In Episode #51, co-hosts Beata and Bita share about an old Persian (and Zorastrian) holiday they did not grow up celebrating personally but are excited and interested in sharing about and starting to participate in.

Main tenets of Mehregan

• Celebrated in the fall as a Persian Festival of Autumn - anywhere falling between early to mid October...this year it will be on Oct. 2nd or 3rd, 2021 in the U.S.
• Thankfulness, gratitude, abundance - Give to nature and it will give back to you
• A time to shower each other with kindness and with love
• Light over darkness; good over evil

Sofreh items for Mehregan

• A purple or violet fabric used as a table cloth or place setting for the symbolic items
• Mirror
• Candles
• Fruit 
• • Apples, pomegranate, grapes
• Nuts
• Esfand
• Holy book or other book of poetry
• Sweets

Traditions

• Gather around the sofreh and drink Tokhmeh sharbat (drink made with water and basil seeds)
• Shower each other with lotus seeds or marjoram - symbolic for showering each other with love and kindness

Resources and recipes from this episode:

Cover image of Sofre Mehregan used with permission from the book Mehregan with my Grandmother by Anahita Tamaddon available at: https://www.amazon.com/Mehregan-My-Grandma-English-Persian/dp/B09DJ3L97S

Reference to illustrated copy of the Shahnameh by Hamid Rahmanian at: https://kingorama.com

All Modern Persian Food episodes can be found at: Episodes

Co-host Beata Nazem Kelley blog: BeatsEats – Persian Girl Desperately Addicted to Food!

Co-host Bita Arabian blog: Oven Hug - Healthy Persian Recipes | Modern Persian Recipes

Podcast production by Alvarez Audio

In Episode #50, co-hosts Beata and Bita share gratitude towards the new and growing community of Modern Persian Food supporters and listeners.  They reflect on how far they’ve come, some of their favorite episodes to date, and what to expect if you’re new to listening in terms of types of episodes, the components in a typical episode and what to expect in the future.

Background - the early days

• The chaos of starting the endeavor at the brink of the pandemic
• Sharing a like passion for preserving the culture of Persian food and making it accessible to all in today’s modern lifestyles

Content - types of episodes

• Broader topics - examples include:
• • Episode 8: Persian Stews | Khoresh
  • Episode 2: Aromatic Spices
  • Episode 36: Persian Drinks | Nooshidani
• More narrow, single ingredient topics - examples include:
• • Episode 25: Fava Beans
  • Episode 45: Eggplant
  • Episode 33: Persian Cucumbers
  • Episode 38: Lavashak
  • Episode 35: Sekanjabin Persian Syrup

• Special guests 
• • Episode 32: Maz Jobrani on Persian Food
  • Episode 31: Cultural Spotlight: Caspian Sea Regional Foods with Special Guest The Caspian Chef
  • Episode 21: Food to Bridge Cultural Differences with Special Guest Mahsa Darabi
  • Episode 20: The Role of Food in Persian Weddings with Special Guest Nilou Nouri
• Cultural spotlights - example: 3 part series on Norooz
• • Episode 22: Norooz part 1: Prelude to Persian New Year and Charshambeh Souri
  • Episode 23: Norooz Part 2, Persian New Year Haft-Seen and Food
  • Episode 24: Norooz Part 3: Persian New Year Sizdah Bedar

• Summer micro episodes - short and digestible

Top 3 episodes/most listened

• Episode 1: What Is Persian Food?
• Episode 6: Shirini | Persian Sweets
• Episode 27: Persian Breakfast

Episodes include:

• Ask The Beats segment
• Beats Cheats
• Opportunity to participate or give us feedback - as a special guests, by submitting a question for us to answer, giving positive and/or constructive feedback

Co-hosts favorite episodes

• Bita’s favorites are Persian Spices and Special Guests The Caspian Chef
• Beata’s favorites are the Torshi episode fueled by conversations from Farhang Foundation and Gol Special Guests MJ

Halva reference in Episode 29: Cultural Spotlight – Ramadan Foods

Contact us at [email protected] or Instagram

Resources and recipes from this episode:

All Modern Persian Food episodes can be found at: Episodes

Co-host Beata Nazem Kelley blog: BeatsEats – Persian Girl Desperately Addicted to Food!

Co-host Bita Arabian blog: Oven Hug - Healthy Persian Recipes | Modern Persian Recipes

Podcast production by Alvarez Audio

In Episode #49, co-hosts Bita and Beata chat about delicious, Persian breads.  Persian breads come in several varieties.  Most of them are considered to be flatbreads.  The Beats have fun sharing which are their favorites as well as some memories of experiences with traditional bread bakeries in Iran as well as modern versions and substitutions available in the west.

Note:  Noon and naan are the Farsi words for bread and can be used interchangeably.

There are many varieties of Persian breads.  There are three or four varieties that are most common and familiar to Bita and Beata - lavash, barbari, sangak, and sheer mal.  Although all are flatbreads (typically quite long), each has unique ingredients, properties, and methods of preparation.

Lavash

• On the thinner side
• The type of Persian bread traditionally used to make bread tahdig (the bottom of the rice pot, crispy crunchy delicacy)
• Great for tucking herbs, nuts and cheese into for a perfect bite (in Farsi such a bite is called a “loghmeh”)
• Good for an herb platter Sabzi Khordan
• Nice to dip into yogurt dips like mast o khiar and mast o mooseer

Barbari

• Thicker and fluffier
• Often coated with sesame seeds (light and/or dark seeds)
• Enjoy with butter, jam and tea for breakfast; or with fresh herbs, cheese, and nuts for breakfast, appetizer, or snacking

Sangak

• Traditional bread, cooked on little pebbles (sang in Farsi means stone)
• Crispy on the outside, chewy and soft on the inside
• Delicious, unique flavor

Sheer Mal

• Sweeter, milk based bread made with Persian essences of rose water, cardamom, and saffron
• Almost like a pastry, lovely with breakfast

Substitutions for Persian bread:

• Flour or whole wheat tortillas
• Reference to Tahdig art and instagramer Vartamelon VartaMelon – Not your ameh's kitchen
• Pita bread 

Sweets and cookies that in Farsi contain the word Noon or nan (standing for flour based things)

• Noon o Gandi
• Noon Khormayee
• Noon Khameyee
• Naan Berenji

Ask the Beats!

Sam from San Francisco asks how one can make a lighter version of koo koo sabzi?

Koo koo sabzi is traditionally deep fried in a lot of oil and contains several eggs.

• Bake vs fry
• Reduce the number of eggs or use egg whites

Resources and recipes from this episode:

All Modern Persian Food episodes can be found at: Episodes

Co-host Beata Nazem Kelley blog: BeatsEats – Persian Girl Desperately Addicted to Food!

Co-host Bita Arabian blog: Oven Hug - Healthy Persian Recipes | Modern Persian Recipes

Mast/Maast o Khiar recipe:

Bita’s recipe for Persian Cucumber Yogurt Dip | Mast o Khiar

Beata’s recipe for Persian Salads: Maast-o-Khiar with Shallot and Salad Shirazi

Tahdig:

Bita’s post on Persian Tahdig | Crispy Bottom of the Rice Pot

Beata’s post on Katte Persian Rice with Tahdig

Koo Koo Sabzi:

Bita’s recipe for Kookoo Sabzi | Quiche Muffins

Beata’s recipe for Persian Frittata Koo Koo Sabzi 

Bita’s recipe for Naan Berenji Persian Rice Flour Cookies Recipe

Podcast production by Alvarez Audio

In Episode #48, co-hosts Bita and Beata explore figs in Persian food culture.  Figs are enjoyed in fresh, dried, and cooked form.  Both Beats love fresh figs best however appreciate them in all forms.

Fresh figs

• Teardrop shaped
• Tiny seeds inside
• Soft and fleshy
• Thin skin or peel which can be easily be consumed

Dried figs

• Persian dried figs
• • Small, round, and cute; a bit tough or hard - often mixed into Persian trailmix | Ajeel
• Turkish dried figs
• • Flat, round, larger than Persian figs
• Great for a quick snack and an energy boost

Cooked figs - Jams

• Process for cooking fig jam
• • Prick the figs with toothpick
  • Cover with sugar
  • Cook down
  • Add Persian spices and essence (cardamom and rose water)
• Methods of enjoying Persian fig jam
• • Breakfast with bread and tea
  • On a cheese board as a sweet spread

Ask the Beats!

Katie in San Francisco asks, “What is your go-to meal when you have a last minute guest?”

• Bita often grills something, steams rice, and prepares a fresh salad.  A bowl of yogurt or a yogurt dip completes the meal
• Beata likes to make Persian rice with lentils, Adas Polo or a dish with eggs

Resources and recipes from this episode:

All Modern Persian Food episodes can be found at: Episodes

Co-host Beata Nazem Kelley blog: BeatsEats – Persian Girl Desperately Addicted to Food!

Co-host Bita Arabian blog: Oven Hug - Healthy Persian Recipes | Modern Persian Recipes

Beata’s recipe for Persian Fig Jam – Morabah Anjeer

Beata’s recipe for Khormah Maloos | Persian Dates and Eggs

Beata’s recipe for: Persian Salads: Maast-o-Khiar with Shallot and Salad Shirazi

Bita’s recipe for Mediterranean Mezze Board (cheese platter)

Bita’s recipe for Ajeel | Persian Trail Mix

Bita’s recipe for Fig Oatmeal Cookies

Bita’s recipe for Lentil and Date Rice | Adas Polo

Bita’s recipe for Persian Cucumber Yogurt Dip | Mast o Khiar

Podcast production by Alvarez Audio

In Episode #47, co-hosts Bita and Beata learn about Iranian Jewish food and some of the traditional foods and customs shared on Rosh Hashanah by special guest, Tannaz Sassooni.  Tannaz works in animation technology by day while writing, teaching, and sharing about Iranian Jewish foods as her passion project.

An example of a classic Friday night Jewish Iranian meal might consist of “Chelo Abgoosht eh Ghondi” (also spelled gondi) - a chicken broth based soup with poultry and chickpea flour meatball dumplings.

Another example of a one pot Jewish Iranian recipe is “Ghondi/Gondi Kashi” - rice dish cooked with ground meat, herbs, beets, and fava beans - takes on a pinkish hue in some areas and sometimes forms a beautiful tahdig!

Rosh Hashanah traditions - as contrasting to simple apples and honey, in the Iranian Jewish custom, a whole seder is served for Rosh Hashana

• Beef tongue
• Black eyed peas
• Squash, fried zucchini or pumpkin
• Dates
• Apples and honey

Two main holidays, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur

• Custom of the start of the fast/ the eve of the fast include eating a Quince, Pomegranate Stew | Khoresht eh Beh, super sweet and sour
• Custom of breaking the fast - break the fast with the following 3 things:
• • Chai | hot tea
  • Soft boiled egg
  • Grated apple with rose water and sugar served over ice | Faloodeh Seeb - gives a boost of energy and an uplifting aroma. Bita’s daughters refer to it as “apple Randy”.

A tip, also known as “Beats Cheats” - Tannaz’s favorite thing:

• Sharbat eh Golab which is simply water, sugar, & rose water over ice

Ask the Beats!

Tannaz asks the Beats - what are some regional specialties in the areas your families are from Bita and Beata?

• Bita’s folks and extended family come from Tabriz and the Azerbaijan region of Iran.  
• • Ab-ghosht and Dizi
  • Kofteh Tabrizi
  • Dolmeh
• Beata’s family is from Kermanshah
• • Roghan eh Kermanshahee - a rich, delicious animal butter from the region
  • Khormah Maloos - fried eggs with caramelized dates

Resources and recipes from this episode:

All Modern Persian Food episodes can be found at: Episodes

Co-host Beata Nazem Kelley blog: BeatsEats – Persian Girl Desperately Addicted to Food!

Co-host Bita Arabian blog: Oven Hug - Healthy Persian Recipes | Modern Persian Recipes

Beata’s Khormah Maloos Recipe: Khormah Maloos | Persian Dates and Eggs

Special guest: Tannaz Sassooni

• Instagram: tannaz (@tannazsassooni) • Instagram photos and videos
• Cooking class with The Nosher: The Nosher Presents Our High Holiday Cooking Classes 2021 | The Nosher

Podcast production by Alvarez Audio

In Episode #46, co-hosts Bita and Beata provide strategies and tips to help with meal planning and prepping in anticipation of cooking during busy weeknights.  Fall means back to school for many, back to work for some, and back to routines and getting more organized for most.  Traditionally, cooking Persian food is a time and labor-intensive process taking hours and sometimes days.  With today’s modern life-styles, we need to be able to put a well-balanced, healthy meal on the table in an hour or less.

Planning tools

• A weekly meal planner or calendar
• Daily notes
• Grocery list

Batch cooking - cooking a larger portion of a food category with the intent to use it in multiples ways and meals, spanning across a few days and up to a week

• Batch cooking meats
• Roasting vegetables
• Cleaning and trimming fresh herbs

Batch cooking around a well-balanced meal

• Lean proteins
• Ancient grains (in Persian cuisine it’s mainly rice!)
• Fruits and vegetables

Batch cooking with Persian recipes in mind

• Boiling eggs for Persian potato salad | Salad Olivier
• Cooking chicken
• Chopping vegetables
• Making koo koo
• Cooking eggplant
• Persian stews and khoresh
• Soups such as lentil soup, ab ghosht, ash reshteh

Ask the Beats!

The Beats ask each other, what is your biggest challenge around cooking Persian food on a busy week night?

• Finding the time
• Having all of the components of the meal ready at the same time and serving them still warm
• Chopping vegetables

Beats Cheats!

What are some additional shortcuts for putting together a Persian meal on a busy night?

• Using canned beans
• Buying pre-cooked beets
• Ordering Persian food take out for part of the meal, for example order kabab and make the rice

Resources and recipes from this episode:

All Modern Persian Food episodes can be found at: https://modernpersianfood.com/episodes/

Co-host Beata Nazem Kelley blog: https://beatseats.com

Co-host Bita Arabian blog: https://ovenhug.com

Link to episode with “Ask the Beats” about meal planning. Episode 33: Persian Cucumbers

Link to Episode 30: Tahchin

Persian Meal Planning Tips blog post

How to Make Boiled Eggs in an Instant Pot

Video for Roasting Whole Eggplant

Bita’s recipe for Koo Koo Sabzi

Beata’s recipe for Persian Frittata Koo Koo Sabzi

Bita’s recipe for Salad Olivier

Bita’s recipe for Tah Cheen

Bita’s recipe for Tahchin Bites

Beata’s recipe for Persian Jeweled Tahchin

Podcast Production by Alvarez Audio

In Episode #45, co-hosts Beata and Bita talk about a single ingredient in Persian cuisine, eggplant.  Eggplant is translated as “bademjoon” in Farsi.  It is also sometimes referred to as “bademjan”.

Persian dishes with eggplant

• Smoky eggplant dips or spreads such as Kashk Bademjoon/bademjan (kashk is a yogurt derivative or whey with a salty umami flavor), Mirza Ghassemi, and Meleh Ghormeh (a regional specialty discussed in episode #31 with special guest Omid, The Caspian Chef)
• Khoresh (Persian stew) Khoresh Bademjoon/Bademjan (has beef or lamb traditionally and the tart unripe grapes called “ghoreh” in Farsi) and Ghemeh Bademjoon/Bademjan (with small cuts of meat); both served over rice
• Koo koo bademjoon/bademjan

Strategies for cooking eggplant for Persian dishes

• Oven baking or broiling - in pieces or whole (whole baking works well with smaller varieties of eggplant such as the Japanese eggplant)
• Sliced and sauteed
• Importance of cooking all the way through - eggplant texture should be very wrinkly and the eggplant should fall or drop which shows its been cooked through

Ask the Beats!

Alexandra from Menlo Park asks the Beats, “How did the two of you meet?”

The Beats love this question as they are very grateful to have made a connection and found partnership originally through Instagram.  The Beats share the same name spelled differently (Beata vs Bita).  They quickly discovered many shared passion, they were both foodies, interested in preserving Persian culture through food and realistic, modern strategies for incorporating it into everyday busy lifestyles - the Beats started the podcast at the start of the pandemic.  

The Beats grew up in different backgrounds and with different exposures and experiences with Persian food and are currently at different life stages with children at very different ages and stages. This difference brings insight and unique perspectives to the topics of preparing Persian food.

Resources and recipes from this episode:

Bita’s recipe for: Kashk Bademjan | Persian Eggplant Dip

Beata’s recipe for: Persian Vegetarian Eggplant Stew | Khoreshteh Bademjan

Bita’s video Roasting Whole Eggplant

Modern Persian Food podcast Episode 31: Cultural Spotlight: Caspian Sea Regional Foods with Special Guest The Caspian Chef

All Modern Persian Food episodes can be found at: https://modernpersianfood.com/episodes/

Co-host Beata Nazem Kelley blog: https://beatseats.com

Co-host Bita Arabian blog: https://ovenhug.com

Podcast production by Alvarez Audio

In Episode #44, co-hosts Bita and Beata resume full length episodes and cover nutritious lentils in Persian food.  The word in Farsi for lentils is “adas”.  

What are lentils?  In the bean/legume category.  Have an earthy, savory flavor

What are the two most common dishes in Persian cuisine containing lentils?

• Lentil soup, in Farsi “adasi” or “ash eh adas”
• • A simple, rustic soup cooked with onions and a touch of turmeric and cinnamon (some folks add squash, pumpkin, or vegetables for a modern twist on Persian lentil soup)
• Mixed rice with Lentils, in Farsi “adas polo”
• • Rustic, homey, nutritious, delicious layered rice dish - sauteed onions, turmeric, cinnamon, raisins and/or dates, some add nuts (see links to recipes for preparing adas polo)

Other Persian customs and recipes with lentils

• Persian noodle and bean soup, in Farsi “ash reshteh”
• Sprouts grown from lentils for the Persian new year spread or sofreh, in Farsi called “sabzeh”

Nutritional profile on lentils - a superfood

• Good source of protein
• Healthy dietary fiber
• Folic acid/folate
• Iron

Types of lentils

• Green and brown lentils have similar taste and attributes (hold their shape well) and can be used interchangeably
• Yellow, orange, and black lentils are not as common in Persian cuisine

Ask the Beats!

Mahyar from Canada asks the Beats,

“Can you use cinnamon in savory foods in Persian cuisine?”

Yes!

Cinnamon adds a warm, slightly sweet touch to Persian recipes.  The Beats most commonly use cinnamon in the following Persian recipes:  Adas polo, loobia polo, and haleem.

Resources and recipes from this episode:

Beata’s recipe for Ash Reshteh | Persian Noodle Soup

Beata’s long-form recipe for Asheh Reshteh – Persian Noodle Soup – Original Recipe Post 

Beata’s recipe for Vegan Lentil Soup

Bita’s recipe for Persian Lentil and Date Rice | Adas Polo

Bita’s recipe for Aash Reshteh | Persian Noodle Soup

Bita’s recipe for Lentil Soup with Butternut Squash

Bita’s recipe for Vegan Moroccan Stew

All Modern Persian Food episodes can be found at: https://modernpersianfood.com/episodes/

Co-host Beata Nazem Kelley blog: https://beatseats.com

Co-host Bita Arabian blog: https://ovenhug.com

Podcast production by Alvarez Audio

In Episode #43, the last in a series of bite-sized, micro summer episodes, co-hosts Beata and Bita explain the concept of a Persian “sofreh”, or place setting, and the different types and occasions of sofreh, including memories of sofreh experiences.

What is a Persian sofreh?

• Place setting or table cloth for a regular meal or a special occasion meal - can be as simple as a table cloth spread for kids to sit and eat around, or as ornate as those set for weddings (refer to episode #20 Sofreh Aghd) or the Persian new year (refer to episode #23, part 2 Sofreh Haft-seen)
• Setting of large platters, family style, sometimes symbolic items, and decorations, depending on the occasion
• An anchor and gathering place for a meal or special event

Types of sofreh table clothes

• Hand-made, sometimes with beadwork and ornate design
• Plastic covered tablecloth for eating family style on the floor (often for kids)
• Store bought table cloth

Ask the Beats!

Bita and Beata are skipping the ask the beats section in the shorter, summer version micro episodes.  Be sure to keep the questions, ideas, and topics of interest coming as they will pick up with the segment in the fall.

The People’s Choice Podcast Awards:

Vote for Modern Persian Food in the ARTS category at PodcastAwards.com

Resources and recipes from this episode:

Modern Persian Food: Episode 20: The Role of Food in Persian Weddings with Special Guest Nilou Nouri

Modern Persian Food: Episode 23: Norooz Part 2, Persian New Year Haft-Seen and Food

All Modern Persian Food episodes can be found at: https://modernpersianfood.com/episodes/

Co-host Beata Nazem Kelley blog: https://beatseats.com

Co-host Bita Arabian blog: https://ovenhug.com

Podcast production by Alvarez Audio

In Episode #42, co-hosts Beata and Bita break down what is Sabzi Khordan and how it is enjoyed in Persian cuisine.  This is part of the micro episode, shorter format series.

What is sabzi khordan?

• Fresh herbs enjoyed in abundance (by the handful) served on platters as an appetizer/snack or as a side dish to any Persian meal
• Reference sabzi khordan in episode #18, “Persian appetizers” for more conversations around sabzi khordan as an appetizer

Most common fresh herbs in sabzi khordan

• Persian mint (similar in flavor to chocolate mint, mild, not too strong mint flavor)
• Tarragon
• Parsley
• Cilantro
• Basil
• (Persian Cress)

Additional items sometimes served in a sabzi khordan platter

• Radishes - cleaned, trimmed, and sometimes cut in a decorative way
• Raw onion, green onions, chives
• Walnuts and almonds (can be soaked to become tender, optional)
• Feta cheese
• Bread and butter

Ask the Beats!

Bita and Beata are skipping the ask the beats section in the shorter, summer version micro episodes.  Be sure to keep the questions, ideas, and topics of interest coming as they will pick up with the segment in the fall.

The People’s Choice Podcast Awards:

Vote for Modern Persian Food in the Arts category at PodcastAwards.com

Resources and recipes from this episode:

Modern Persian Food episode #18: Episode 18: Persian Appetizers

Bita’s recipe for: SABZI KHORDAN | PERSIAN HERB APPETIZER

All Modern Persian Food episodes can be found at: https://modernpersianfood.com/episodes/

Co-host Beata Nazem Kelley blog: https://beatseats.com

Co-host Bita Arabian blog: https://ovenhug.com

Podcast production by Alvarez Audio