Skip to main content

Featured Post

My cookbook: "Tehran to New York"

On the Norouz day of 2020 spring, I finally published my book. The manuscript is titled: "Tehran to New York: A culinary bridge between Persian and Western cultures" and aims at presenting a unique blend of classic and contemporary Persian recipes, as well as samples of Western-style cuisine, offered in a Persian context. It is important to build bridges between cultures, and not walls. This book aims at constructing a bridge between the Persian and Western cultures. The book may be ordered here: https://www.amazon.com/Tehran-New-York-culinary-cultures-ebook/dp/B0861H47GS/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=tehran+to+new+york&qid=1584810930&sr=8-1  

Meen Curry (Kerala Style Fish Curry)

This fish curry was inspired by the Kerala Style fish pickle condiment. Traditional Indian fish pickles consist of fried fish, smeared with highly acidic masala sauces. The goal of such pickling seem to be the longer preservation of fish in hot weather. To develop a curry recipe, the amount of vinegar was reduced and a significant amount of caramelized onions was added. The sweetness of onions furnished a balanced taste and countered the acidity of vinegar. Fish curries can be made with cheaper and less superior pieces of fish, such as frozen salmon or tilapia. 

Ingredients:
1/2 cup caramelized onions
1 TBSP garlic, grated
1 TBSP ginger, grated
1 TSP yellow mustard seeds
1 TBSP dried fenugreek leaves
1/2 TSP turmeric
6~10 medium sized mild dried Kashmiri chilies (or 2~3 TBSP mild chili powder)
1 TBSP apple cider vinegar
1 TBSP hot sauce
1.1 Pounds (~500 gr) stewing fish (e.g. Tilapia, frozen salmon, snapper), cut to large cubes
Chopped cilantro to serve






If you tend not to use prepared caramelized onions, use a large yellow onion and caramelize it for 20 minutes on low heat. Add the garlic, ginger, and mustard seeds. Toast the seeds in the oil until starting to pop up.  Add turmeric and fenugreek and also toast in the oil.
Meanwhile, finely blend the chilies (seeds and stems removed), vinegar, hot sauce, and 1 cup of water.
Add the blender content to the pan and bring to a boil. Add the fish pieces and reduce the heat to medium low. Cover and poach the fish for 2~3 minutes or until the fish is fully cooked.
Serve with Persian style saffron rice.

Comments