Fesenjan-pata
This Persian chicken stew gets its sweetness from pomegranate juice and its piquant flavor from walnuts. It is served with beautiful golden saffron rice.
- 400 g chicken drumsticks or thighs
- 250 g walnuts
- 2 onions
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons rapeseed oil
- 2 teaspoons turmeric powder
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 5 dl pomegranate juice
- 5 dl chicken broth
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 pot of flat-leaf parsley
- 1 pomegranate
- Turkish yogurt for serving
- ½ g saffron
- 1 teaspoon rapeseed oil
- 5 dl basmati rice
- 1
- 5 liters of water
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon butter
- Cut the chicken into pieces of approximately 5 cm.
- Roughly chop the walnuts with a knife. Toast them in a hot, dry pan until the nuts start to brown. Transfer the nuts to a bowl and pour enough water over them to cover the walnuts. Let stand for 10 minutes, then strain the water.
- Peel and slice the onions and garlic. Sauté the onions in a large pot or saucepan in rapeseed oil until golden brown. Add the turmeric.
- Add the chicken pieces to the onions and continue frying until the meat is browned. Sprinkle the sugar over the meat. Add the walnuts as well.
- Add the pomegranate juice and chicken stock to the pot and simmer for 2 hours. Season with salt. If there seems to be a lot of liquid, simmer gently, uncovered, for the last 30 minutes.
- Chop the parsley. Remove the seeds from the pomegranate and sprinkle them into the casserole with the parsley. Serve the casserole with Turkish yogurt and saffron rice (recipe below).
- Mix the saffron with the rapeseed oil. Place the mixture in a saucepan with the rice, water and salt and cook according to the instructions on the package.
- Remove the pot from the stove and let the rice sit in the pot, covered, for 10 minutes. Drain off any excess water if necessary.
- Add the butter and let it melt into the rice.
The Persian festive dish fesenjan stew gets its flavor from walnuts and pomegranate. The stew is served with rice seasoned with saffron and dyed a sunny yellow.
It is best to choose fatty and tasty chicken for the stew, i.e. thigh pieces, so that the pieces remain juicy during the stew. The walnuts are roasted and soaked, which softens their slightly pungent taste. Pomegranate juice gives the meat sweetness and tenderness.
The pot can be left to simmer on the stove for a few hours. If the amount of liquid seems too much towards the end, it is worth simmering the pot gently without the lid for the last half hour, for example. The rice will cook quickly in the meantime.
Yellow saffron rice, a deep dark stew, and jewel-like pomegranate seeds sprinkled as a garnish make this a meal fit for a festive table.
Vicissitudes
Recipe edited on March 30, 2022 at 12:55: Clarified the use of nuts and the steeping time.
