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Recipes published with permission from A Feast of my Persian Heritage by Shirin Simmons and Family Secrets — The Khan Family Cookbook by Zarine Khan.

Persian palette
A preponderance of nuts and fruits, fresh herbs and no heavy sauces are the hallmarks of Shirin Simmons’ cooking. Her three cook books reflect the "mixture of ancient Zoroastrian and self-created modern styles and influences that make up Persian cookery,” as per her website www.shirinsimmons.com. Her third book A Feast of my Persian Heritage, available as an e-book from her website free of cost, contains over 220 traditional recipes.

ROASTED CHEESE WILTH DILL AND EGG HORS D’OEUVRE
Pishghaza-ye-panir ba tokhm-e-morgh
Oil (1 tbsp) or butter (2 tsp)
Paneer or hard cheese (225g — grated)
Eggs (4 — lightly beaten)
Fresh dill (1tbsp — chopped)
Fry the cheese in butter until lightly melted. Mix the eggs with the dill, pour over the cheese in the pan and stir. Serve as a starter or main course with nan and/or rice.

FLOWER IN THE LAWN
Khoresh-e-Ghol dar chaman (baghla ghatogh)
Oil (4-5 tbsp)
Onion (1large — chopped)
Turmeric (¼ tsp)
Cinnamon (ground)
Garlic (4 cloves — crushed)
Broad beans (450 g — podded)
Fresh dill (4 tbsp — finely chopped)
Salt and pepper
Eggs (4)
Fry the onions in two tbsp of the oil until golden. Stir in the garlic and turmeric, add the beans and dill with the cinnamon.
Cover the ingredients with 250 ml water and simmer for five-seven minutes until the beans are cooked and the mixture is thick. Season with salt and pepper. Add the remaining oil, break the eggs in each corner until set. Serve with nan or rice.

POTATO WITH PLUM AND NUT KHORESHT
Khoresht-e-sibzamini ba alu
Oil
Onion (1 — large, chopped)
Chicken, lamb or beef (700 g — cut into portions)
Cinnamon
Saffron
Potatoes (1½ — large, diced)
Alu bokhara or plums, preferably red (450 g)
Nuts (2 tbsp — chopped coarsely)
Salt and pepper
Fry the onions with the meat and spices for a minute or two until meat is brown on all sides. Cover with water and simmer until tender. Meanwhile add the potatoes 15 minutes before and plums five minutes before the end of cooking. Season with salt and pepper and simmer until thick.
Serve with rice garnished with chopped nuts. For variations, substitute 75 g of split yellow peas for potatoes adding into the pan 35-40 minutes before the end of cooking and fry three cloves of crushed garlic with the onion, and substitute chopped tomatoes for plums.

CHICKEN IN POMEGRANATE AND WALNUT SAUCE
Khoresht-e-fesenjan
Oil
Onion (1 large — chopped)
Chicken (900 g — cut into portions)
Turmeric (/¼ tsp)
Cinnamon and saffron (ground)
Walnuts (100 g — ground)
Salt and pepper
Pomegranate (225-275 g — puree, according to taste)
Fry the onions with the chicken and turmeric and cook for a minute or two until the chicken is brown on all sides. Add the walnuts, cinnamon and saffron, cover with water and simmer. Mix the pomegranate puree with a little water and add it to the pan. Cook until the mixture thickens. Serve with rice.
For variation grate 50 g onion over 225 g minced chicken or meat, make small balls a little larger than a hazelnut, smoothen in your hands and fry with the onion. You could also substitute the same amount of fish for meat.

ONIONS STUFFED WITH RICE AND HERBS
Dolmeh-e-piaz
Rice (50 g — long grain, soaked)
Onions (4 medium — each weighing about 225 g)
Oil (3 tbsp)
Lamb, beef or chicken (75 g — minced)
Turmeric (¼ tsp)
Cinnamon and saffron (ground)
Salt and pepper
Dill and coriander (2 tsp each — chopped)
To garnish
Few sprigs of fresh mint and tarragon
Parboil the rice with fruit and nuts. Drain well.
Peel the onion carefully. Take a neat slice off the top and reserve. Using, an apple corer gently hollow out the middle until only two rings are left. Reserve the centers. Place the hollowed onions into a saucepan and fill with water. Place on high heat and bring to a boil. Cook on moderate heat for about three-four minutes or until barely soft. Drain off the water and leave to cool.
Chop the reserved pulp from one of the onions, discard the rest and fry in 1 tbsp of oil with the meat and turmeric with fruit and nuts. Stir in the cinnamon and saffron, season with salt and pepper. Put the mixture into a large bowl with the parboiled rice. Toss well to mix.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Fill the onion cases with the rice and meat mixture and replace the reserved caps. Arrange the onions neatly in a casserole dish and cook in the oven for 20-30 minutes or until soft. Garnish with a few sprigs of mint and fresh tarragon. If cooking on the stove, place the dolmeh neatly into a 2.25 litre nonstick or heavy aluminum based saucepan, into which two tbsp of oil have been added. Pour another one tsp of oil over each dolmeh, and add 120 ml water. Simmer for about 45 minutes until the onions are cooked and the liquid has been absorbed. Serve as main meal or side dish.

A Khan cooks 

DAHIWALA BAINGAN
Brinjal in yoghurt
Serves 6
Brinjal (1 kg — large)
Yoghurt (1 cup — beaten)
Black pepper (1 tsp)
Cumin powder (1 tsp)
Red chilli powder (1 tsp)
Fresh coriander (for garnish)
Salt (to taste)
Oil (for frying)
Take the brinjal and cut it into round slices of half inch thickness.
Sprinkle salt on the slices. Then deep fry in a pan. Once well-fried and cooked through, place the slices on paper to drain extra oil. Just before serving, spread the brinjal slices out in a flat layer in a long dish.Take the yoghurt and pour it over the brinjal slices.
Then mix some salt, black pepper, ground cumin powder, red chilli powder and finely cut fresh coriander in a bowl. Sprinkle over the yoghurt and brinjal and serve.

STUFFED KARELAS
Stuffed bitter gourd
Serves 6
For frying
Onions (3 — chopped)
Red chillies (3 dried — remove seeds)
Coriander seeds (2 tbsp)
Garlic (7 cloves)
Oil (1 tsp)
Bitter gourd (½ kg — remove skin and seeds)
Grated coconut (3 tbsp)
Dry mango powder  (2 tbsp)
Salt (to taste)
Soak the bitter gourd in two tbsp salt and two tbsp vinegar for 10 minutes and then drain. Fry all the ingredients for five minutes. Add grated coconut and keep aside. After the mixture has cooled down, grind coarsely. Add dry mango powder and salt to taste. Stuff the bitter gourd with this mixture.
Put two tbsp of oil on a baking tray and place the stuffed karelas on it in a flat layer. Bake for 30 minutes in a pre-heated oven at 180°C.

BANGALORI DAL
Flavorful dal made with South Indian spices
Serves 8
Split pigeon pea (tuwar) dal (½ cup)
Split red lentil (masoor dal) (½ cup)
Tomatoes (2 medium — chopped)
Onions (2 large — chopped)
Fresh coriander (½ bunch — chopped)
Green chillies (4 to 5)
Coconut (¼ — ground)
Red chilli powder (1 tsp)
Coriander powder (½ tsp)
Turmeric powder (¼ tsp)
Fenugreek seeds (2 tsp)
Cumin powder (2 tsp)
Tamarind water (1 cup)
Curry leaves (20)
Garlic (10 cloves)
Dried red chillies (3)
Mustard seeds (½ tsp)
Asafoetida (½ tsp)
Oil (2 tbsp)
Salt (to taste)
In a large pan, mix in the tuwar and masoor dal, tomatoes, onion, fresh coriander, green chillies, coconut, red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and add enough water to cover all these ingredients.
Place the pan on a high flame to cook. You can even use a pressure cooker and cook the dal for at least five whistles. When the dal is cooked, mash it into a paste, making sure not to leave any lumps. Stir in the tamarind water.
In a separate pan, pour oil. As the oil heats up, add curry leaves, garlic, red chillies, mustard seeds, asafoetida, fenugreek, cumin and sliced onion.
Fry this for two to three minutes and quickly pour into the dal mixture, stir and cover so that the aroma is sealed in. Serve after five minutes.

PERSIAN AASH MAASH
Serves 8
Persian greens and mince stew
Mince lamb meat (1 kg)
Rice (2 cups)
Ghee (6 tbsp)
Yellow split pea lentils (channa dal) (1 cup)
Turmeric powder (1 tsp)
Spring onions (2 big bunches — chopped)
Garlic paste (2 tbsp)
Ginger paste (1 tbsp)
Dill (1 big bunch)
Yoghurt (2 kgs — beaten)
Whole black peppercorns (3 tbsp — coarsely ground)
Green chillies (12 — chopped)
Mint leaves (1 small bunch)
Salt (to taste)
Pressure cook the rice and lentils in water with turmeric and salt for approximately four whistles or cook in a vessel for 30 minutes till the ingredients are mixed. Mash this mixture well and keep aside.
Wash mince meat and drain out all the water. Heat ghee in a pan, add only the white portion of the chopped spring onions and fry till light golden brown. Add the mince meat, along with ginger and garlic paste and a pinch of turmeric powder and salt to taste.
Fry all this together and when the water evaporates and the mince meat is dry, add chopped dill. Then add the chopped green stems of the spring onions and mix. When the meat begins to stick to the pan, switch off the gas.
Take another pan and place on a medium flame. Pour in the cooked rice and dal mixture. Add the meat mixture into this soft mash of rice and dal and mix well.
Add the beaten yoghurt into this mince and rice mixture and keep stirring continuously till it begins to boil. Keep cooking till the mince is cooked.  Add peppercorns and green chillies and cook on a low flame for 20 minutes. Garnish with fried golden brown onions which have been crushed and sprinkle with mint leaves and serve.

FISH PULAU 
Fish (500 g — cut into large slices)
Coconut milk (1)
Rice (1 kg)
Onions (3 – finely chopped)
Cloves (4)
Cardamoms (4)
Cinnamon (1”)
Turmeric powder (3/4 tsp)
Red chilli powder (2 tsp)
Potatoes (3 — cut into round thick slices)
Cumin seeds (1 tsp)
Fresh coriander (1 bunch)
Garlic paste (2 tsp)
Oil (4 tbsp)
Salt (to taste)
Green chillies (for garnishing)
(In one cup of rice two glasses of coconut milk are required.)
Fry the onions till brown with cloves, cardamoms and cinnamon. Marinate the fish with salt, turmeric, red chilli powder, lemon juice and keep aside for one hour. Lightly fry the fish.
Deep fry the potatoes and keep aside.
Grind cumin, coriander and garlic together. Add the fried onion mixture to this masala and fry together. Now add the coconut milk and let it cook, bringing it to a boil. Then place the fish in the gravy and bring to a boil. Remove the fish and keep aside. Now add the rice to the gravy. Make sure it is immersed in the coconut milk. When the rice is cooked, remove from the fire. In a separate pan, spread a layer of rice at the bottom, then the fried potatoes and repeat.
On the last layer spread the fish pieces right on top and add some fresh coriander and slit green chillies and leave on slow fire for five more minutes before serving.