DAY 6: 31 Day Aspiring Polyglot Challenge – Learning Persian (Fārsī)

 هر آن‌چه که ذهن انسان بتواند تصور و باور کند، دست‌یافتنی است.

har aanche ke zehn-e ensaan betavaanad tasavvor va baavar konad, dastyaaftani ast.
Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.

Cooking Persian Food

I don’t know when this happened, but apparently, I already had plenty of spices used in Persian cuisine right on my spice rack! Of course, I was missing a few, including saffron, but I really surprised myself. While searching for spices used in Persian cuisine, I came across Persian Mama, a website dedicated to Persian cuisine that uses only the best and freshest ingredients. Now that’s something I can get on board with! You have the option to translate the site to Persian (Fārsī), a bonus for us learning Persian (Fārsī).

Oh, by the way, before you decide to head over to your local supermarket (I could have used this days ago!), you can check out the Persian Mama’s post All About Spices to give you a rundown of spices used in traditional Persian cuisine.

Since I didn’t have saffron, I couldn’t make tahdig (ته دیگ) tonight, and I’m pretty bummed out. I opted for mast-o-khiar (ماست و خيار), a cucumber-yogurt dip that pairs nicely with what else but more cucumber, tomatoes, and my favorite beet chips. Mast-o-khiar is similar to tzatziki (though the Persian recipes I’ve seen omit olive oil) and to Turkish cacik. I topped mine with rosebuds. YES, ROSEBUDS! It’s a nice added touch, and I feel hella fancy!

Mast-O-Khiar (Elizabeth’s Version)

• 2 cups of yogurt (I used Fage Nonfat Greek Yogurt)
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt (I used Trader Joe’s Himalayan Sea Salt with the grinder)
• 1/2 teaspoon FRESHLY GROUND pepper (I put it CAPS because it’s THAT important)
• 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder (prefer the Sadaf brand)
• 2-3 Persian cucumbers
• 1-2 tablespoons of dried mint
• Crushed Gol Mohammadi rosebuds for garnish
• Fresh mint for garnish, optional
  

Grab the Persian cucumbers and chop them. How finely? That’s up to you. I like my dips and sauces on the chunky side. Then you basically grab the remaining ingredients and fold them in. Garnish with Gol Mohammadi rose buds. Serve with cucumber slices and tomato wedges.

My Day 6 Worksheet

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