Jahanshah Javid
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Chef Hamed
29-Sep-2010
Blahaluizatér... be samte chap... az Mc donalds ke begzari hessabi... yek restourante irani hast... nemikhai unja nahar bokhori? kuchulueh... bayad khub tavajoh koni...
An Iranian restaurant in Budapest? I had been to the fancy Shiraz Perzsa Étterem, but not this hole in the wall. Perzsa Büfé - Teheran [photos]. Neither of them offer great food, but just a hint of the real thing. My mouth was watering. I was in the mood for some ghormeh sabzi.
I had no problem finding it, surprisingly. It was 11:30 on Sunday. I was probably the first customer. The server, a skinny young Afghani man, looked shell-shocked. Scared, shy, kind. I asked for some ghormeh sabzi with white rice and maast o khiyar. As my plate warmed in the microwave, I started a conversation in Farsi (Persian? Ok! Persian!).
"How long have you been here?"
"Here at this restaurant or in Budapest?"
"In Budapest."
"Three years."
"Do you like it?"
"I like it very much. Hungarians are very nice."
"They are?"
"Yes I really like them. I was in Germany for a few months. They aren't nice over there." He pauses and adds, "I'm Afghani."
"I know," I nod in respect.
"What do you do?"
"I have a website. It's called iranian.com."
"What is it?"
"It's for Iranians living abroad. People write blogs, post videos, pictures, stuff..."
"Is there a future in studying computers? I am studying cooking at the university. Anywhere you go there are jobs for chefs."
"Computers are good, if you specialize in areas that are in high demand. But it's great that you want to become a chef."
"What is a good profession? What do you think I should study?"
That's a good question. I'm not sure what to tell him. I got it.
"Dentistry! You will always be in high demand. You can work at hospitals or have your own clinic. It's the best profession in the world."
"Do you have to learn chemistry to become a dentist? Chemistry is very hard."
"Yes, you need to take some chemistry classes. Believe me it's worth it. You study for 7-8 years and you will be set for life. You have a lot of time. People live to their 90s these days. You're still young."
"I am young. I am 20."
He looks ten years older. I wonder what he's gone through to get here from Afghanistan. I don't want to know. I see it in his face.
"Do you know how to make gheymeh?" I ask.
"Yes I do."
"Will you teach me? I'll pay you for a one-day lesson."
"Yes I can teach you. No need to pay." He tarofs.
I insist. "No no, I will pay. You just have to take me shopping, tell me what to buy, and how to prepare. What days are you free?"
"Usually Sundays."
I get his phone number. He writes his name on the piece of paper. Hamed.
"I might call you to set up something this Sunday. If not, I'm going away for a month. I'll call when I get back."
I take a picture of Hamed standing at the entrance and run to the subway in the pouring rain >>> photo essay
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mouth watering
by Niki Tehranchi on Thu Sep 30, 2010 01:02 PM PDTshopping list drafted
ready to go!
Niki jaan JJJ is amateur & doesn't like details! More detail 4u
by Anonymouse on Thu Sep 30, 2010 10:52 AM PDTAs Maziar mentions Tumeric can be added although I'd add very little to the meat and you can add potato sticks if you don't want to fry the potatoes yourself.
Also when it comes to adding water, it really depends how you like to have your khoresht. Some people like it soupy and some like it more liquidish. So you have to adjust the water accordingly.
Good chefs know the amount of water from the beginning and mix their ingerdients accordingly for the boiling process. However, if you end up adding too little water, you can add more boiling water halfway through the simmering process.
I don't know if you've heard this expression that Iranian food can stay on stove forever and sometimes it take couple of hours to jaah biyofteh! So don't be afraid to shol kon seft kon (hot and cold expression) the ingredients!
Lastly, if you add fried/baked eggplants (which I do a lot and love eggplants) to the mix it becomes gheymeh bademjan.
For a final (secret receipe ;-) touch you can add a small spoon of Tandouri paste (bought at Indian or international stores) to the larger spoon of tomato paste.
Everything is sacred
Mouse thank you for the recipe!
by Niki Tehranchi on Thu Sep 30, 2010 10:09 AM PDTI'm gonna try it (I have cooked maybe 2 persian meals in my life but this sounds like even I could do it)
doi tashi mashte
by Jahanshah Javid on Thu Sep 30, 2010 07:52 AM PDTFaramarz!
Maziar adding Tumeric, salt & pepper is Calculus recipe for JJJ!
by Anonymouse on Thu Sep 30, 2010 07:42 AM PDTEverything is sacred
Khoresht Gheymeh
by Faramarz on Thu Sep 30, 2010 07:39 AM PDTJJ,
Here is an easy recipe for Khoresht Gheymeh that I posted a couple of years ago. Just follow the instructions given in Japanese and let me know how it turns out!
//www.youtube.com/watch?v=udC_s6hN1Bk
chef annon
by maziar 58 on Thu Sep 30, 2010 07:37 AM PDTyou forgot the Tumeric,salt & pepper !
P.S I add usually a bag of potato sticks .Maziar
LOL! well the post was a bit confusing. Here's 1+1=2 Gheymeh!
by Anonymouse on Thu Sep 30, 2010 06:55 AM PDTI had posted a generic recipe which can be used here as well as the basis.
- soak lappeh overnight or for a few hours. If you can find canned lappeh that is good too.
- fry meat (beef or chicken or lamb or whatever you like) and onions together.
- fry potatoes like you did earlier with your hamburger and set them aside
- put the fried onions and beef mix in a pot and add water, about 2" above the fried onions and beef mix.
- add a spoon of tomato paste. More than one spoon if you're like me and like more tomato texture in your khoresht
- add your soaked lappeh to the mix. Soaked lappeh makes it softer and will cook better with the fried onion and beef mix and the result is soft lappeh in your khoresht
- bring the fried onion and beef and lappeh and tomato paste to boil. Once boiled let it simmer for about 30 - 40 minutes or less time if you turn the burner higher than simmer.
- In the last final 10 - 15 minutes add your fried potatoes but do not mix them with khoresht just leave them on top and close the pot.
I also add limo ammani and canned whole tomatoes which you can at the beginning to your mix.
Everything is sacred
Gheymeh
by Jahanshah Javid on Thu Sep 30, 2010 06:29 AM PDTHE's supposed to teach me gheymeh. I can't cook anything :)
JJJ maybe you can teach him Gheymeh & he can teach u brown rice!
by Anonymouse on Thu Sep 30, 2010 06:17 AM PDTEverything is sacred
Rice
by Jahanshah Javid on Thu Sep 30, 2010 06:08 AM PDTAnonymouse, they did not have brown rice or Afghani dishes. The server is Afghani. But the owner is Iranian. Serves Iranian food.
JJJ why didn't you order brown rice from the Afghani chef?!
by Anonymouse on Thu Sep 30, 2010 06:00 AM PDTThe way Afghani cook brown basmati is literally the best! I cooked it this weekend and in the past and it never comes out long grain and fluffy like the white basmati. Maybe one day I can get it right but no luck so far.
Afghani on the other hand are the experts in it, better than Indian and Pakistanis and they're so proud of it that in some of their restaurants they actually give you both types, white and brown rice, in your dish.
The pictures look very good. I like eating in these places whether in Iran, Europe or America. Especially in Iran.
Everything is sacred
Noosheh Jaan ;0)
by Darius Kadivar on Thu Sep 30, 2010 04:42 AM PDTDid you know Tony Curtis' parents were from Budapest, Hungary:
//www.youtube.com/watch?v=6O_zre2iT94
Hilarious Scene between Tony Curtis and Roger Moore in a Chinese Restaurant introducing :
//www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDnVbcuOpmM
Yeh Dough Ab Ali Khonak beh Rooheh Shadesh Beneshoon ...