The Ritual Master Ingredients :
2 chicken breasts or de-boned thighs (around 1kg)
1 small onion
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp nutmeg powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1 litre chicken stock
250gr toasted walnuts finely grounded
3 tbsp pomegranate sauce (molasses)
1 tbsp sugar
2 cups basmati rice
small pinch of whole saffron + a little hot water
5 tbsp zereshk (barberry)
2 tbsp golden raisins
2 tbsp caster sugar
50gr unsalter butter
Fessenjan : sauté the diced onion in a little olive oil, then add the spices and sauté for another minute. Add in the chicken and stock, bring to a boil then let it simmer on low heat for 30 minutes. I do not add extra salt since my chicken stock was salty, but you can adjust to taste. After the half hour, pour in the pomegranate sauce, one tablespoon of sugar and the powdered walnuts, then cover an simmer on low heat for 45 minutes. Make sure to stir regularly since the sugar has a tendency to stick to the bottom of the pan. Serve with fresh pomegranate seeds on top.
Zereshk Polo : cook your basmati rice as indicated on your packet (the iranians have a very special way of cooking rice but it’s a little more complicated so I usually just boil mine in a big volume of water, then drain for 30min to get all the water out).
Melt your butter and lightly sauté the barberries and raisins, then sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of sugar, add a little water almost covering them but not quite, then let it simmer until the water has evaporated.
In a small cup, add 5-6 tablespoons of hot water over your saffron and let it infuse for a few minutes. Then pour it all over the rice and immediately start stirring, in folding motions like when you’re making a cake and don’t want to loose the air bubbles in your egg whites. Then add the barberries and raisins, and combine. Salt to taste, I don’t like it too salty but it needs a pinch or two to balance out the sweetness of the dried fruit.
Bon appétit !
