The size of the shrimp will affect cooking time, so no exact time was mentioned in step 2. Simply cook the shrimp until it goes from translucent to pink and opaque and firms up.

Cuisine: Seafood

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 251 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 pound (455g)  shrimp, peeled deveined
• 1/4 cup (60ml) honey
• 2 Tablespoons (30ml) rice vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons (30ml) soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon (5ml) corn starch
• 2 Tablespoons (30ml) vegetable oil
• 4-5 cloves garlic
• kosher salt , to taste
• fresh cracked black pepper , to taste
• green onions or cilantro , chopped for garnish
• (optional) lemon wedges
• Serve with rice , pasta, couscous or quinoa.

Directions: 

1. Make the sauce: In small bowl whisk together the honey, rice vinegar, soy sauce and corn starch until smooth. Set aside.
   Heat pan on medium-high heat. Add oil, then garlic. Cook until garlic is fragrant and translucent, about 1 minute. Add shrimp and cook until pink and cooked through.
   
   

2. Stir sauce one more time to make sure corn starch dissolves and then add the sauce to the pan. Cook until the sauce thickens, about 1-2 minutes.

3. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed, to taste.

4. Garnish with green onions or cilantro. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over right before serving.

5. Serve with rice, pasta, couscous or quinoa.

Source: bestrecipebox.com

When cooking fried rice recipes, it's better to have day old rice that's been refrigerated. The rice is best when it's cold, firm and easy to separate the kernals. Fresh hot cooked rice will be more challenging and result in gummy fried rice. Our recipe is perfect for days when you have left over rice. If you don't have left over rice, try to make rice the day ahead of time and then refrigerate the rice. 

Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients

• about 2 1/2 - 3 cups (loosely packed)(600-700ml) day-old cooked white rice. The rice kernels should be firm, separated and cold so that they aren't sticking together.
• 1 pound boneless chicken (breasts or thighs), cut into small pieces
• 2 Tablespoons (30ml) cooking oil, divided
• 1 medium onion , chopped
• 3 cloves garlic , minced
• 1 cup (240ml) fresh pineapple, cut into small bite sized pieces (or canned pineapple, drained & cut in small pieces)
• 1/2 cup (120ml) sliced celery
• 1/2 teaspoon sea or kosher salt
• 2 Tablespoons fish sauce (or soy sauce, but the fish sauce tastes better!)For Gluten Free use Tamari
• 1 large egg
• ground black pepper , to taste

Directions

1. If using a non-stick pan, the 2 Tablespoons of oil should be enough. The rice sticks less to non-stick, thus using less oil.

2. In large non-stick pan, turn on medium heat, warm the pan, then add 1 Tablespoon of oil (save other half of oil for another step). Once oil is hot, add onions and garlic. Cook till translucent.

3. Add chicken, cook for about 1 minute till chicken becomes brown. Then add pineapple, celery, salt and cook for about 2-3 minutes till chicken is fully cooked. Remove from pan and add mixture in medium bowl. Set aside.

4. In same heated pan, add 1 Tablespoon of oil. Allow oil to get hot then add rice. If rice sticks too much, add a little more oil or water, 1 Tablespoon at a time.

5. Cook and stir rice for about 2 minutes until it becomes hot. Add fish sauce and egg. Gently break up the egg in the rice, and mix egg in rice till it combines well into rice.

6. Cook rice for about 1 more minute till egg becomes cooked, then remove any excess moisture from the chicken/pineapple mixture. Then add the chicken/pineapple mixture back into the pan with the rice.

7. Continue cooking for about 3-4 more minutes until rice, egg and chicken/pineapple mixture are fully combined and cooked. Season with black pepper and/or salt to taste.

8. Serve hot.

Source: Euronews

This quick and easy spaghetti squash recipe is based on cooking it in the microwave and here's the link to how to cook spaghetti squash in the microwave. But if you prefer to bake or roast the spaghetti squash in the oven, we have a tutorial too! Here's the technique on baking or roasting the spaghetti squash.

Course: Main Course

Servings: 3 servings

Ingredients

• 1 medium Spaghetti Squash , cooked - see headnote for cooking options
• about 2 cups (480ml) Spaghetti Sauce
• about 1/2 cup (120ml) shredded or freshly grated parmesan cheese
• minced parsley , for garnish
• salt , to taste
• fresh cracked black pepper , to taste

Directions

1. After loosening up the strands of the cooked spaghetti squash, ladle hot spaghetti sauce on top and sprinkle cheese on top.

2. Heat up the spaghetti squash halves in the oven or microwave for about 3 minutes, or until the cheese is melty and bubbly.

3. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with minced parsley.

4. Serve warm and enjoy!

Source: bestrecipebox.com/

This pizza is great in a cast iron skillet with the refrigerated pizza dough. Just unroll the dough, mark the circle with the cast iron pan (see video in post) and trim off the excess doughcorners. You can also make this with your favorite pizza dough but adjust baking times with different doughs.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 333 kcal

Ingredients

• 13.8 oz. can refrigerated pizza crust
• Olive Oil or softened Butter, for brushing skillet
• 2 Tablespoons Butter melted (olive oil works fine too)
• 2 cloves Garlic finely chopped
• 1/2 pound chicken breast
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil for grilling the chicken
• Salt to taste
• black pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup bbq sauce
• 1/2 cup sliced red onions
• 4 oz. grated Cheese (mozzarella, cheddar or smoked gouda) - about 3/4 cup

Pizza Toppings (choose your favorites)

• Green Onions sliced
• extra bbq sauce
• extra cheese
• minced parsley or cilantro
• fresh tomatoes

US Customary - Metric

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400°F. Brush olive oil (or butter) inside a 10” cast iron skillet or other oven safe skillet.

2. Unroll pizza crust dough. Turn the skillet upside down and into press dough to mark the size of the pan. Trim the excess dough. Place the dough inside the skillet allowing the dough to go up the edges slightly.

3. Combine the melted butter and garlic. Brush the top of the dough with the garlic butter.

4. Bake the pizza crust for 15 minutes.

5. While pizza dough cooks, grill the chicken. Season at the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat small skillet on medium high heat. Add oil and then add chicken and cook on both sides for about 5 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove from heat and slice into 1/2” slices.

6. Remove from pizza dough from the oven and top with chicken, red onions and cheese. Bake for another 10-15 minutes or until crust is golden.

7. Add desired pizza toppings and serve warm.

e cooked the 2 lbs. of chicken wings in a 3.4 qt. Air Fryer. For that size of air fryer, 2 lbs. is about the max without overcrowding the air fryer. If you have a larger size of air fryer, you can probably cook larger batches. Adjust cooking time for thicker or thinner chicken wings. Some brands of Air Fryers will cook slower or faster than others, adjust accordingly.

Cuisine: Air Fryer

Servings: 4 Servings

Calories: 271 kcal

Ingredients

• 2 pounds chicken wings
• Kosher salt , or sea salt, to taste
• black pepper , to taste
• garlic salt , optional

US Customary - Metric

Directions

1. Rinse and pat dry chicken wings. Season with salt, pepper, and optional garlic salt.

2. Air Fry at 400°F for 30-35 minutes, flipping about 3 times while cooking.

3. If using a sauce, toss with a little sauce, then air fry for another 4 minutes (otherwise just cook the 30 minutes or until the chicken wings are golden).

4. If using a sauce, toss with extra sauce after cooking or serve sauce on the side for dipping.

Source: bestrecipebox.com/

If using wood or bamboo skewers, soak the skewers completely in water for at least 30 minutes. This will help minimize the wood/skewers from burning.

We prefer to use chicken thigh meat, but feel free to use whatever cut you prefer. Thigh meat will tend to be juicier than breast.

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: American, BBQ-Grilling

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 255 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 -1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken , cut into 2” pieces
• 1 cup cubed pineapple
• 3-4 green onions , cut into 2” pieces or 1 chopped red onion
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup teriyaki sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder or 3 cloves minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 Tablespoons sesame seeds
• chopped cilantro , garnish

US Customary - Metric

Directions

1. In bowl combine olive oil, teriyaki sauce, garlic powder/minced garlic and onion powder. Whisk until combined.

2. Reserve some marinade for brushing after cooking. Add the chicken into the rest of the marinade, then cover the bowl and marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

3. Pre-heat grill to medium-high heat. Scrape the grill grates to make sure they are clean.

4. Skewer the chicken, pineapple and onions on the skewers. Brush extra marinade on the skewers, especially over the pineapple and onions.

5. Grill the skewers for about 2-4 minutes per side, or until slightly charred and the chicken is cooked through.

6. Brush additional fresh teriyaki sauce (not the marinade the raw chicken was in)over the skewers. Sprinkle sesame seeds and cilantro. Enjoy!

Source: bestrecipebox..com  

Dive into Persian deliciousness! Fesenjan stew is a wonderful Persian concoction made with chicken, pomegranates and walnuts served with rice for a perfect meal with bold flavors! 

 Course Main Course

 Cuisine Persian

 Calories 442 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 medium golden onion diced
• 1 lb walnuts
• 2 - 3 cups warm water
• 1 lb cooked, mashed pumpkin
• 6-8 pieces skinless chicken thighs bone-in
• 1 - 1 1/2 cup pomegranate molasses
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Using a food processor, crush the walnuts to form fine crumbs. if it's too thick, add 1/8 cup water then process again. 

2. Heat vegetable oil in a medium sized pot over medium heat.

3. Saute onion for 5 minutes until light.

4. Add walnuts and saute onion and walnut for 5 minutes.

5. Add 2 cups of water. Turn the heat up to high and bring the mixture to boil, turn the heat down to medium so it simmers then add pumpkin, chicken thighs, salt and pepper and let it cook for 30 minutes.

6. After 30 minutes, check if the chicken is cooked. Once the chicken is cooked, add 1 cup pomegranate molasses and simmer for 10 minutes.

7. Take the chicken out of the stew and into a plate.

8. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let it simmer for another 10 more minutes until thickens. (If the stew is too thick, add some more water) Taste the stew, if it's not sour enough, add some more pomegranate molasses and if it's too sour, add 1 - 2 tbsp brown sugar.

9. Add the chicken thighs back into the stew and let it simmer over low heat for 15 minutes, stir every 5 minutes.

10. Serve warm with rice.

Recipe Notes

• Khoresht Fesenjan is supposed to be thick, not much water is needed.
• Chicken thighs need to be taken out of the stew and added in the end again because if it stays in the stew for too long it will be over cooked and will fall apart.
• You can use canned pumpkin or cooked butternut squash in this recipe. Adding the pumpkin will balance the natural warmth of the dish and also the flavor. 
• To make fesenjan with meatballs, make meatballs with any recipe you prefer, then add the cooked meatballs in the last 15 minutes of cooking to the dish. 

Source: unicornsinthekitchen.com

Lubia polo is a delicious Persian green bean rice dish made with fresh ingredients. Learn how to make lubia polo at home and enjoy a Persian feast.

 Course Main Course

 Cuisine Persian

 Calories 430 kcal

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil or olive oil
• 1 onion chopped
• 8 ounces ground beef 93% lean
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 lb fresh green bean cut into 1/2 inch pieces

Rice:

• 6 cups water
• 2 cups Royal Chef’s Secret Basmati Rice
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 6 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 potatoes sliced (1/2 inch thickness)
• 1/4 cup bloomed saffron

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat. 

2. Saute onion until golden brown, add the ground beef and cook until no longer pink. Add in turmeric, cayenne pepper, curry, cinnamon and salt to the ground beef and cook for a couple of minutes. 

3. Add in tomato paste and water. Mix well until everything is combined. Stir in the green beans and bring it to a low simmer. Cover and cook until the green beans are fully cooked. Add in more water if needed. Taste to make sure the flavors are there. Set the green beans and beef mixture aside. 

Rice:

1. Bring a pot of water with the salt to a rolling boil. Wash the Basmati rice two to three times to discard excess starch. 

2. When the water starts boiling, add the rice and boil for about 6 minutes until the rice is par cooked or al dente. The rice is ready when you're able to break a rice grain into two pieces using your thumb and index finger, but the rice still has to be hard in the middle. The outer layer is soft but the grain is still hard in the middle. (See more noted about this on How to make Persian rice and tahdig. )

3. Turn the heat off and place a colander in the sink. Lift the pot and pour the rice into the colander and rinse it using cold water to stop the cooking process.

4. Place the pot back on the burner and turn the heat to medium high. Once the bottom of the pot is dry, pour 3 tbsp vegetable oil into the pot and arrange the potato slices so they cover the bottom of the pot.

5. Scoop one third of the rice into the pot over the potatoes. Layer with some bloomed saffron and one third of the green bean mixture. Repeat until you're out of rice and filling, make sure the rice is shaped like a mountain, meaning you have more rice in the middle than around the edges. 

6. Pour 1/3 cup water around the edges, wrap the lid in a clean kitchen cloth/towel and place it on the pot (This is for the towel to absorb the steam, resulting in a fluffy rice). 

7. Turn the heat to medium high (but not too high) and cook the rice for about 15 minutes. Lift the lid to see the steam escape and then pour 3 tbsp vegetable oil on the rice. 

8. Cover again and cook for another 30 minutes until the rice is fully cooked and the flavors are fully combined. Fluff the rice a bit to have the filling and rice mix completely.

   
   

Source: unicornsinthekitchen.com

This Persian Split Chickpea Stew is one of our favorite dishes.

 Course Main Course

 Cuisine Persian

 Calories 257 kcal

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 large onions finely chopped
• 1 cup split chickpea cooked
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 1/2 - 1 cup water
• 1/2 tsp dried lime
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 7-10 button mushrooms thickly sliced
• 1 egg plant sliced
• 1 large potato cut into strips

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a pot.

2. Saute onion until translucent.

3. Add split chickpea, tomato sauce, water and spices.

4. Let the stew simmer for 15 minutes.

5. Add the mushrooms and let cook for another 10 minutes.

6. As the stew is being cooked, fry the eggplant slices and potatoes separately.

7. Once everything is ready, serve on a plate or a shallow bowl.

8. Serve with Persian Style Rice.

Recipe Notes

If you don't have dried lime, you can use fresh lime or lemon juice.

Source: unicornsinthekitchen.com

Ghormeh Sabzi - Persian Herb Stew is one of the most delicious stews in Persian cuisine. A mixture of fragrant herbs and spices makes this stew very special!

 Course Main Course

 Cuisine Persian

 Calories 555 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 cup dry kidney beans See the notes if you want to use canned beans
• 4 bunches parsley
• 3 bunches cilantro
• 2 bunches chives
• 1 bunch fenugreek or 1 tbsp dry fenugreek leaves
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil + 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 yellow onion diced
• 1.5 lb beef or lamb cubed
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 4-5 cups water
• 4-5 Persian dried limes Limoo amani, soaked in water for an hour
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Soak kidney beans in a bowl of water for 2-3 hours.

2. Wash parsley, cilantro, chives and fenugreek. Pat dry and chop very finely.

3. Heat a dry pan on low heat and saute the herbs for about 10 minutes until they dry out a bit. Add 1/3 cup vegetable oil and saute for 15 more minutes on low heat. Set aside.

4. Heat 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute onion until translucent.

5. Add cubed beef or lamb and turmeric, Saute until the color is light brown.

6. Add 4-5 cups of water and bring to boil, then turn the heat to medium-low so it simmers lightly.

7. Rinse kidney beans and add it to the stew.

8. Cover and cook for 30 minutes.

9. Add sauteed herbs and cover. Cook for 1 - 1 1/2 hour on low heat.

10. Poke Persian dried limes with a fork and add them to the stew, cook for another 15 minutes.

11. Serve with Persian Steamed White Rice

Recipe Notes

• In case of using canned kidney beans, rinse them and add them in the end right before Persian dried lime.
• You can make ghormeh sabzi using dried herb mix. Soak the herb mix in water for 10 minutes, squeeze out the water and saute the herbs in vegetable or olive oil. Then proceed with the recipe. (more information in the post) 

Source: unicornsinthekitchen.com

Ash Reshteh is a popular Iranian soup that's simple, easy and very flavorful. This vegetarian Persian soup is made with herbs, legumes and caramelized onion, perfect for any day of the year.

 Course Main Course

 Cuisine Persian

 Calories 300 kcal

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp Canola Oil See Note #1
• 1 large Sweet Onion Diced
• 1/2 cup Brown Lentils
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 5 cup water
• 1 1/2 cup Ash Dried Herb Mix See Note #2
• 1 can Chickpeas 15 oz See Note #3
• 1 can Pinto Beans 15 oz See Note #3
• 8 ounce Persian Flat Noodles (Reshteh Ash) See Note #4

Topping:

• 4 tbsp Olive Oil divided
• 1 large Onion thinly sliced
• 4 cloves Garlic minced
• 2 tbsp Dried Mint See Note #5
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric
• 1 cup Liquid Kashk (Yogurt Whey) See Note #6

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute onion until golden brown. 

2. Add in lentils and turmeric, salt and water, bring to boil and simmer over medium heat for about fifteen minutes, covered. 

3. Add in the herbs (fresh or dried) and cover with the lid. Cook for another thirty minutes. 

4. Once the lentils and herbs are cooked, add in beans and chickpeas. Stir and cook over medium heat for five to ten minutes. 

5. Add in Persian flat noodles (Reshteh Ash) and stir. Cook for ten to fifteen minutes. Serve with kashk (yogurt whey) and toppings. 

Topping:

1. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat and fry the sliced onion and garlic until brown and caramelized. 

2. In another pan, heat the remaining olive oil, saute turmeric and mint for 10 seconds. 

3. Top Ash Reshteh with caramelized onion and garlic, mint and kashk (yogurt whey). Serve with more kashk if needed. 

Recipe Notes

1. You can use olive oil, vegetable oil or ghee for this recipe. 
2. You can find Ash Dried Herb Mix at Persian/Middle Eastern shops or online (Affiliate). You can also use one cup chopped fresh spinach, one cup chopped parsley and one cup chopped fresh cilantro. Use them in the recipe just like the dried herbs. 
3. You can use 1/2 cup dried chickpeas and 1/2 cup dried pinto beans. Soak them in water for eight hours and add them to the sauteed onion with the lentils. Add water and proceed with the recipe. 
4. You can find Reshte Ash online (Affiliate). You can also use linguine. 
5. You can find dried mint at Persian/Middle Eastern shops or online (Affiliate). 
6. You can find kashk at Persian/Middle Eastern shops or online (Affiliate). 

Source: unicornsinthekitchen.com

Joojeh kabab is a classic chicken kebob recipe from Iran. Chicken pieces are smothered in a delicious saffron chicken kebob marinade and have such delicious flavor thanks to saffron and lemon. 

 Course Main Course

 Cuisine Persian

 Calories 220 kcal

Ingredients

• 2 lb chicken breast cut into 1.5 inch cubes
• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 large onion thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup olive oil extra virgin
• 1 lemon juice of
• 1/4 cup bloomed saffron See notes
• 1 tsp salt

Instructions

1. In a large bowl mix yogurt, sliced onion, oil, lemon juice and saffron and salt. 

2. Place the chicken in the marinade and stir well so all pieces are covered with marinade. 

3. Cover the bowl and refrigerate and let the chicken marinate for at least three hours up to twenty for hours. 

4. Once ready to cook, place the bowl in room temperature for 15 minutes. 

Grill Instructions:

1. Thread the chicken pieces into skewers and grill on both sides until they are golden brown on the outside and white and juicy on the inside. 

Stove top instructions:

1. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat. 

2. Put some of the marinated chicken in the pan and let them cook on one side before turning them to cook on the other side, about 3-4 minutes on each side. Do not over crowd the pan. 

3. Repeat with the remaining marinated chicken. 

Oven Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. 

2. Thread the marinated chicken into skewers and place them on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. 

3. Cook the chicken in the oven for about 20 to 25 minutes until the chicken pieces are fully cooked. 

4. Turn the broiler on and broil the chicken kebabs until they're golden brown, about 3-4 minutes, turn half way so both sides are golden brown. 

Recipe Notes

1. I used chicken breast but this chicken kebab is delicious if it's made with chicken thighs as well. 
2. Learn how to bloom saffron. 
3. Classic joojeh kabab is not spicy, but if you like your chicken kebab to be spicy, add 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper to the marinade. 

Source: unicornsinthekitchen.com