This recipe is a twist both on the traditional western cinnamon roll and a traditional Persian Qottab. With flavors of cardamom, rosewater, and walnuts, this Persian cinnamon roll is like a deconstructed Qottab. This recipe is incredibly easy, light, flaky, and perfect with a cup of tea.
Papion is "bow tie" in Persian, and Shirini-e-Papioni is a Persian bow tie-shaped puff pastry, dusted with powdered sugar. This dessert is only slightly sweet and perfect with a cup of tea. Our plant-based version is a twist on the traditional, using a plant-based puff pastry.
Golden and flaky, Zabaan is a delicious Persian puff pastry shaped like a tongue. Zabaan is from the Qazvin region of Northern Iran. It is traditionally made with honey, but our vegan version uses agave syrup and a plant-based puff pastry.
Cake Yazdi is like the traditional Western vanilla cupcake but with delicious flavors of cardamom and rosewater. This Iranian cupcake comes from the Yazd province, an area known for its delicious sweets.
Love is literally in the air; this Persian Love Cake smells amazing. With cardamom and rosewater, it is so aromatic even my children were commenting how good it smelled. It is moist, and the lemon zest adds a nice balance to the sweetness of the cake and the glaze. The Persian love cake is apparently … Continue reading Vegan Persian Love Cake
Sholeh Zard is a Persian saffron and rosewater rice pudding. Sholeh means a pudding-like texture and Zard means yellow in Persian. The dessert gets its color from saffron, the most expensive spice in the world, and a staple of Persian cooking. Sholeh Zard is a very popular and simple Persian recipe. It is also very … Continue reading Vegan Sholeh Zard (Saffron Rice Pudding)
Qottab is one of Iran's most popular desserts. Outwardly, they resemble powdered donut holes, but they are traditional Persian pastries filled with walnuts and infused with cardamom and rosewater. This dessert originates from the Yazd region in central Iran. Recreating Persian recipes without meat, dairy, and eggs and sharing the recipes on the blog has … Continue reading Vegan Qottab (Walnut-filled Persian Pastry)
If tofu in Persian food is wrong, then I don't want to be right. Kalam Polo is a mixed Persian rice dish. Kalam is cabbage and polo is rice in Farsi. It is traditionally made with meat, but our vegan version is made with tofu for that added protein. The cabbage is sauteed and cooked … Continue reading Vegan Kalam Polo (Cabbage Rice)
Growing up, my aunt made Noon-e-Khamei, and it was my favorite Persian dessert as a child. It is a Persian recipe I have wanted to veganize for many years. I had no idea how challenging it would be as the traditional Persian recipe calls for 4-5 eggs. Then I discovered Just Egg. It is a … Continue reading Noon-e-Khamei (Persian Cream Puffs)
Haleem is a meat and wheat porridge popular in India, Iran, and other parts of the Middle East. There are many different varieties based on the different countries and regions. In Iran, Haleem is traditionally served for breakfast and can be enjoyed savory or sweet with traditional oatmeal toppings. It is similar to cream of … Continue reading Vegan Haleem
Iran has over 30 provinces. In Northern Iran, there is the Semnan province. My family is from a city in the Semnan province called Sangesar (now called Mehdishahr). Sangesari people have their own language, culture and food. Gandom Patteh is a Sangesari dish, and this is my grandmother's recipe. Patteh is a Sangesari word that … Continue reading Gandom Patteh (a Sangesari Soup)
Kashk Bademjan is a flavorful Persian eggplant dip that is served as an appetizer with warm bread. Kashk is a dairy product made of drained yogurt and has a salty and tangy flavor. Bademjan means eggplant. This dish is traditionally made from the combination of these two ingredients. Our version skips the dairy and creates … Continue reading Vegan Kashk Bademjan (Persian Eggplant Dip)
Abgoosht translates into "meat water" in English. It is an easy one-pot Persian dish traditionally made with tender meat, potatoes, legumes, and spices. This dish, however, is wonderful without the meat, and I have had people tell me they prefer this vegan version. This past weekend, I enjoyed a four-day family reunion on a ranch … Continue reading Vegan Abgoosht (Persian Meat Stew without the Meat)
A friend recently asked if I had 10 minute meal ideas! I laughed because it takes me 10 minutes just to make a salad. Since then, however, I have been thinking of quick and easy meal options for kids. These KooKoo Sibzamini muffins are very easy, and while they take longer than 10 minutes to … Continue reading KooKoo Sibzamini Muffins (Persian “Egg” and Potato Muffins)
Baghali Polo is a traditional Persian rice dish made with fava beans. Sabzi Polo is a separate Persian rice dish made with various herbs. Both are traditionally served with a side of meat. Sabzi Polo is commonly served with fish and is a classic dish to celebrate NowRooz (Persian New Year). We have combined these … Continue reading Sabzi Baghali Polo (Persian Rice with Herbs and Fava Beans)
I always ask people what is the hardest food to give up when trying to eat more plant-based. I often hear dairy products like cheese or yogurt. Persians, of course, love their kabob. For me, it was definitely hard to give up eggs. I quickly and easily gave up meat. Dairy was initially challenging, but … Continue reading KooKoo Sibzamini (Persian Potato Frittata)
Happy Friday, everybody! Does that mean much anymore? 🤨 For me, Friday is “Fitness Friday.” A reminder to make time for the (garage) gym today. I like setting goals by association. How do you set goals and reminders? If you are doing a “meat-free Friday,” below is how we prepared our Impossible Kabobs on the … Continue reading Vegan Impossible Kabobs
"Khoresh" is a generic term used for stew dishes in Iranian cooking. Ghormeh Sabzi is my favorite Persian khoresh. When my husband and I got married 14 years ago, my mom cooked the food for our entire wedding of 175 people! I remember she was in the kitchen cooking at the venue until about 1 … Continue reading Vegan Persian Khoresh-e-Ghormeh Sabzi
We are finally back in our home after living in an apartment the last 13 months, and I was so excited to start grilling, but when we pulled out the BBQ grill, it was covered in grease, fat, and leftover meat from prior Airbnb guests renting our home. Unfortunately, the grill was too disgusting to … Continue reading Vegan Beyond Beef Kabob
Between reading the news to moving across the country with 3 kids during a pandemic, I am mentally and physically drained. If you follow me on Instagram (@plant_basedpersian), you may know that my kids and I recently flew on United Airlines as we moved across the country. On the flight, the man sitting behind us … Continue reading Vegan Egg and Potatoes
