National Dishes of the World

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Fesenjan
Photo: stringparts, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

main dish

Fesenjan

فسنجان (fesenjan)

Chicken braised in a thick, dark sauce of ground walnuts and pomegranate molasses – sweet, sour and fragrant.

Eaten in: Iran traditional

Prep
20 min
Cooking
2 h
Total
2 h 20 min
Servings
4

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About the dish

Fesenjan is one of the most festive Persian stews, served at parties, weddings and holidays. Ground walnuts are simmered slowly in water until they release their oil and turn into a creamy brown sauce, which is then seasoned with pomegranate molasses. The result is a deep, nutty flavour with a pronounced sweet-and-sour edge – depending on the region and the family, fesenjan may be sweeter or tarter. It is usually made with chicken, duck or meatballs, and in northern Iran also with fish. It is served with white saffron rice and scattered with pomegranate seeds.

Main ingredients

  • chicken
  • walnuts
  • pomegranate molasses
  • onion
  • cinnamon
  • pomegranate seeds

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Recipe

Fesenjan

https://foodmap.ominuvo.com/dish/fesenjan

Ingredients

4 servings

4 servings

Allergens in the ingredients: nuts and peanuts. Based on the ingredients of this recipe – no substitute for checking labels.

Method

  1. Toast the walnuts in a dry pan, let them cool and grind them in a food processor to a fine, slightly damp powder.

  2. Put the walnuts in a pot, add the water, bring to the boil and simmer over low heat for about 1 hour, stirring often, until the sauce darkens and oil rises to the surface.

  3. Meanwhile chop the onion and soften it in the oil with the turmeric. Add the chicken, season with salt and brown on both sides.

  4. Stir the pomegranate molasses, cinnamon and sugar into the walnut sauce. Taste and adjust so the flavour is clearly sweet and sour.

  5. Add the chicken and onion to the sauce and braise, covered, over low heat for 45–60 minutes, stirring now and then so nothing sticks.

  6. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with rice, scattered with pomegranate seeds.

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