Iran is a vast country with a wide variety of food cultures. Iranian dishes are so delicious and appetizing that it is impossible to choose one of them as the best. Here are my top 35 Persian food recipes to explore with your family and friends.
Why Is Persian Food So Good?
Persian cuisine is known for its bold rich and aromatic flavors, which are a result of using unique spices, fresh herbs, and ingredients. It varies from region to region and household to household, each offering a whole world of flavors and fabulous dishes that reflect the country’s cultural traditions.
Top 35 Persian Food Recipes
Baghali Polo Recipe
Baghali Polo Ba Mahiche or Persian dill and fava bean Rice is one of my favorite Persian dishes that is unbelievably flavorful. It is usually served at parties or wedding ceremonies. A delicious rice-based dish that is served with chicken, lamb shanks, lamb neck, or minced beef.
Zereshk Polo Morgh Recipe
Zereshk Polo Morgh is one of those dishes that one would try while exploring Persian cuisine. It’s a staple dish on almost every Persian restaurant menu. Tender chicken pieces cooked in tomato paste sauce served with saffron rice and sauteed barberries.
Adasi Recipe
Adasi or Persian lentil soup is a hearty and comforting dish, made with lentils, potatoes, and spices. in addition to being tasty and nutritious, Adasi has a simple and hassle-free recipe.
Kashke Bademjan Recipe
Smoky, savory, and creamy eggplant dish traditionally made by mixing grilled eggplants, fried onions and garlic, Kashk (yogurt whey), and dried mint. Kashke Bademjan is one of the irresistibly delicious traditional Iranian foods, which is nowadays cooked with various methods and even is a staple of Persian gatherings and dinner tables.
Albaloo Polo Recipe
Albaloo Polo or Sour Cherry Rice With Meatballs is one of the most famous Persian dishes, which is very tasty, vibrant, and nutritious. This dish is perfect for a spring/early summer meal because you can easily find sour cherries in local grocery stores. Of course, you can freeze sour cherries to enjoy this dish all year!
Sosis Bandari Recipe
Sosis Bandari or Persian sausage with potatoes is a simple and budget-friendly dish that you can serve for brunch, lunch, or dinner. It combines sausages, onion, potato, and tomato paste. It’s an easy and flavorful meal that takes only 30 minutes to make on the stovetop.
Kookoo Sabzi Recipe
Have you ever tried Kookoo Sabzi or the Persian herb frittata? A popular dish in Iran made with eggs mixed with a whole bunch of chopped herbs. The mixture is then poured into a hot skillet with sizzling oil and cooked until the eggs are set.
Salad Shirazi Recipe
Salad Shirazi (Persian cucumber and tomato salad) is a light, simple, delicious salad packed with fresh vegetables and herbs. This salad is a great option for serving along with Persian and Middle Eastern dishes.
Khoresht Karafs Recipe
Khoresht Karafs or Persian celery stew is a dish made with celery as the main ingredient. Loaded with tender beef, perfectly cooked celery pieces, and fragrant herbs.
Estamboli Polo Recipe
Estamboli Polo or Persian tomato rice is one of the easiest rice dishes that you can make with simple kitchen staple ingredients. If you’re tired of plain rice! Well, so, this recipe is for you!
Kookoo Sibzamini Recipe
Crispy on the outside, tender and soft on the inside, these Persian potato patties (Kookoo Sibzamini) are delicious and easy to make. If you are interested in Persian dishes, you must know that most of them are served with rice but Kookoo Sibzamini is an exception. A quick meal for dinner or lunch served with bread.
Tahchin Morgh Recipe
Tahchin Morgh also known as the Persian rice cake is packed with flavor and perfect for weekend dinner with family. The vibrant color and the wonderful aroma of saffron, dried barberries, and crunchy tahdig bites are totally irresistible!
Sabzi Polo Ba Mahi Recipe
Sabzi Polo Ba Mahi is a delicious and flavorful Persian dish with rice and chopped herbs, usually served with fish. Along with Ash Reshteh, Reshteh polo, and Kookoo Sabzi, Persian herb rice is a staple of the Nowruz dinner table.
Khoresht Fesenjan Recipe
Fesenjan or Persian walnut stew is a hearty dish made with ground walnuts, chicken, or meatballs simmered with sweet and sour pomegranate paste.
Persian Rice Recipe
Rice is one of the world’s most produced grains and has many different types of cooking techniques. Especially in Asian countries, cooking dishes with rice, whether white rice or brown rice is very common. Among all types of rice recipes, fluffy Persian rice is one of the most delicious options for dinner or lunch served alongside a bowl of stew.
Ghormeh Sabzi Recipe
Ghormeh Sabzi is a classic Persian stew cooked with fragrant herbs, kidney beans, and beef. The key to a very flavorful Ghormeh Sabzi is to use just the right portion of herbs and simmer the stew for a few hours to let the flavors develop. Slowly cooked to perfection with the aroma of herbs like parsley, coriander, and fenugreek paired with a plate of fluffy Persian saffron rice.
Dolmeh Felfel Recipe
Dolmeh Felfel or Persian stuffed bell peppers is a delicious dish made with bell peppers filled with a flavorful mixture of rice, meat, and other ingredients. The word “Dolmeh” itself is derived from the Turkish word “Dolma” which means ”stuffed”. There are many types of Dolmeh, but stuffed grape leaves (Dolmeh Barg), stuffed bell peppers, stuffed eggplants (Dolmeh Bademjan), and stuffed cabbage rolls (Dolmeh Kalam) are among the most popular ones.
Mirza Ghasemi Recipe
Mirza Ghasemi also known as Persian smoked eggplant dip, is a popular recipe in the north of Iran and is typically served as an appetizer or a light meal. It is made by roasting eggplants and combining them with tomatoes, garlic, eggs, and various seasonings. The resulting dip has a slightly smoky flavor from the roasted eggplant, balanced with the tanginess of tomatoes.
Persian Macaroni
Persian macaroni with potato Tahdig is a very popular Iranian version of spaghetti. Featuring thick tomato meat sauce and crispy potato crust, this simple spaghetti couldn’t be easier to make.
Abdoogh Khiar Recipe
Abdoogh Khiar also known as Persian cold yogurt soup is a refreshing no-cook chilled dish that blends the tanginess of yogurt with the crunchiness of cucumbers and the amazing flavors and goodness of fresh herbs.
Khoresht Gheimeh
Khoresht Gheimeh (Khoresh Gheymeh) is a comforting Persian stew cooked with beef and yellow split peas. This stew is super fragrant with melt-in-your-mouth beef cooked to perfection with earthy spices like cinnamon and turmeric. Like most Iranian stews, this stew is served with fluffy saffron rice.
Khoresht Aloo Esfenaj
Khoresht Aloo Esfenaj (Persian Spinach Stew) is one of the most delicious traditional Persian foods that is cooked with beef, lamb, or chicken. The combination of spinach, golden plums, saffron, and meat makes this stew taste unique. Khoresh Aloo Esfenaj is rich in vitamins and packed with good-for-you nutrients. It is a warm and comforting stew that is commonly enjoyed during the colder months and when fresh spinach is in season.
Koofteh Tabrizi
Flavorful, tender, and juicy Koofteh Tabrizi(Persian stuffed meatballs) cooked in rich tomato sauce, served with warm bread and a platter of Sabzi Khordan. It sounds tasty and irresistibly delicious! Koofteh Tabrizi is one of the most popular dishes that originated from Tabriz in northwest Iran.
Adas Polo
Adas Polo (Persian Lentil Rice) is one of the traditional and popular Iranian food recipes which, in addition to having a good taste, has a high nutritional value due to having lentils. Packed with plant-based protein, and topped with sauteed barberries, raisins, and dates this dish is hearty and comforting!
Reshteh Polo
Reshteh polo is one of the Persian dishes that you just can’t say ‘no’ to. In many cities of Iran, the Reshteh Polo is cooked as the dinner on the last Wednesday before Nowruz (Charshanbe Suri). It is usually served with saffron chicken, meatballs, smoked fish, and lentils, and topped with sauteed raisins, barberries, and dates in various parts of Iran.
Khoresht Bamieh
Khoresht Bamieh (Persian okra stew) is a thick and hearty stew made with beef or lamb, okra, and tomato paste. After a few hours of simmering on the stove, the beef or lamb becomes fork-tender, and okra creates a nice thick flavorful broth.
Ash Reshteh
Ash Reshteh (Iranian thick soup with noodles) is one of the most famous types of soup in Iran. Various kinds of herbs, noodles, and of course Kashk (a thick whitish dairy similar to whey or sour cream) are used to prepare this soup. In the following, we share the Ash Reshteh recipe so you can enjoy it on the cold fall and winter days.
Tahdig Recipe
If you have an Iranian friend or you grew up in an Iranian family, you know that the Tahdig is an inseparable part of Persian rice dishes. Tahdig is a crispy, golden brown crust typically made by cooking Persian rice in a non-stick pot until a crispy layer forms at the bottom of the pot.
Zeytoon Parvardeh
Zeytoon Parvardeh (Persian Marinated Olives), which can be found on the menu of many Persian restaurants, is one of the most famous Iranian condiments that is served with various dishes, especially with all types of kebabs. It comes from Northern Iran, with different tastes; From sour to sweet.
FAQs
What Is Special About Persian Food?
Persian cuisine is famous for its unique, rich, and aromatic flavors. Traditional Iranian foods are usually prepared with various herbs(fresh or dried) and spices such as saffron, turmeric, cardamom, and cinnamon which add a warm and comforting flavor to these dishes. Another characteristic of Iranian dishes is their cooking method and time of cooking. Techniques like slow cooking and stewing are commonly used in Persian cuisine, resulting in tender and flavorful dishes. Usually, Iranian stews should be cooked on low heat for at least 2-3 hours so that they are well cooked.
What Are Some Traditional Persian Dishes?
Some traditional Persian dishes include Kabab Koobideh (grilled minced meat), Ghormeh Sabzi (Persian herb stew), Zereshk Polo Ba Morgh (barberry rice and saffron chicken), Fesenjan (Persian walnut pomegranate stew) and Gheimeh (Persian yellow split peas stew).
What Are the Key Ingredients Used in Persian Recipes?
Common ingredients used in Persian food recipes include lamb, beef, chicken, fresh herbs, rice, eggplant, tomatoes, onions, garlic, beans, saffron, and various spices.
What Goes Well With Persian Food?
Looking for a side dish for your favorite Iranian food? Persian cuisine has lots of dishes and condiments that are so easy to make. Bursting with vibrant colors and warming flavors the Persian side dishes will perfectly complement your classic meal. Salad Shirazi, Khiar Shoor, Torshi (pickled veggies), Maast-o Khiar, and Zeytoon Parvardeh are some of the delicious Iranian side dishes that can elevate your meal to another level.
What Spices Does Persian Food Use?
Persian cuisine uses a perfect blend of spices to enhance the flavor of foods. Some commonly used spices in Persian food include Persian spice mix (Advieh), saffron, turmeric, cinnamon, dried mint, sumac, and dried limes.
What Is the Most Popular Food in Persia?
If we were to make a list of popular Persian foods, that would be a long, long list. The first place in this list belongs to Chelow Kabab. A delicious dish made with tender and flavourful lamb kebabs served with saffron rice.
Is Persian Food Spicy?
Iranians usually use a wide range of flavors, spice blends, and seasonings to prepare foods. Most Persian foods have a mild and aromatic flavor, not hot or spicy.
