Khoresh Fesenjan Recipe (Persain Walnut And Pomegranate Stew)

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Fesenjoon or Khoresh Fesenjan is an authentic Persian walnut pomegranate stew. This food is one of the most famous Persian foods. Today’s food can have different tastes, sweet, sour, or a mixture of them. This flexible food can be cooked with chicken or meatball, and if you are a fan of vegetarian foods, use other alternatives.

Fesenjoon ingredients are mainly walnut and pomegranate molasses (paste). Fesenjoon is an exceptional food in my paternal family, and all the family members gather to eat this lovely food.

Fesenjan in Iran is served with rice. I suggest you to make Tahdig with your rice and pour Fesenjoon stew on it when eating. Stay with us to see how this dish is made with Khoresh Fesenjan Recipe.

Khoresh Fesenjan Recipe Ingredients

Let’s learn a couple of tips about some of the Fesenjān ingredients like walnut and pomegranate molasses.

Walnut for Fesenjan Stew

Walnut is in the family of nuts. it is full of nutrition, and some researches say that eating 1-2 walnut per day can be very beneficial for your body and mind.

Pomegranate molasses (paste) for Fesenjoon Khoresht

Pomegranate molasses is a concentrated syrup of pomegranate juice. It is used in Persian foods like Shami kebab, Joojeh Torsh, kebab Torsh (meat with pomegranate and walnut taste), or some chicken recipes. According to discoversecretgardens.com, “Pomegranate juice contains antioxidants and B vitamins that provide various health benefits. Pomegranate molasses contains antioxidants, mainly vitamin C, that is beneficial to your immune system. When you digest food, a process called oxidation takes place wherein molecules called free radicals are formed.”

Khoresh e Fesenjan Recipe

Cooking Fesenjoon stew has two steps. The first one is making Fesenjan sauce, and the second one is making meat or chicken and then adding it to the sauce.

Khoresh-e Fesenjan Sauce Recipe

First, we need to finely grind 250 gr walnut in a food processor (do not make it like walnut butter, the nuts should be a little crunchy). Then pour the ground walnut into a pan, and toast them without oil for about 10 minutes on medium heat while stirring frequently.

ground walnut for Fesenjan recipe — ground walnut for Fesenjan

After toasting the walnut:

Pour 4 cups of boiling water into it.
Cover the pan and let them cook for at least 90 minutes on low heat (if you have more time, let it cook more. it will be more delicious).
Add 1 cup of pomegranate molasses, cover the pan, and let them cook for 20 minutes.

Our Fesenjan sauce is ready. Now it is time to add chicken or meatball. For making chicken or meatball follow their instructions below.

Persian Pomegranate Chicken Recipe

While the sauce is cooking, chop one medium-sized onion into small pieces. Saute onion pieces with four tablespoons of vegetable oil.
When the onion pieces turn golden, place 500 gr boneless chicken or 1 kg chicken with bone on them. It is your choice to use which part of the chicken, but using parts with fewer bones is easier to eat with stew.
Add ½ tablespoon turmeric, one tablespoon salt, ½ tablespoon black pepper, and three tablespoons of bloomed saffron to the chicken. Saute both sides of the chicken till making them golden-brown.
Add 1/2 cup of water to the chicken, cover the pan and let them cook for about 45 minutes on low heat.
After cooking the chicken, place them in the Fesenjan sauce, and let them cook for 30 minutes together with lid on low heat.
After 30 minutes, taste the stew. If you prefer sour stew, add more pomegranate molasses, and if you like sweet one, add sugar to Fesenjoon. Our delicious chicken Fesenjoon is ready. Enjoy it!

Persian Pomegranate and Walnut Recipe with Meatballs

While the sauce is cooking, grate one medium-sized onion or chop it into tiny pieces. Discard the onion juice, and mix the onion with 500 gr ground meat.
Add ½ tablespoon black pepper, one tablespoon salt, and ½ tablespoon turmeric to the meat and onion mixture and stir well. Then make small meatballs with the meat.
Heat a pan, and add four tablespoons of vegetable oil. Saute all sides of meatballs till making them brown.
Now our meatballs are ready .Add them to the Fesenjoon sauce, cover the pan, and let them cook for 30 minutes on low heat.
Then taste the stew, and if you prefer sour Fesenjoon, add more pomegranate molasses. If you like it sweet, add sugar to the stew. The fantastic meatball Fesenjoon is ready. Bon appetit!

Notes for Fesenjoon Stew Recipe

Add two ice cubes at last in Fesenjoon. This shock will release the walnut oil, and make our food tastier.
In north of Iran, people use duck instead of chicken.
You can buy pomegranate molasses from Persian or middle eastern markets.
The stew should not be too watery or too thick. If it is watery, heat it without a lid as much as you want.
You can freeze Fesenjoon stew, and for reheating, add half a cup of water, and put it on low heat.
Garnish it with pomegranate seeds

How to Serve Fesenjoon?

Serve it hot with steamed rice. Never lose Tahdig with Fesenjoon. Pour stew on the rice and Tahdig and serve it. Enjoy your meal!

What Does Fesenjan Stew Taste Like?

Like Persian pomegranate chicken, this stew can have a sour or sweet taste depending on how much sugar is added and how much pomegranate molasses is used. This meal has a sweet and sour taste that leans more toward the sour side. My family likes to make it. So, while some people add sugar, I typically don’t. Honestly, it all depends on your preference for sweetness.

Fesenjan Variations

Other proteins can also be used to make this stew with Persian pomegranate and walnuts. This dish is usually made using duck in northern Iran. Nevertheless, these days, chicken is primarily used to make fesenjoon because duck is not easily accessible.

Some families include meatballs in their fesenjan recipe. To do this, fry the meatballs individually and then add them to the sauce in the last ten to fifteen minutes to finish cooking.

How to Store Khoresh Fesenjan?

For up to four days, keep the leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Usually, this stew is even delicious the next day!

This Persian stewed chicken is also excellent frozen. After allowing it to cool fully, keep it in a freezer-safe container and freeze for a maximum of two months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before serving.

Fesenjan should be reheated by placing it in a small saucepan and setting the heat to medium low. To keep it from sticking to the pot, stir from time to time. The whole process of reheating takes around twenty minutes.

Did You Make This Recipe?

Please let me know how it was by leaving a comment!
You can ask me questions about Fesenjoun in the comments. I will answer your questions as soon as possible.
I would love to see your Khoresht Fesenjan! Please tag me with @cookingcounty on Facebook or Instagram and make me happy!

FAQs on Khoresh Fesenjoon Recipe

Which kind of meat works best for Fesenjan?

Duck or chicken are the most often utilized meats in Fesenjan cuisine. Some versions, nevertheless, call for lamb or even meatballs. You may use tofu, mushrooms, or eggplant in place of the beef to make a vegetarian version.

Can I prepare a vegetarian or vegan Fesenjan?

Indeed, you can substitute vegetables like eggplant, mushrooms, or tofu for the beef to produce a vegan or vegetarian version.

If the stew is too thin, how can I make it thicker?

Allow your Fesenjan to simmer uncovered for an extended period of time to reduce the liquid content if it’s overly runny.

Khoresh-e-Fesenjoon (Persain Walnut And Pomegranate Stew)

Recipe by FerdosCourse: Main coursesCuisine: Persian foodDifficulty: Medium

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

hours

minutes

Calories

320

kcal

Fesenjoon or Khoresh Fesenjan is an authentic Persian walnut pomegranate stew. It can be sweet, sour, or a mixture of them. Fesenjoon ingredients are mainly walnut and pomegranate molasses (paste) served with chicken or meatball.

Ingredients

Fesenjoon sauce
250 gr walnut
4 cups of boiling water
1 cup of pomegranate molasses
Chicken
500 gr boneless chicken or 1 kg chicken with bone
1 medium-sized onion
½ tablespoon turmeric
½ tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon salt
3 tablespoons of bloomed saffron
1/2 cup of water
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
Meatball
one medium-sized onion
500 gr ground meat
½ tablespoon black pepper
½ tablespoon turmeric
1 tablespoon salt
4 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions

Grind 250 gr walnut in a food processor (do not make it like walnut butter, the nuts should be a little crunchy).
Pour the ground walnut into a pan and toast them without oil for about 10 minutes on medium heat while stirring frequently.
Pour 4 cups of boiling water into it.
Cover the pan and let them cook for at least 90 minutes on low heat (if you have more time, let it cook more. it will be more delicious).
Add 1 cup of pomegranate molasses, cover the pan, and let them cook for 20 minutes.
Our Fesenjan sauce is ready. Now it is time to add chicken or meatball. For making chicken or meatball follow their instructions below.
Chicken Fesenjan
While the sauce is cooking, chop one medium-sized onion into small pieces.
Saute onion pieces with four tablespoons of vegetable oil.
When the onion pieces turned golden, place 500 gr boneless chicken or 1 kg chicken with bone on them. It is your choice to use which part of the chicken, but using parts with fewer bones is easier to eat with stew.
Add ½ tablespoon turmeric, one tablespoon salt, ½ tablespoon black pepper, and three tablespoons of bloomed saffron to the chicken.
Saute both sides of the chicken till making them golden-brown.
Add ½ cup of water to the chicken, cover the pan and let them cook for about 45 minutes on low heat.
After cooking the chicken, place them in the Fesenjan sauce and cook for 30 minutes together with cover on low heat.
Taste the stew, if you prefer sour stew, add more pomegranate molasses. And if you like sweet stew, add sugar to Fesenjoon. Our delicious chicken Fesenjoon is ready. Enjoy it!
Fesenjan recipe with meatballs
While the sauce is cooking, grate one medium-sized onion or chop it into tiny pieces.
Discard the onion juice and mix the onion with 500 gr ground meat.
Add ½ tablespoon black pepper, one tablespoon salt, and ½ tablespoon turmeric to the meat and onion mixture and stir well.
Make small meatballs with the meat.
Heat a pan and add four tablespoons of vegetable oil. Saute all sides of meatballs till making them brown.
Now our meatballs are ready .Add them to the Fesenjoon sauce, cover the pan and let them cook for 30 minutes on low heat.
Taste the stew, if you prefer sour stew, add more pomegranate molasses. If you like sweet stew, add sugar to the stew. The fantastic meatball Fesenjoon is ready. Bon appetit!
Serve
Serve it hot with steamed rice. Never lose Tahdig with Fesenjoon. Pour stew on the rice and Tahdig and enjoy it.

Recipe Video

Notes

Add two ice cubes at last in the Fesenjoon. This shock will release the walnut oil and make it tastier.
In north of Iran, people use duck instead of chicken.
You can buy pomegranate molasses in Persian or middle eastern markets.
The stew should not be too watery or too thick. If it is watery, heat it without a lid till you want.
You can freeze Fesenjoon stew.
To reheat the stew, add half a cup of water and put it on low heat.
Garnish it with pomegranate seeds