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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  

Mango and coconut milk Korma


Indian Korma contains dried nuts (e.g almond, cashew, ...), typically acclaimed as the characteristic ingredient of such curry dishes. The dish is believed to be of Persian origin, introduced to the Indian subcontinent by the Mogul invaders who conquered both Iran and India in the 13th century. Many exhibits can be found in "A Baghdad Cookery Book (Kitab al-Tabikh)," in which several recipes ask for the thickening of the stew with smashed nuts. Note that the book is accepted as to be heavily influenced by the Persian cooking methods, imported from the courts of Persian Kings. An exhibit of the Persian style nut-enriched stew, standing strong to this age, is Fesnjoon; Iran's beloved pomegranate and walnut stew. Presented here a Korma recipe, containing coconut milk, almond, and mango. The recipe is based on cooking scallion meatballs in a mango Aji korma sauce (since mango, cilantro, and Aji match gloriously well). The presented korma sauce can be, obviously, used to enrich other cooked chicken, beef, lamb, and seafood options.

Ingredients: 
Mango Aji Korma:
2 Oz (~56 gr) fine almond (or cashew meal, or alternatively whole nuts, later to be finely blended)
1 large dried Kashmiri chili (or ½ TSP of chili powder)
½ TSP fenugreek seeds
½ TSP yellow mustard seeds
8 Oz (~226 gr) fresh or frozen mango chunks
1 can of coconut milk
½ turmeric
½ cumin powder
½ TSP coriander powder
¼ TSP ginger powder
¼ TSP granulated garlic
1 TSP Aji Amarillo paste (or Sriracha)
1 TBSP fresh lime juice
Scallion turkey meatballs: 
2 Pounds (~900 gr) 85/15 ground turkey, cold
8 sprigs of scallion, finely chopped
2 Oz (~56 gr or 1 the green tops of a medium bunch of) cilantro, finely chopped
2 TBSP corn starch
2 TBSP mayonnaise (add another TBSP, in case the turkey is lean)
2 TSP salt

The presented meatballs are based on these scallion meatballs. It is much preferred if the meatballs are shaped the night before and cured in the fridge for 8 hours. The salt cures and changes the texture of meat and props the texture of meatballs by the next day. One way or the other, finely blend all the herbs and mayonnaise and mix the paste with the cold meat, adding salt and corn starch as well.   
To make the curry sauce, toast the almond meal, torn chili pieces, and mustard and fenugreek seeds until fragrant. Finely puree the mango, coconut milk, and the toasted almond mixture.
Transfer the blended mixture to a saucepan. Add the rest of spices, garlic and ginger powders, and Aji paste. Set over low heat and stir occasionally.
In a large pan, capable of holding all the meatballs in a single layer, brown the meatballs. Add the thickened korma sauce and cook for a few minutes or until the meatballs are fully cooked and the sauce is thickened.


Served with a piece of tomato naan and cilantro lime rice.

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