Haft Sin هفت سين

A Basic Guide to Celebrating Persian New Year!

http://turmericsaffron.blogspot.com/

For those who are interested in learning about the ancient Persian New Year celebration, this post is a simple and brief step by step guide on how to prepare for Norooz from before, during and after the Sal-e Tahvil (Vernal Equinox).

Events leading up to Nowruz:

• Khaneh Tekani: Cleaning your house from top to bottom, to renew and revive your home in time for the Nowruz celebrations. When to start your khane tekani depends on what you plan to do. It may take several hours or several days depending on the number of rooms, how thorough you want to clean and how much time you have.  
• Growing Sabzeh: The best time to grow your seeds is about two weeks before Nowruz. It takes about two weeks to have a beautiful sabzeh. It may not turn out to be a tall sabzeh but it will have a better chance of lasting longer until sizdah bedar. However, if you prefer a long sabzeh on your haft-seen table start your seed germination a few days earlier.  
• Making Samanoo: Samanoo (wheat pudding)
• Chahar Shanbeh Suri:  Chahar shanbeh suri is celebrated on the eve of the last Tuesday of the year, where small bonfires are made and people jump over the fire while singing, "Zardi-e man az to, Sorkhi-e to az man" (my sickness and problems are all yours and your warmth and energy is mine). 
• Buying New Clothes: Buying new clothes and shoes for the children are part of the Nowruz tradition. 
• Eidi:  Remember to set aside eidi for the children. They usually receive gifts or a small sum of money from their parents and close relatives such as grandparents, aunts and uncles. 
• Sofreh Haft-Seen: Gather everything you'll need for your haft-seen spread, including the seven items that start with the letter seen (S) in Persian, Spring flowers (Hyacinth, tulips), mirror, candle, goldfish, sweets and ajil (mixed nuts). 

Sal-Tahvil 

• Gathering around the Haft-Seen Table: At the exact time of the vernal equinox, gather around your beautiful haft seen table with your children in their new outfits and celebrate the arrival of the new year and the rejuvenation of nature.
• Nowruz Lunch or Dinner: The traditional Nowruz menu includes sabzi polow mahi, sabzi polow, mahi, kookoo/kuku sabzi, reshteh polow.

After the Sal-Tahvil

• Did o Bazdid: During the 13 days of Nowruz celebration it is customary to visit your close family members and relatives starting with the eldest and the closest and they too visit you back in your home. Have your fruit platter, ajil, sweets and freshly brewed tea ready!
• Sizdah Bedar: Spending a day outdoors on the 13th day of Farvardin (the first month of the Iranian solar calendar) with family and friends to get rid of bad luck. 

Somagh


Sonbol

Homeless Lottery Winner

We need more people like these in this world!

The Art of Making the Perfect Sabzeh!

Every year around this time I start preparing my Sabzeh for Norooz. I have to admit it has taken me a while to get that perfect green bunch. My sabzeh used to look like a bald head with a few remaining hair! But after many trial and errors I can get a pretty nice Sabzeh for my haft sin. Here are some tips: I use Sadaf brand wheat that's labeled "Gandom Sabzeh" or regular lentil "adas" Soak the contents for two days and change the water daily. On the thrid day you should notice some roots starting to sprout. That's when you need to drain the water and pour them in your special dish. Don't be stingy and make sure you cover the dish to the top. This will help your sabzeh be full and green. Next soak a paper towel and cover the entire surface. Keep the towel wet by spraying it with a water bottle twice a day. Don't let it dry out. Once you see the sprouts are pushing the towel you can remove the paper towel. However you still need to spray it twice a day and keep it where it could get indirect sun light. Too much sun will make it turn yellow. Once it's nice and full don't forget to tie a nice red ribbon around it and save it for 13 be dar.

Nuttela Caramel Short Bread Brownies

These brownies are very delicious and moist. What you need is: One cup flour One cup butter 1/2 cup sugar Set oven for 350 degrees. Mix these ingredients and press in baking pan. Bake for 10 minutes and set aside. One cup Nuttela One bar salted caramel chocolate bar Traders Joe brand 3/4 cup flour 3 eggs 1 cup butter 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup walnuts Beat eggs, sugar and and butter. Add flour, nuts, chocolate and Nuttela. Pour mixture over short bread. Bake for 40 minutes.

Valentine Glow Sticks

These are my valentine presents to my first graders today :)

Valentines Cookies

I made these cookies for Sheerins friends  since they are having a valentines day celebration and it's her friends birthday. It was very simple and quick!

Ingredients 

1 egg

1 cup sugar

1 cup butter

3 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 cup butterscotch chips

1 cup melted caramels

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp almond extract

Beat egg and sugar until soft. Add flour baking powder and butter. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and the butterscotch chips. I used my kitchen aid so it was easy to make the dough. 

Cut small pieces and using a cookie cutter cut out your cookies. Preheat oven to 350 and  bake for 15 min

In a small bowl microwave the caramel pieces with 1/4 cup milk until melted.

When cookies are cool spread the caramel over the cookies and sprinkle the top.

Yalda a Persian Celebration of the Winter Equinox

I made this korsi for shab Yalda at our Farsi School. Persians celebrate the winter equinox with special snacks and reading poetry. Here is a more complete history:

The Festival of "Yalda" - Winter Solstice Celebrations/Traditions in Iran The winter solstice, December 21st or 22nd, is the longest night of the year. For example, this year, on 21st December London (England) will see only seven hours and 49 minutes of daylight. Near the winter solstice, the length of the day changes very slowly, as does the Sun's height in the sky - one of the reasons why the long winter nights seem to go on forever! In Iran, the winter solstice has been celebrated for centuries and it is called Shab-e yalda, which refers to the birthday or rebirth of the sun. Yalda is a Syriac word and means birth (tavalod and meelaad are from the same origin). The ceremony is traced to the primal concept of Light and Good against Darkness and Evil in the ancient Iranian religion. This night with Evil at its zenith is considered unlucky. The last day of the Persian month of 'Azar' is the longest night of the year. From this day forward, Light triumphs as the days grow longer and give more light. This celebration comes in the Persian month of 'Day', which was also the name of the pre-Zoroastrian creator god (deity). Later he became known as the God of creation and Light, from which we have the English word day (the period of light in 24 hours). The Persians adopted their annual renewal festival from the Babylonians and incorporated it into the rituals of their own Zoroastrian religion. The occasion was celebrated in the festival of 'Daygan' dedicated to Ahura Mazda, the Lord of Wisdom. Fires would be burnt all night to ensure the defeat of the forces of Ahriman (principle Evil). There would be feasts, acts of charity and a number of deities honoured and prayers performed to ensure the total victory of the sun that was essential for the protection of winter crops. There would be prayers to Mithra (Mehr) and feasts in his honour, since Mithra is the Eyzad (deity) responsible for protecting " the early morning light", known as 'Havangah'. It was also assumed that Ahura Mazda would grant people's wishes. Early Christians took this very ancient Persian celebration and linked it to Christ's birthday. Today, the date for Christmas has slightly changed, but there are many similarities such as, lighting candles, decorating trees with lights, staying up all night, singing and dancing, eating special foods, paying visits to family and friends, ...

Persimmon Cake

Yasmin and I made this cake with some persimmons we had this fall. It turned out very moist and delicious! Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

4 large ripe persimmons
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 3/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter or vegetable oil, room temperature
3 extra large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup toasted walnuts

Directions:

Peel and smash the persimmons and set aside
preheat oven to 350 degress
Beat eggs , sugar and vanilla
Add flour, baking soda and spices
Add butter or vegetable oil
pour in your persimmons and mix together with walnuts
transfer batter to prepared pan
bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out dry

Chicken Zucchini Enchilada

I made this chicken enchilada as a low carb alternative to the regular one.

Here's the recipe. It's quick and very easy!

One pound chicken breast

Six zucchini's

Half an onion

One can of diced tomatoes 

One cup parmesian cheese

Cook the chicken breast with some salt and pepper and set aside

Cook the zucchini's for ten minutes or until soft

Chop the onion into small peieces and sauté with olive oil

Meanwhile cut the zucchini's the long way and take out the flesh with a spoon

Add the flesh to the onions

Shred the cooked chicken and add it to the onion mix. Add your favorite seasoning at this point. 

Next set the zucchini's side by side in a pirex. Pour the chicken mix over the zucchini's. 

Add the can of diced tomatoes over the mixture. 

Top with the shredded parmesian cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 15 min.

I made these orange glazed scones and they turned out pretty good. Here is the recipe for those of you who are interested, It's from a site called my baking addiction and they have amazing recipes  :)

Glazed Orange Scones

PREP TIME: 15 minutes YIELD: 8 scones COOK TIME: 15-17 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

For the Scones

1/3 cup sugar
zest of two medium oranges
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, frozen
1/2 cup Green Valley Organics Lactose Free Sour Cream
1 large egg

For the Glaze

3 tablespoons unsalted butter; melted
1 cup confectioners’ sugar; sifted
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

DIRECTIONS:

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a medium bowl, combine sugar and orange zest; mix with your fingertips until the sugar is moistened and fragrant. Add in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and mix until combined.

3. Grate butter into flour mixture on the large holes of a box grater; use your fingers to work in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

4. In a small bowl, whisk the sour cream and egg until smooth.

5. Using a fork, stir sour cream mixture into flour mixture until large dough clumps form. Use your hands to press the dough against the bowl into a ball. The dough will be sticky first, but as you press, the dough will come together.

6. Place on a lightly floured surface and pat into a 7-inch circle about 3/4-inch thick. Use a sharp knife to cut into 8 triangles; place on prepared baking sheet, about 1 inch apart. Bake until golden, about 15 to 17 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes and prepare the glaze.

7. In a medium bowl, prepare the glaze by mixing together the melted butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and orange juice. Whisk until smooth. Dip the top of the scones into the glaze and allow the glaze to harden. At this point, you can leave them as is or go for the double dip. I glazed my scones twice.

Here is a link to the actual recipe and blog http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/glazed-orange-scones/

Farsi School Norooz Celebration

Here is the flyer for our Farsi school Norooz celebration. Hoping that it will be a success!!

Absent!

I just noticed I've been absent from my blog for a while! We get so busy with work, life, kids, and every thing else that we forget the little pleasures. Well since the last post I've been teaching first grade at a school in West Sacramento. The kids are 13 and 9! My sister has moved to our neighborhood (woohoo!) I wanted to make an effort and put more pictures and recipe's of food...