Pomegranate Aush, A Yalda Night Delicacy

Iranians consider pomegranate one of the main fruits of their family get-togethers on Yalda night. Pomegranate Aush, which is especially cooked on Yalda nights, can also be an exciting dish for those who like sweet and sour foods.

Ingredients

Split Pea: one cup

Rice (preferably broken rice): one cup

Onions: three

Vegetables (leek, parsley, coriander and spinach): 500 grams

Pomegranate juice: 4 glasses

Pomegranate paste: a quarter to a third of a cup

Minced meat: 200 grams

Mint, salt, oil, black pepper, and turmeric: as per taste

Recipe

Soak rice and cobs in cold water in separate containers for at least four hours before cooking.

Chop two onions into small pieces and fry them in the pot in which you want to make the aush. When the onion turns golden, add the soaked split pea and continue frying. Frying the split pea prevents it from being crushed during cooking. After a few minutes, drain the rice and pour it into the pot, then add some water and increase the flame. When the water begins to boil, lower the flame, cover the pot, and let the ingredients boil and cook for a few minutes.

When the rice begins to froth, pour the chopped vegetables into the boiling water. At this stage, do not cover the pot so that the water evaporates while the ingredients are being cooked. If the water in the pot reduces considerably, but the ingredients are not yet cooked, add a glass of boiling water.

Add the pomegranate juice when the vegetables are fully cooked. If you add it early, it will prevent the other ingredients from getting cooked properly.

Peel and grate the remaining onion, squeeze the onion juice well, add it to the mice, add salt, black pepper, and turmeric, mix and knead the whole thing well, and make small meatballs. Fry the meatballs and set them aside.

It is now time to add the pomegranate paste! If the pomegranate paste is too sour, you can add a little sugar to make it sweeter. Adjust the salt of your aush after adding the pomegranate paste. Cover the pot and let the whole thing boil for at least half an hour for the aush cook and settle.

How to Serve the Pomegranate Aush

To decorate the soup, you can use roasted mint or onion. But be careful not to fry the mint too much, because it will make it taste bitter. You can also use pomegranate seeds to decorate your dish. Some of the fried meatballs made earlier can also be used to decorate the Pomegranate Aush.

Pomegranate Aush, which is especially cooked on Yalda nights, can also be an exciting dish for those who like sweet and sour foods.