We love this Persian dish, so rich and full of unusual but intriguing flavours. We’ve tried to make it before with limited success but this version by Yasmin Khan was much more like the dish we remembered. Serve with steamed basmati rice and salad.
Chicken with Walnuts & Pomegranates – Fesenjoon – serves 4
- 250g walnuts (fresh is best)
- 1.2 litres of cold water
- 100ml pomegranate molasses
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 800g skinless chicken thighs, on the bone
- a handful of pomegranate seeds to garnish
Grind the walnuts in a food processor until extremely fine – they will eventually turn into a smooth paste. Transfer the ground nuts into a large casserole pot with a litre of water and mix well. Bring to the boil and cook over a high heat for 5 minutes, then reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour, partially covered. Stir occasionally to make sure the walnuts don’t stick.
Stir in the remaining 200ml of water and simmer for another hour with the lid on. Add more cold water if the sauce starts to look dry – in the end it should have a thick, porridge-like consistency.
By the end of the time the sauce should have thickened and darkened in colour. Add the pomegranate molasses, tomato purée, cinnamon, sugar, salt and pepper and stir well. Add the chicken, put the lid back on the pot and cook over a low heat for 45 minutes, until the chicken is cooked and the sauce is dark and glossy.
Taste the sauce and season, you might like to add more sugar or pomegranate molasses to adjust the sweet/sour balance. Cook for a final 10 minutes with the lid off so the sauce thickens around the meat. Serve over rice and sprinkled with the pomegranate seeds.
(Original recipe from The Saffron Tales by Yasmin Khan, Bloomsbury, 2016.)
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