keyword cauliflower, chicken legs, mint, pomegranate molasses, walnuts

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups walnut halves
• 2 lbs chicken thighs or drumsticks, or a combo. If you use boneless thighs or breasts, you will need to adjust the cooking time
• 2 large onions, sliced thinly from top to tail (trim the top and bottom, then slice in half and slice into long narrow sliced from the top to the bottom of the onion)
• 3 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 5 tbsp pomegranate molasses
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 3/4 tsp cracked black pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• walnut bitters, optional
• peel strips without the pith from an orange, optional
• 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
• 3 tbsp fresh mint for garnish , chopped

Jewelled Cauliflower Rice

• 1 medium head of cauliflower, broken into florets, and use the stems as well!
• 1/4 tsp saffron threads
• 2 tbsp boiling water
• 1/2 cup barberries, softened in a cup of boiling water
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp fennel seeds
• 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/8 tsp ground allspice
• 1 bay leaf
• rind of one orange, white pith removed, finely julienned
• 1/4 cup dried apricots, chopped
• 1/4 cup toasted almonds, chopped
• 1/4 cup toasted pistachios, chopped
• 1/3 cup pomegranate seeds,
• 3 tbsp fresh mint, chopped

Instructions

1. Toast the walnuts. Spread walnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast in a 350F oven until fragrant and browned but not scorched, about 8-10 minutes. Cool. Set aside 1/4 cup of the walnuts for later. Once cool enough to handle, pulse the 2 cups of walnuts in a food processor until finely ground.
   

2. Pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towel and sprinkle with salt and pepper on all sides.
3. In a large skillet, over med-high heat, add 2 tbsp of the butter and 1 tbsp of olive oil. When the butter is just starting to bubble, add the chicken pieces, skin side down, and brown each side until golden brown and crispy. Work in batches, so as not to overcrowd the pan. Remove to a plate.

4. Drop the heat to medium and add the remaining butter and olive oil to the pan.

   Add sliced onions and turmeric. Sauté until translucent, stirring to release any bits at the bottom of the pan.

5. Push the onions to the edges, and return the chicken and any juices to the pan.

   Pour the stock over the chicken and onions. Raise the heat and bring to a boil. Then reduce, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

6. Add the walnuts, pomegranate molasses, sugar and spices and 5 dashes of the walnut bitters, if using. Cover and cook on very low setting for 45 min-1 hour, until meat is completely tender (35 minutes for boneless chicken pieces). Add the orange peels in the last half hour.

   Check every once in a while, stirring to ensure that the walnuts are not sticking to the bottom. If the sauce is too liquidy for your liking, partially uncover halfway through and let some of the liquid evaporate as it cooks. Still check to ensure that the walnuts are not sticking to the bottom.

7. Remove from the heat and taste to see if you want more sugar or seasoning. Salt and pepper to taste.

   Garnish with pomegranate seeds, walnut halves that you have roughly chopped, and mint leaves.

   Serve with the Jewelled Cauliflower 'Rice' below.

8. JEWELED CAULIFLOWER 'RICE'

   Pulse the cauliflower florets in a food processor until small, rice-like size. Set aside.

9. Heat olive oil in a large skillet at med-high pan and saute the fennel and cumin seeds for 5 minutes. Watch to make sure they don't scorch.

10. Reduce the heat to medium.

    Add the onion and bay leaf, and sauté until softened. about 5 minutes. Add the ground spices. Stir to coat the onion well. Reduce heat to medium and cook onion another 10 minutes.

11. Add all the cauliflower along with 3 tbsp of hot water, and stir to warm through, about 8-10 minutes. Add a bit more water if the cauliflower seems too dry.

    Add the saffron and soaking water. Cook 1 minute. Remove the bay leaf.

12. Add the dried fruit, julienned orange rind, nuts, and drained barberries. Stir to combine.

    Season with salt and pepper.

    Transfer to serving bowl. Garnish with the pomegranate seeds and chopped mint.

13. See Blog Post for more details and options.

Recipe Notes

Chopped cilantro may replace the mint if so desired.

And yes, you can totally replace the cauliflower with jewelled rice for a more traditional meal.  See the blog post for links to all the Saffron Rice, Pasta, and Couscous options.