13/09/2026
One of my all-time favorite meals is a Persian dish called Zereshk Polo—fluffy basmati rice mixed with saffron rice and topped with tart little barberries. The Persian restaurant we always went to when I was growing up served theirs with these incredible stewed, bone-in chicken thighs that practically fell off the bone. 🤤
Recently, I decided I wanted to learn how to make it myself. I’m still tweaking the chicken recipe to get it closer to the version I remember, but the experiments have been pretty delicious so far!
Then last month, while I was in Ireland helping our friends with their new twins, I spent a huge portion of my time filling their fridge and freezer with meals. Since Maryam is Persian, I decided to surprise her by attempting a couple of Persian dishes I had never even eaten before, let alone cooked.
I made Ghormeh Sabzi, which has always been my dad’s favorite Persian dish, and Adas Polo, a rice and lentil dish Maryam described as her ultimate comfort food—the kind of meal Persian moms make for their kids all the time.
Somehow, they actually came out pretty damn good. 😂
So, of course, once I got home I had to make Ghormeh Sabzi for Dad too.
After a trip to the same wonderful Persian market here in Madrid that we took Maryam to when she and Jared visited us in January, I had all the ingredients I needed.
Tonight was round two!
The Ghormeh Sabzi came out delicious, but I think my favorite part might have been the rice. Instead of serving it with plain basmati, I borrowed from my beloved Zereshk Polo and made fluffy white basmati with saffron rice, buttery barberries, and my first attempt at tahdig—the crispy golden rice from the bottom of the pot.
Considering that until last month I had never even eaten Ghormeh Sabzi, let alone attempted to make it myself, I’m pretty darn proud of how this one turned out! 😂
Dad and Nik both approve. ❤️
And I’m definitely adding Persian food to the list of cuisines I want to keep learning how to cook. 🇮🇷🍚