This is the perfect tropical-esque salad to bridge that time of spring when the weather is intermittently cool and warm. Got some winter citrus leftover in the fridge? Toss them in with creamy avocados and mangoes and you’ve got a bright, tart and slightly sweet salad that comes together in a matter of minutes.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lime juice
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
salt and pepper to taste
2 mangoes, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 avocados, peeled, pitted and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 orange, peeled and cut into 1-inch segments
2 teaspoons unsweetened shredded dried coconut
Whisk together parsley, oil, lime and orange juices, jalapeno, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add mangoes, avocado, and orange and toss gently to combine. Cover and refrigerate for one hour.
To serve, transfer salad to a serving bowl and sprinkle with coconut.
This recipe is by no means authentic, and I’ve turned it into a sort of easy red curry-meets-larb situation but the results are delicious and healthy. All you need is 20 minutes and a skillet and you’re set.
Ingredients:
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 3-inch piece ginger, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
2 cups cooked jasmine rice
1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons avocado oil
1 pound ground chicken
1 serrano chile, thinly sliced
1 cup salted dry-roasted peanuts
1 cup cilantro leaves
1/2 cup mint leaves
Lettuce leaves and lime wedges, for serving
Place red onion and ginger in a medium bowl of ice water and let soak while you prepare the chicken and rice.
Using your hands, toss rice and half of curry paste in a medium bowl to roughly coat. Set aside.
Stir lime juice, fish sauce, and sugar in a large bowl until sugar is dissolved.
Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Add chicken and spread into a thin, even layer; season with salt. Cook, undisturbed, until golden brown underneath, about 5 minutes. Add remaining curry paste and cook, stirring and breaking up into bite-size pieces, until chicken is cooked through, about 2 minutes. Transfer to bowl with dressing.
Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in the same skillet. Add reserved rice mixture and cook, undisturbed, until slightly golden underneath, about 5 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and add to bowl with dressing and chicken.
Drain red onion and ginger; add to bowl with chicken and rice, along with chile, peanuts, cilantro, and mint. Mix to combine.
Transfer rice mixture to a platter. Serve with lettuce for wrapping and lime wedges for squeezing over.
Butter chicken is ubiquitous on every Indian restaurant menu, but there’s no reason you can’t make it at home. This warming dish is easily made a day ahead and can reheated to be served with rice. I like to serve it with tahdig, sabzi khordan, and torshi on the side for an Indian-Iranian mashup. Trust me, it works.
In a large bowl, stir together the garam masala, cumin, turmeric, cardamom, paprika, cinnamon, and oregano. Add the chicken and turn to coat all the pieces. Set aside for 10 minutes.
Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the oil and the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for another minute, stirring.
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan, then add the chicken and any leftover spices and sprinkle with the salt. Cook for 5 minutes, turning the chicken halfway through when it releases easily from the pan, then add the crushed tomatoes, butter, coconut milk, bay leaf, and lemon juice. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through and tender, about 30 minutes. Season with additional salt and lemon juice, if desired. Serve warm.
Think of this easy one-dish meal as a deconstructed pita sandwich, except crunchier, saucier, and more delicious. Adapted from Bon Appetit, it’s not an authentic recipe by any means but the combination of creamy tahini and spicy harissa will earn a spot in your regular dinner rotation.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup tahini
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1 red onion, finely chopped
6 green onions, white and green parts separated, thinly sliced
8 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup harissa
1 pound ground beef
1 8-ounce bag pita chips
1/2 cup coarsely chopped herbs (such as parsley, cilantro, or mint)
Whisk tahini, lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 cup room temperature water in a small bowl until smooth; set tahini sauce aside.
Heat oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high. Cook red onion, white parts of green onions, and garlic, stirring occasionally, until onions are tender and golden brown in spots, about 8-10 minutes.
Add harissa, remaining 3/4 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 cup water. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring often, until harissa is slightly darkened and oil beads on surface, about 5 minutes. Add beef and 1/2 cup water and cook, stirring often to break up meat, until water is mostly evaporated and beef is cooked through, 10-12 minutes. Remove from heat and mix in green parts of green onion.
Spread half of reserved tahini sauce on a platter; spoon beef mixture over. Top with a handful of pita chips and remaining tahini sauce, then herbs. Gently mix to barely combine. Serve with more pita chips for scooping or dipping.
Remember when black garlic was all the health food rage? I loved the trend because black garlic tastes just like seer torshi (Iranian pickled garlic), except it doesn’t take a literal decade to make. It’s a little harder to find black garlic these days but it’s worth it, especially for this broccoli salad that you’ll want to eat straight out of the bowl.
The vinaigrette makes more than you’ll need, but that’s okay, because you’ll want to put it on everything. Think of it as a seer torshi dressing.
Ingredients:
For the black garlic vinaigrette:
2/3 cup rice vinegar
1/3 cup water
4 dried shiitake mushrooms
1/4 cup black garlic cloves
1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons grated garlic
3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1/4 cup olive oil
For the broccoli:
4 cups fresh broccoli florets
1/4 cup avocado oil, divided
Labneh (optional)
2 tablespoons salted roasted sunflower seeds
Make the vinaigrette: combine vinegar, 1/3 cup boiling water, and mushrooms in a small heatproof bowl; cover. Let stand, covered, at room temperature until mushrooms are soft, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a blender; add black garlic, brown sugar, grated garlic, and salt. Process until finely chopped, about 30 seconds. Add the olive oil and process until smooth, about 1 minute, stopping to scrape down sides as needed.
Make the broccoli: Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil over high. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Add broccoli to boiling water, and cook until bright green and crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Transfer broccoli to ice water, and let stand until cool, about 1 minute. Drain well. Place broccoli on a clean kitchen towel; let stand until ready to use.
Heat 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Place half of broccoli in skillet, and cook, without stirring, until very caramelized and deeply charred on one side, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip florets over, and cook until charred, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and remaining broccoli florets.
Toss broccoli with 1/3 cup black garlic vinaigrette and season with additional salt to taste. Spread labneh, if using, on a serving platter, and top with broccoli. Sprinkle with sunflower seeds.
