Saba Hamidi

Persian food with Saba Hamidi from @SabaPazz

“The fun thing about Persian cooking is that it feels like you're constructing a dish. It's not just cooking a dish. It usually has layers that need to be visually appealing, and then they usually have many layers of scent. Like flowery and sweet and sour. You can almost smell all of them…I feel immediately like I'm back at home.”

 

Dinner with Saba

On a sunny, Sunday afternoon, Saba welcomed us into her cozy apartment in Harlem. She greeted us with tea and a beautiful platter of nuts, fruit and cheeses. Then we got to watch as Saba prepared an incredible, 5-course Persian feast.

 

APPETIZER:

Kashk o Bademjoon

This creamy, roasted eggplant dip is served warm, with a traditional Persian flatbread called Noon Sangak.

Saba starts by salting the eggplant to draw out extra moisture, before pan-frying them. The fried eggplant is mixed with sauteed onions and garlic, then simmered with a whey sauce to give it a creamy texture.

 

SALAD:

Salad Shirazi

This bright and crisp salad is a simple mix of diced tomato, cucumber, and onion dressed with lemon juice and salt.

 

MAIN DISHES:

Khoreshte Seeb o Aalbaloo ba Mahicheh

Inspired by Saba's grandmother, she braised lamb shanks in a fragrant plumb sauce, then topped them with sauteed apples, sour cherries, and pistachios.

Shirin Polo

This iconic Persian "jeweled rice" dish is truly a showstopper, packed with fragrance, flavor, and texture. Saba starts by boiling rice until it is al dente, then drains it. She pours oil into a pot then layers in tortillas (sometimes rice or potatoes) to make the tahdig, the crispy layer at the bottom of the pan.

The par-boiled rice is added back in, then Saba pokes three tunnels to the bottom of the pan, adds water, and lets the rice steam the rest of the way, getting light and fluffy as the tahdig becomes golden and crispy.

Just before serving, the rice is mixed with fragrant saffron and rosewater, then artfully topped with sauteed carrots, almonds, and Zereshk, or barberries.

 

DESSERT:

Sholeh Zard

Our meal finished with a fragrant saffron rice pudding with almonds, rosewater, cardamom, cinnamon, and pistachios.

 

“My whole family, probably a hundred people, would be in my grandma's house. Everyone helped chop and cook at the same time. And then you would spread a sheet down the living room and everyone would sit on the ground together around the sheet and eat food.”

 

Want to try some of these amazing Persian dishes?

Attend one of Saba's dinners!

Follow us on Instagram (@SabaPazz and @OurNewYorkTable) for information about upcoming dates and tickets. All proceeds will benefit community solar projects through the Solar Equity Collective.

“I've been exploring this idea of cooking and creating dining experiences to help raise funds for projects that benefit a community…So I'm hoping to find people who are really interested in food, but also interested in experiencing Persian culture and hopefully getting these projects going.”