Kashmir x Iran

Kashmiri walnut chicken fesenjan

A walnut and pomegranate stew from Iran, spiced with Kashmir's fennel and dry ginger.

90 minTime

45 gProtein each

mildSpice

Make it your way

Grandma's wayThe original. Handle with reverence.

The original

883kcalsame

45 gproteinsame

6 gfibresame

90minutessame

Per serving, worked out from the ingredient table.

Walnuts1½ cups

Ghee2 tbsp

Onion2, finely chopped

Turmeric (ground turmeric)½ tsp

Chicken, curry cut (bone in chicken, small pieces)700 g, bone in pieces

Fennel seeds1 tsp, ground

Dry ginger powder (ground ginger)½ tsp

Kashmiri chilli powder1½ tsp

Cardamom½ tsp

Cinnamon powder¼ tsp

Water2 cups

Pomegranate molasses4 tbsp

Jaggery2 tsp

Saltto taste

Basmati rice1¼ cups

Saffrona pinch, in 2 tbsp warm water

Pomegranate seedsa handful of arils

Mint leavesa few leaves

6 steps

1Toast the walnuts in a dry pan on low heat for 6 minutes. Cool and grind fine until they turn into an oily paste.
2Heat the ghee in a heavy pot on medium heat. Cook the onions 10 minutes until golden, add the turmeric, then brown the chicken 6 minutes.
3Add the walnut paste, fennel, dry ginger, chilli, cardamom, cinnamon and water. Cover and simmer on low heat 30 minutes, stirring now and then.
4Stir in the pomegranate molasses, jaggery and salt. Simmer uncovered 15 minutes until the chicken has no pink near the bone.
5Boil the rice in plenty of salted water for 10 minutes, drain, return to the pot, drizzle the saffron water over and steam covered on low heat 10 minutes.
6Serve the chicken over the rice with pomegranate and mint.

Serve it like this

Spoon saffron rice into a ring on a warm plate, set the chicken in the centre, pour the sauce over and scatter arils and torn mint.

Bloom picks tonight's dinner for your diet and allergies, then cooks it with you step by step.