Koei Tare

Originally Gilani dish known as Koei Tare or Kadu Fesenjan, like other dishes of this province is so tasty and nutritious. Koei means pumpkin in the local dialect.

Ingredients for 4 People

Walnut kernels 200 g

Pumpkin 1 kg

Onion 500 g

Blue eryngo (Chuchagh-local herb) 1 cup

Sour pomegranate paste 2 tablespoons

Water   as needed

Salt, turmeric, black pepper and angelica    as needed

Koei Tare Recipe

Step 1

To prepare a delicious Koei Tare, first wash the pumpkin, peel and dice it into medium cubes. Then, peel the onion, wash it and chop into large dices.

Step 2

Now put a suitable pot on low heat, pour some oil, add the onion quickly and sauté. Next, add the diced pumpkins into the pot and mix.

Step 3

In this step, add 3 glasses of water to the pot containing pumpkin, then put the pot lid and let the pumpkin cook completely, then drain the water. Next, remove the walnut shells and put the kernels into the grinder.

Step 4

Grind the walnut kernels until it is completely powdered, then put it into a suitable pot. Then, put the pot on medium heat, add the sour pomegranate paste to the walnut meal and mix.

Step 5

At this step, add salt and turmeric to the walnut mixture, then add 2 glasses of water gradually to the walnut meal and pomegranate paste and keep stirring until the walnuts and pomegranate paste dissolve. Then put the pot lid.

Step 6

Now let the walnuts cook fully and the walnut oil gets out. Add a small amount of cold water to the walnut mixture 3 times during the cook, then put the pot lid. Next, when the pumpkin is fully cooked and the water is evaporated, remove it from the heat.

Step 7

At this step, pour the mixture of pumpkin and onion into a food processor and mix until it becomes puree. Next, wash the local herb and put it in a colander to drain the excess water completely.

Step 8

Now put the herb “Chuchagh” on a cutting board and chop finely. Next, place a suitable pan on medium heat, add Chuchagh and sauté until it loses water.

Step 9

At this step, when the excess water of the herb is completely drained, pour some liquid oil in the pan and sauté the herb. Then, when the walnut oil has come out, add the fried Chuchagh into the walnut mixture.

Step 10

Now stir the walnut mixture, add pumpkin and onion puree to it and mix. Next, put the pot lid and let the Koei Tare stew remain on the heat for 30 minutes until it is fully cooked and has thickened.

Step 11

At this step, put a piece of iron on high heat and let it get so hot. In the last ten minutes of cooking, put the iron in the stew and put the pot lid, leave it on the heat for 10 minutes.

Step 12

Finally, after this time, remove the piece of iron from the stew, add salt and angelica and mix. At the end, take the stew off the heat and pour it in your preferred dish, then serve with rice. Enjoy.