Fisindjan Pilaf

For the meatballs

• Fatty ground beef 600 g
• Onion 300 g (2 medium)
• Salt 1 tsp
• Black pepper 1/2 tsp

For the fisindjan

• Red onion 2 medium
• Walnuts 250 g
• Cherry plum sour paste (alcha) 1 tsp
• Pomegranate sour paste (narsharab) 1 tsp
• Meat broth 200 ml
• Pomegranate juice 200 ml (if unavailable, you can mix narsharab with broth)
• Butter 100 g
• Salt
• Black pepper

For the pilaf

• Basmati rice 3 cups
• Lavash 1 pc

Method

1. 1.Mince the meat. The meat must be fatty; if it is lean, you can add some tail fat.
2. 2.Purée the onion and add it to the meat.
3. 3.Add salt and pepper, and knead the minced meat well.
4. 4.Shape into meatballs slightly larger than a walnut and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to hold their shape.
5. 5.Add the meatballs to boiling salted water and boil for 10-15 minutes. Do not forget to skim the foam.
6. 6.For the fisindjan, finely chop the red onion and fry in butter.
7. 7.Add the meatballs, followed by 1 tsp of cherry plum paste and 1 tsp of pomegranate paste mixed with 200 ml of broth, and stir carefully.
8. 8.Process the walnuts in a blender and add them to the pan.
9. 9.Next, add 200 ml of pomegranate juice and cook until the oil separates. Add salt and black pepper to taste.
10. 10.Wash the rice until the water runs clear.
11. 11.Boil 3 liters of water with 3 tbsp of salt in a pot. Once boiling, add the washed rice and boil until half-cooked (8-10 minutes), then drain.
12. 12.Place butter and lavash at the bottom of a clean pot. Add the rice, brewed saffron, turmeric to taste, and butter, then steam over low heat for 40 minutes.

Notes

• When boiling the meatballs, the water should be salted so they do not fall apart. However, do not add too much salt, as you will use this water as broth.