Snacks

3 recipes

Kashk O Bademjan

Aubergines are roasted whole until completely soft and the skin chars (oven, broiler, or open flame); cooled slightly, peeled, chopped. A wide pan is used to soften diced onion in oil until deep gold; turmeric and a pinch of saffron are stirred in; the chopped aubergine is added with a little water and simmers for 10 minutes to integrate into a thick mash. Garlic-and-dried-mint oil is prepared separately: crushed garlic is gently fried in olive oil with dried mint until fragrant. Most of this mint-oil is folded into the aubergine; the rest is reserved for garnish. Kashk (sold liquid or paste; thinned with water if paste) drizzles in lines across the plated dip; deep-fried onions, the reserved mint-oil, chopped walnuts, and a final scatter of dried mint top it.

1 hour 15 minutes Serves4

Kuku Sib Zamini

Potatoes are boiled in their skins until tender (about 25 minutes); cooled slightly, peeled, grated on the coarse side. Onion is sautéed in oil with a pinch of turmeric until soft. Eggs are beaten with salt, pepper, saffron-water, baking powder and a tablespoon of flour. The grated potato and softened onion are folded through. The mixture is tipped into a buttered 24 cm round or square tin; baked at 180°C for 25-30 minutes until the top is gold and the centre is just set. Cooled slightly; cut into squares. Excellent with Greek yogurt or as part of a sabzi-khordan (Persian herb-and-cheese plate).

55 minutes Serves6

Nan-E Nokhodchi

Chickpea flour roasts briefly in a dry pan or oven to remove the raw flavour and develop nuttiness; cooled fully. Butter (softened, not melted) creams with icing sugar and ground cardamom until pale and fluffy. Rosewater works in. The cooled chickpea flour folds through (no other flour added; gluten-free). The dough rests for 2 hours at room temperature. Rolled to 1 cm thick on a board dusted with extra chickpea flour. Cut with a small four-leaf-clover stencil OR rolled into walnut-sized balls flattened slightly. Topped with a pinch of crushed pistachio. Baked at 150°C 15-18 minutes, gently, no browning. Cool fully before lifting (very fragile when warm).

2 hours 48 minutes Serves8