MIDDLE EAST
Iran so far, and here's what i found...
Sorry about the late post! This week (i)ran away from us!
(We promise that’s the last time we use that pun in this post…)
We’ve been feeling cozy as the autumn temperatures start to dip and the 8 month season of rain begins here in Vancouver. What’s cozier than Sunday brunch? Torshi Tareh (or Torshe Tare) is a traditional Persian dish from Northern Iran that incorporates the bright flavours of fresh herbs and greenery with the heartiness of an egg. Torshi Tareh is not traditionally a breakfast dish, but as simple North Americans, the egg component gave us that cozy brunch feeling we were looking for!
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Torshi Tareh, from the Northern Iranian province of Gilan (renowned internationally for their culinary style), highlights the potency of fresh herbs and greenery. There are many variations,but typically ingredients can include, chives or leeks (tareh), dill, spinach, coriander, parsley, as well as garlic, turmeric, and lime juice. Not meant to be a watery dish, this sour herb stew utilizes a small amount of par cooked rice and it’s cooking liquid to incorporate starch and thicken the base.
Typically, this stew is prepared with eggs (though can easily be done without) and served alongside a portion of basmati rice for a hearty, healthy, and delicious, vegetarian meal. An easily identifiable feature of Torshi Tareh is how the eggs are cooked. Rather than baking or poaching the whole egg, the egg is marbled over stew and then covered to steam. Marbling could be compared to a form of scrambling, in which, the egg is broken onto the stew and is spread gently over the surface with a palette knife. The final result is so beautiful, that it could almost resemble a Monet painting in its delicate brush strokes of egg.
This is a new dish to both of us, and we’re both excited to make it again! The contrast of the rich egg and the bright herb mixture is incredibly satisfying on a chilly day. Nooshe jân!
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23/09/2020