Khoresh-e Fesenjaan is a delicious Persian pomegranate walnut stew! It’s a definite favourite among my friends! This rich sweet and sour stew makes the perfect comfort food for the colder months! It makes you feel all warm and cosy inside.
My Fesenjaan recipe is sweet and sour. Many people prefer it this way, while others like it sour only. I believe the sweet and sour taste is what makes it so appetising for Western taste buds. So I suggest, if you haven’t tried Iranian food before and would like to give it a go, this is a great recipe to start exploring Persian cuisine.
Time
Prep: 15 min
Cook: 1 h 45 min
Total: 2 h
Ingredients (serves 4)
4 chicken legs or 1kg / 2.2lbs chicken thighs
250g / 2 cups walnuts, plus a few extra halves to garnish
3 to 5 tbsp pomegranate molasses (depending on how sour it is)
1 large onion or 2 small ones
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp walnut oil
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp black pepper
Grape syrup or sugar, to taste
Salt to taste
Pomegranate seeds, to garnish (optional)
Method
Grind and toast the walnuts
Grind the walnuts in a food processor or blender. Keep a few halves aside for the garnish. Toast the ground walnuts in a hot, dry pan until golden and fragrant. This intensifies their nutty flavour.
Prepare the onion
Peel and finely chop the onion.
Sear the chicken
If the chicken still has its skin on, pull it off using a paper towel. Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan and brown the chicken for a few minutes on each side, turning it with tongs, until golden all over. Remove from the pan.
Cook the stew
Gently caramelise the onion in the same oil over low-medium heat for about 15 minutes. Add the turmeric, black pepper, toasted walnuts, walnut oil and 2 cups / 470ml of freshly boiled water, and season with salt. Mix well, submerge the chicken in the sauce, put the lid on and simmer over low-medium heat for 30 minutes.
Toasting makes the walnuts lose some of their natural oil, which gives Fesenjan its rich texture. The walnut oil puts that richness back.
Add the pomegranate molasses
The oil you see on the surface comes from the walnuts, and it's an important part of this dish. Lift the chicken out so it's easier to stir in the pomegranate molasses. The first time, start with 5 tbsp; you can always add more later. Return the chicken and simmer for another 30 minutes.
Balance and serve
Toast the walnut halves in a hot, dry pan for a few minutes, stirring, until they smell nutty and their skins darken slightly. Add grape syrup or sugar to the stew a little at a time, tasting as you go, and more pomegranate molasses if you like, until the sweet and sour balance is right for you.
Garnish with the toasted walnuts and pomegranate seeds, if using, and serve with Persian saffron rice. Nooshe jan!
Hami's tip
If you're cooking for someone who has never tried Persian food, make this. Over the years, friends who are new to Persian food have told me the same thing again and again: Fesenjan has a flavour they've never tasted before, and they love it.
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