Best Persian Spiced Butter Recipes

PERSIAN LAMB SHANKS

Steps:

• Sprinkle shanks with salt and pepper.
• Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large heavy based pot over medium high heat. Brown shanks all over, 2 at a time. Remove from pot.
• Discard excess oil, clean pot if it's very dirty.
• Add 1 tbsp oil. Cook onion and garlic for 2 minutes until translucent.
• Stir in the turmeric, cinnamon, tomatoes, and salt.
• Add chicken broth and stir well.
• Place shanks in pot, then add water as needed so the shanks are 3/4 or fully covered, but no more than 1L/4 cups water. (Note 2)
• If shanks not fully submerged, make a cartouche (baking paper lid, Note 3).
• Bring up to the boil. Place the cartouche snugly on surface (if using), cover pot leaving a little crack (to ensure it doesn't boil over).
• Turn heat down so simmering very gently. Cook 1.5 hours, turning every 30 minutes.
• Add cardamom and nutmeg into liquid.
• Cook for another 1 hour until meat is very tender and falling off the bone.
• Carefully remove meat from liquid into a bowl and cover with foil.

FLAVORFUL PERSIAN BRAISED LAMB SHANKS

Steps:

• Rub 1 tablespoon olive oil over lamb shanks and cover with salt.
• Mix turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom, black pepper, cumin, and nutmeg together in a small bowl. Sprinkle over lamb shanks. Let lamb shanks marinate for 1 hour at room temperature.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pot. Cook and stir onion until browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in garlic; cook and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.
• Whisk hot water, lime juice, rose water, and saffron together in a small bowl. Cover and let steep for 10 minutes.
• Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Cook lamb shanks in batches until browned, 5 to 8 minutes per batch. Transfer lamb shanks to a plate.
• Whisk wine into the pot, scraping any browned bits off the bottom. Add onion and garlic mixture, steeped saffron mixture, parsley, thyme, lime zest, and bay leaves. Return lamb shanks to the pot. Cover with chicken broth. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until lamb shanks are tender, about 2 1/2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C).
• Uncover pot and simmer until broth reduces slightly, about 20 minutes. Transfer lamb shanks to an oven-safe dish.
• Place lamb shanks in the preheated oven to keep warm.
• Bring broth to a boil; simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Spoon broth over lamb shanks.

PERSIAN PUDDING WITH WHIPPED ROSE & HONEY BUTTER

Steps:

• Tip the dates into a bowl with the raisins, cover with 200ml hot water from the kettle and set aside. Meanwhile, grease a 1.5 litre pudding basin and line the base with a disk of parchment paper. Put the dry ingredients and orange zest in a large bowl. Stir in the dates and raisins (and soaking liquid), the rose and orange water, with the eggs and butter. Mix until everything is combined. Tip into the basin and cover with a circle of parchment paper, then foil, then tie the rim with string.
• Place the pudding on an upturned jar lid in a large pan and pour in hot water from the kettle until it comes halfway up the bowl. Cover the pan and gently steam for 4 hrs, topping up with more water if needed. The pudding can be eaten straight away, chilled and kept for up to a week, or frozen for 1 month. To reheat, defrost completely or remove from the fridge and steam pud again for 30 mins until piping hot.
• To make the butter, whisk the ingredients together. Serve the pudding in wedges with a spoonful of the butter melting over it.

PERSIAN RICE

Steps:

• Bring water and kosher salt to a boil in a pot; add rice and cook, stirring, for exactly 7 minutes. Drain.
• Heat olive oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Cover bottom of pot with 1 layer of potato slices. Sprinkle cumin and salt over potatoes. Cook until potatoes are sizzling, 2 to 3 minutes; top potatoes with rice to form an even layer. Reduce heat to low and place butter slices over rice.
• Top pot with a layer of clean paper towels and place lid over towels. Steam until rice is fluffy, about 45 minutes.
• Grind saffron threads with a mortar and pestle. Mix crushed saffron with 1 1/2 tablespoons hot water in a large bowl. Add a couple spoonfuls of rice to saffron mixture and stir until rice is yellow.
• Spoon remaining rice into a serving bowl, top with saffron rice, and line edges of bowl with potatoes. Garnish with parsley.

PERSIAN BUTTER COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg yolks.
• Stir in grated lemon rind.
• Add lemon juice and vanilla.
• Add flour.
• Form into small balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and flatten into rounds.
• Bake at 300°F for 20 minutes or until done.
• Transfer to wire rack and cool completely.

PERSIAN SPICE MIX

Steps:

• Pass the rose petals through a medium-mesh sieve into a small mixing bowl to remove any bits of stem and to grind them into a fine powder. Add the cinnamon, pepper, cardamom, nutmeg, and coriander and stir to blend. Store in an airtight container out of direct sunlight for up to 3 months.