The Beats have so much fun geeking out about Persian food with Dan Ahdoot, a comic actor/writer, and most recently, very first Persian with his own show on Primetime TV! Dan will be the host of a new show that follows “Chopped” on the Food Network (first show airing on Dec. 28th) called “Raid the Fridge”. Help us support Dan in what is sure to be a hit show - with Dan’s wit and energy, this is going to be a cooking show like no other.
What Dan, doesn’t like to eat in terms of Persian food:
- Quince! He doesn’t like the way it sounds in Farsi, “beh”... and he is not a fan of too much sweet mixed into his savory meals, specifically as in Khoresh eh Beh, Persian stew made with quince fruit
- “Garagharoot”! The most sour lavashak you can get, made from cooked down kashk. In Dan’s terms, it’s sour in a weird, bovine way, resembling bile (!)
Side note: Dan is a huge fan of most Persian foods - an under-represented food cuisine with delicious flavors and a rich history, coming not from poverty but from royalty.
What Dan, does like, and in fact, loves eating in terms of Persian food:
Essentially anything that consists of mashed up beans and meat (Dan has a type!), what he refers to as Persian truck driver food. Dan loves the expression “meechaspeh” which is used to describe rib sticking comfort foods and literally is translated from Farsi as meaning “sticking”.
- Dizi/ Deezi - Ab Ghousht
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- Loves the paste made when the beans and meat are mashed together along with some sangak bread into a type of delicious, comforting paste
- Kaleh Paacheh - organ soup
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- A super viscous soup made from cooked down head and hooves - in Iran most often prepared with lamb. In the U.S., often made using beef. Cooked with standard Persian base of friend onions and turmeric. Traditionally also has Seville oranges (sour oranges).
- Dan prefers it cooked fresh by his mom vs from a restaurant
- Aasheh Sholeh Ghalamkhar…to Dan, the most comforting of all Persian soups
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- The ‘ugly step-sister’ of the more popular, iconic Persian soup or aash, Aash Reshteh
- Made with meat, beans, and herbs
Tie in to Dan’s new show on Food Networks, Raid the Fridge (first show Dec. 28th)
What is the show - Four chefs and four mystery refrigerators. Chefs will choose a fridge and create a meal, for example an omelet, using only the ingredients that are in their chosen fridge. The winner is awarded $10k bucks!
- Use the ingredients you have to create Persian flavors and dishes
- Normalize Persian ingredients by incorporating them into other dishes - example, Dan loves to sprinkle ground limoo amani (Persian dried limes) on just about everything, especially on his ramen noodles!
References:
Joon Rice Truck - mini tahchin in Queens Night Market
Reference to Chef Beeta Mohajari of Orange County Beetz Eats
Find more about Dan at https://www.standupdan.com and Dan Ahdoot (@standupdan)
All Modern Persian Food episodes can be found at: Episodes
Co-host Beata Nazem Kelley blog: BeatsEats – Persian Girl Desperately Addicted to Food!
Co-host Bita Arabian blog: Oven Hug - Healthy Persian Recipes | Modern Persian Recipes
Podcast production by Alvarez Audio