Customer Reviews

In a Persian Kitchen: Favourite Recipes from the Near East

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Though a new cook, I'd already grown tired of boring chicken dishes & pastas and wanted to try something new. I can't believe how tasty the recipes are in this book. When my dinner companion and I sat down to eat the Chicken in Pomegranate Sauce (chosen because the author said it was her favorite), we actually started laughing. It was so tasty it actually made us silly and we giggled while we ate (maybe because we couldn't believe I had produced this gem). I'm going to try the meatballs next. What an incredible book.

Although the text is a little dated (the book was originally printed in 1972), the recipes are classic. They are also easy to understand and to replicate. My favorites: beets with sour cream, mint, & garlic (I use sliced, canned beets and its become a standby with me) and Khoreshe Portagal (Chicken with Oranges and Spinach). This book has also inspired me to cook more with fruit. I highly recommend this little book. You will use it over and over again.

This is the book my mother bought after my family visited Iran in 1972. We've been using it non-stop ever since. The recipes are easy and wonderful The Nane Shirini - persian sugar cookies surprise and delight everyone who has tried them. Chelo is not as hard as it seems, it just takes some attention and careful following of the directions. Most ingredients are standard American stock - no needing to find a specialty store. It's the ways of combining them that make the recipes so different from the same old thing.

I HAVE HAD THIS BOOK SINCE IT WAS FIRST PUBLISHED AND USED IT SO OFTEN IT'S FALLING APART. THE COLD YOGURT SOUP IS THE BEST I'VE EVER HAD AND THE GRAPE LEAVES WITH CURRENTS IN THEM AND THE CHICKEN WITH RICE AND APRICOTS HAVE BEEN MY PARTY STANDBYS. THE STORIES HELP MAKE THIS A DELIGHT TO READ AND THE DIRECTIONS ARE EASY TO UNDERSTAND IF YOU HAVE SOME COOKING SKILLS

i have had this book about 10 years and use it at least once a week. a know some of the recipes by heart. my husband is iranian and i wanted to impress him by learning to ciik persian. i got it from library and one sunday cooked a dish from it. he was amazed! now, i cook all the traditional persian foods. i'm the only wife of all our friends that does. every sunday, everyone comes here for persian food. this is the easiest and tastiest way to learn. you will need help of a persian w/ the chelo , but most things you can learn on your own!

I purchased this book as a teenager because I loved differnt cuisines. Little did I know I would be married to an Iranian for 20 years. With the help of Maideh Mazda's In a Persian Kitchen,I have totally impressed many people with my ability to prepare Persian food. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning how to cook Persian cuisine. Not only does this book give you a taste of the regional foods but a taste of history and culture experienced by the author and many other Iranian in their youth.

I bought my copy of this book years ago at a gathering of folks from the Society of Creative Anachronisms. I have an Iranian friend who makes great chicken Fesenjan with that amazing rice (chelo) with the crispy stuff on the bottom (tadeek), and I wanted to be able to do so myself. Well, the Khoreshe Fesenjan recipe and instructions on making Chelo helped me get there (along with several years of practice)!

If you are looking for a great source of all those delicious persian dishes you may have had in a restaurant or at a friends house, or are just looking to try a new style of food, In a Persian Kitchen is the book to buy.

Each recipe is introduced with a story about the food or Maideh Mazdah's childhood memories, and the instructions are thorough and easy to understand.

If you have only one Persian cookbook, it should be this one. It is a classic. The recipes are excellent and are accompanied by wonderful comments by the author that allow you to truly appreciate Persian culture and custom. I grew up dining on these recipes as prepared by my mother, and now they are a cornerstone of my own kitchen.

We bought this cookbook in hardback when we were first married shortly after it first came out and it is still one of our most frequently used favorites. We recently bought copies for our kids because they're always borrowing ours and we frequently have trouble tracking it down.

Two recipes worth the price of admission by themselves:

'Persian meat loaf' - still our favorite meatloaf after 40 years

'Grilled Chicken' - awesome - cook over charcoal the slower the better

This is one of my favorite cookbooks. The recipes are just as they should be - traditional and easy to follow. The author also gives a little personal background or history of each recipes, which enables you to connect more with each dish. I think it is a very special book that everyone can cook with and enjoy tremendously!