Name: Pomegranate Khoresh
Prep time: 30 minutes Cooking time
Cook time: 30 minutes
Total time: 1 hour
Yield: Servings: 4
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, butter, or ghee; 2 small onions, peeled and thinly sliced; 1 pound skinless and boneless chicken or duck breast cut into thin strips; 2 large carrots or 1 pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into thin strips; 1/2 pound shelled walnuts, toasted; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/2 cup pomegranate paste diluted in 2 1/2 cups water or 4 cups fresh pomegranate juice; 2 tablespoons sugar; 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon; 1/4 teaspoon ground saffron threads, dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot water (optional); 1 cup fresh pomegranate seeds; 1/4 cup walnuts, toasted

(Khoresh-e fesenjan)

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from Najmieh Batmanglij's book A Taste of Persia. Batmanglij also shared some helpful cooking tips exclusively with Epicurious, which we've added at the bottom of the page.

To read more about Batmanglij and Persian cuisine, click here.

Traditionally this recipe is made with duck: The affinity between pomegranate and duck goes back to ancient times in Persia. Fourth-century Persian manuals describe the domestication of the male duck, fed on hemp seeds and the butter of olives. The finest meal possible was one of these ducks served in a pomegranate sauce. This recipe recreates that ancient dish.

Recipe notes

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