While the Western world’s new year began in January and the Lunar New Year fell in February, Nowruz (new day) celebrates the first day of spring and the start of the Persian (or Iranian) new year. It is also celebrated by various ethnicities worldwide, marking the beginning of Farvardin, the first month of the Solar Hijri calendar.
This year, Nowruz falls on Monday, 20th March, and as with many festivities, food is a huge focus – and Nowruz is certainly a time to feast. While the traditional chelowkebab dinner (minced lamb kebab with saffron rice and grilled tomato) is an impressive staple within Persian cuisine, for the new year, ‘sabzi polo ba mahi’ (herbed rice with fish) is a pretty popular dish to find eaten among households.
If you’re looking to join the celebrations (even just via your tummy and tastebuds), listed below are a few family favourite recipes to try your hand at cooking at home. Alternatively, if you’re more of a dining out kind of person, there’s also a list of a few favourite restaurants in London – should you be looking to visit somewhere new this Nowruz or any time.
The best restaurants to eat Iranian food in London
Tandis, Finchley Road
My family’s personal favourite and a staple we’ve been visiting for many years, now, Tandis has to be top of your list. More often than not, a selection of kebabs (minced lamb, lamb fillet and chicken) are selected with saffron rice; however, the remainder of the menu is also of a high standard and features popular dishes such as ‘gormeh sabzi’, ‘zereshk polo’ and other traditional meals.
Kish Persian Restaurant, Kilburn
Kish is definitely one to add to your list, with its tasty chelowkebab meals, but it also excels in Persian stews and other rice dishes. Notable meals include the classic comfort dish ‘dizi’ or ‘ab goosht’ (meat broth – but it’s so much more than that, filled with potatoes, tomatoes, green beans, chickpeas and dried Persian limes), as well as the ‘baghali polo’ (rice with fava beans and dill), served with a gorgeously braised shank of lamb.
Berenjak, Soho
While many Persian restaurants have popped up in central London, Berenjak is by far the best if you’re less than willing to trek far on public transport. Serving a mixture of small plates and the larger chargrilled kebabs, the chicken is one of the tastier dishes on offer – and available in both the classic saffron style and a ‘tond’ (hot) version.
Kateh, Little Venice
Gaining a reputation as what was once ex-Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman’s favourite restaurant in London, Kateh’s menu highlights include the kebab ‘torsh’, meaning a sour taste, where the chargrilled lamb is marinated in pomegranate molasses (another staple ingredient in Persian cuisine). However, if that’s a stretch for your stomach, the standard kebabs on the menu are also incredibly flavoursome.
Persian recipes to cook at home for the new year
Sabzi polo ba mahi
Sabzi Polo (herbed rice) ba mahi (with fish) is a traditional Iranian dish, often enjoyed on the first day of Nowruz. The herbs symbolise rebirth, and the fish represents life, both of which are key elements of the new year. It is typical to use cod or sea bass, but you can use any fish you fancy.
Ingredients:
500g basmati rice
8 tablespoons (tbsp) of oil
4-5 tbsp flour
4 tbsp lemon juice 2 fillets cod/sea bass/salmon (any fish can work)
3 bunches young garlic (alternatively use leeks)
3 tbsp salt
2 medium-sized potatoes, sliced ½cm
2 eggs
1 bunch of spring onions (green parts)
1 bunch of fresh dill
1 tbsp dried dill
½ bunch of flat parsley
½ bunch coriander
½ tsp turmeric
¼ cup (60ml) water
Saffron, a pinch
Salt and pepper, to taste
Method:
Chop the spring onions, parsley, coriander, fresh dill, and young garlic or leeks.
Soak the rice for at least half an hour (preferably three hours) in lukewarm water.
In a large pan, bring eight to 10 cups (2.4L) of water to a boil.
Add three tablespoons of salt to the pan.
Drain the rice and add it to the boiling salted water.
Cover and boil for eight to 10 minutes or until the rice is soft on the outside.
Once boiled, lower the heat and add the chopped fresh herbs.
Stir and drain the rice and herb mixture.
Heat a separate pot and add five tablespoons of oil and ¼ cup of water.
Place the sliced potatoes on the bottom of the pan and add half of the herbed rice mixture.
Add dried dill and young garlic for more fragrance and flavour.
Finish it off with the rest of the rice mixture and put the lid on to cook on high heat for 10 minutes.
Lower the heat and cook for a further 30-40 minutes.
Grind the saffron using a pestle and mortar and mix in 1 tsp of hot water.
Take ½ cup of the cooked rice and mix with the saffron. Scoop saffron rice on top of the remaining cooked white rice.
Wash the fish and dry them with a kitchen towel.
Combine the flour, turmeric, salt and pepper in a bowl and cover the fish in the mixture.
Beat the eggs and cover the flour-coated fish fillets in the egg mixture.
Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a pan, and when hot, add the fish. Fry either side until golden (a few minutes on each side).
Pour lemon juice over the fish for extra flavour.
Kuku sabzi
‘Kuku sabzi’ is a herbed omelette, often served on the first day of spring and the Persian new year. The herbs represent rebirth, while the eggs symbolise fertility and new life. A perfect dish if you’re serving vegetarian food, this dish is filled with enough herbs and greens to tick your five a day off the list. Although not traditionally included, you can always add extra spinach and other greens if you find them lying about the fridge and in need of using up.
Ingredients:
300g flat-leaf parsley
300g spring onions (green parts) or chives
200g coriander
5 eggs
2 lettuces
2 tbsp turmeric
2 tbsp walnuts, chopped
1 tbsp barberries
1 tbsp flour
13 tbsp oil (of choice)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Method:
Wash and chop the herbs and leave to drain completely.
Fry in five tablespoons of oil for five minutes and then leave to cool down.
Beat the eggs and add flour, turmeric, berries, walnuts, salt and pepper to the mix.
Add the herbs to the mixture and mix well.
Pour four tablespoons of oil into the frying pan, and once hot, add the mixture.
Flatten the mixture using a spatula.
Cover the pan with its lid and let it cook for 10 minutes.
Flip ‘omelette’ over in the pan. Add 3-4 more tbsp of oil to the pan for the other side to cook and become golden. Allow to cook for a further 10 minutes (no need for a lid).
Cut kuku into segments and serve with traditional Persian bread (sangak or lavash) or any flatbread, mast-o khiar (yoghurt with cucumber), and ‘torshi’ (pickled vegetables).
Ghormeh sabzi
‘Ghormeh sabzi’ is a Persian stew made of braised lamb and mixed herbs. This popular Persian stew is, in fact, often considered the national dish of Iran – dating back 5,000 years. Although it is eaten throughout the year, it is a traditional dish during Nowruz due to the prominence of herbs in the meal, representing rebirth.
Ingredients:
500ml water
Half a leg of lamb, diced
4 dried Persian limes
2 tbsp tomato purée
½ tbsp turmeric
½ tbsp of advieh (a Persian spice mix of turmeric, cardamom, cumin, cinnamon, coriander, pepper cloves and dried rose petals)
Dried ghormeh sabzi herbs (you can find them online or at Iranian supermarkets) or if you’re unable to get a pre-mixed batch, combine 4 bunches of parsley, 1 bunch of coriander, 4 spring onions (green parts only), 1 tbsp of dried fenugreek
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
¼ tsp ground saffron
250g kidney beans
3-4 tbsp sunflower/olive oil
Method:
Fry your onions in oil until translucent.
Add your meat and fry for 3-4 minutes.
Sprinkle some turmeric, advieh, salt and pepper to season the meat.
Add the tomato purée and fry for a further 2-3 minutes.
Add water and bring to a boil. Add the saffron and allow it all to simmer for an hour.
Pierce the dried limes with a fork halfway through cooking and add to the meat.
Add the kidney beans to the pot.
Add your sabzi mix (the green veg) and allow to simmer for another half an hour. Regularly check the water in your stew (you want to maintain a balanced density level).
Remove the pot from the hob at your preferred thickness level and serve with white rice.
Reshteh polo
As someone who grew up eating Persian food cooked by my mum, I can confirm that ‘reshteh polo’ (rice with Persian noodles) is definitely more unique to Persian New Year. This noodle rice dish is typically served in the evening of Nowruz and is believed to allow you to grab hold of your destiny for the upcoming new year. Now, reshteh noodles are probably not something you have in your kitchen cupboard (nor can they be found in your local supermarket!), so you will have to source them online or in most Middle Eastern supermarkets – though if you’re struggling, it is possible to use alternatives (regular noodles, spaghetti) for the dish.
Ingredients:
500g basmati rice
5 tbsp oil
85-100g reshteh noodles
3 tbsp salt
2 medium-sized potatoes, sliced ½cm
¼ cup (60ml) water
Saffron, a pinch
Salt and pepper, to taste
Method:
Soak the rice for at least half an hour (preferably three hours) in lukewarm water.
In a large pan, bring eight to 10 cups (1.9-2.4L) of water to a boil.
Add three tablespoons of salt to the pan.
Drain the rice and add it to the boiling salted water.
Cover and boil for 8 to 10 minutes or until the rice is soft on the outside.
Once boiled, lower the heat and add your reshteh noodles. Stir and drain the rice and noodle mixture.
Heat a separate pot and add five tablespoons of oil and ¼ cup of water.
Place the sliced potatoes on the bottom of the pan and add half of the rice and noodle mixture.
Finish it off with the rest of the rice mixture and put the lid on to cook on high heat for 10 minutes.
Lower the heat and cook for a further 30-40 minutes.
Grind the saffron using a pestle and mortar and mix in 1 teaspoon of hot water.
Take 1/2 cup of the cooked rice and mix it with the saffron. Scoop saffron rice on top of the remaining cooked white rice.
Serve with lightly toasted/fried barberries (optional).
Zereshk polo ba morgh
Unsurprisingly, ‘zereshk polo’ (rice with barberries) appears on the dining table for Nowruz as it’s quite the prevalent party dish in Persian cuisine. You typically cook and serve this dish with chicken, but it is possible to remove this and still enjoy the sharp and satisfying flavours, too.
Ingredients:
4-5 chicken thighs/breast 500ml water
4 cups basmati rice
4 tbsp olive oil
4 cups of water
1 onion
1 tbsp turmeric
Large handful of zereshk (dried barberries)
A pinch of saffron (grounded) Salt and pepper, to taste
Method:
Fry the chicken in a pot with the sliced onions and turmeric.
Add water and boil before allowing the chicken to simmer for about an hour. Add less than a pinch of the saffron to the pot as it boils. Wash your rice as your chicken is cooking on the hob, and add the clean rice to your Persian rice cooking, along with four tablespoons of oil, four cups of water and salt to taste.
Adjust your tahdig (bottom of the pot) setting on the rice cooker (this will allow you to get the crispy golden-topped rice) and leave it to cook until the dial is back at the beginning (this should take about 40 mins).
Dice the onion and add to a pan on low heat.
Add your zereshk to the same pan and fry lightly on low heat for a couple of minutes. Remove the rice from the rice cooker and begin to layer your zereshk and fried onions into it.
Grind saffron and mix it with water to pour over your rice for added colour.
Serve your zereshk polo with the chicken on the side.
You’re now set to celebrate Nowruz in style, whether in one of London’s most fabulous Iranian restaurants or at home with some of the best recipes.
If you are hungry for more global flavours, be sure to check out our Gastronomic Experiences page for additional recipes and culinary inspiration.