Fesenjoon

Chicken cooked slowly in walnuts and pomegranate. Sweet, sour and deep.

3 hours Serves 4

then we play

Gerdoo Bazi

The walnut game. An old Iranian street game: a little hole, a line, and a pocket full of walnuts.

2+ players 20 min

EPISODE 01

Watch the episode

your score

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Cook the dish and play the game to collect both.

the plate

What goes in the pot

Shopping list 0 of 8

Chicken thighs 1 kg Walnuts 500 g Pomegranate molasses 5 tbsp Onions 2 Sugar 1 tbsp Turmeric and salt 1 tsp each Basmati rice 2 cups Extra walnuts for the game 10 each

How to cook it

1 Toast the walnuts in a dry pan for 5 minutes, then grind them fine.

2 Fry the chopped onions in a little oil until golden. Stir in the turmeric.

3 Add the walnuts and 4 cups of water. Simmer on low for about 1.5 hours, stirring now and then, until the walnut oil rises to the top.

4 Stir in the pomegranate molasses, salt and sugar. Taste it: it should be both sweet and sour.

5 Brown the chicken, add it to the pot and cook 45 minutes more. Serve with saffron rice.

Tip: the longer it simmers, the darker and richer it gets.

the play

How to play it

Why this game?

Walnuts are the heart of fesenjoon. In this game, they are the prize.

You need

10 walnuts each A small hole or a bowl Chalk for the line

1 Make a small hole in the ground, or use a bowl. Draw a line a few steps away.

2 Everyone puts the same number of walnuts in the game.

3 Take turns throwing walnuts from the line. Every walnut that lands in the hole is yours.

4 Now flick the rest in with one finger. Miss, and the turn passes on.

5 Most walnuts at the end wins. Then the walnuts go in the fesenjoon.