Persian Fesenjan Recipe
Fesenjan is khoresht (thick stew) which is served with rice, is possibly one of the most well-known Persian dishes. It has a very distinct sweet, sour and nutty flavour. Although very popular, opinion is often divided as to how sweet or sour it should be! Every family has their own level of sweet and sourness. The original dish is made with either duck or chicken, but it can also be made with meat balls or simply as a vegetarian dish. Various spices can be added to the poultry or meat, such as turmeric, cumin and cinnamon. The sauce is made from ground walnuts, onions, pomegranate molasses, sugar and lemon to taste. Some also add a grated apple. It is important to cook the sauce for a long time, till a layer of oil (from the walnuts) appears on top of it. Fesenjan is served alongside plain rice.
Ingredients - Serves 6
- 800g Walnuts
- 8 pieces of skinless chicken thy and/or breast
- 2 large onions
- 1 Carrot
- 4 tablespoon sugar
- 2 table spoons tomato purée
- 5 table spoon of pomegranate paste
- 1 fresh lemon
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1 table spoon turmeric
- 3 tbsp olive oil
Method
- In a food processor, finely grind all of the walnuts; You can chop these finely with a sharp knife or use pestle & mortar
- Place the walnut in a pan add 2 glasses of warm water and let it cook for about an hour, occasionally steering with a wooden spoon, ensuring the walnut is not burned (easily done, so be attentive);
- In the meantime chop the onions finely and brown in another pan & add the peace’s of chicken and brown the chicken too. Add turmeric, tomato purée, salt and pepper.
- Once the walnuts oil is seen on top and the paste which is now creamy and thick, add the sugar , pomegranate paste, whole carrot, and the juice of the lemon and stirring occasionally.
- Add the content of the pan with chicken and stirring frequently.
- Continue to cook on low heat for further 30 minutes. After 15 min remove the carrot, smash it and return to the pan for further cooking.
- You can sprinkle some fresh pomegranate fruit to garnish before serving
- Add sugar or lemon juice to your taste.
Hi Irene, Kyle from the LemonSalt team here, yes this can be done in a slow cooker, id recommend starting the cook at a high heat to brown the meat, then turn the heat down to simmer for 30-45 minutes
Can this recipe be done in a slow cooker.?