Anar bij Stew Recipe(Pomegarante with Meatballs Stew)

Anar bij stew or anar avij gilani stew with chicken or meat is one of the 5 world-registered Iranian dishes of Gilan province.

Anar bij stew is made with pomegranate paste and pomegranate juice and is one of the main dishes with pomegranate.

This dish is cooked for different occasions in the pomegranate season, especially for Yalda night dinner.

You can also read: yalda night cake.

How to make anar bij?

Gilani dishes are authentic Iranian dishes, many of which, like pomegranate, have been registered in the world food list. This food is very nutritious and rich in vitamins.

The final taste of this dish depends on your taste and the people who want to eat this meal. You can make this food like Fesenjan in a range of sweet, sweet, and sour. You measure this taste with the amount of pomegranate paste used to cook the food.

Anar bij stew with chicken or meat is one of the main dishes of the north of the country and Gilan province. In these areas, due to the growth of quality pomegranates, foods that use pomegranate paste have been particularly prosperous for a long time.

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 120 to 180 minutes 

Ingredients:

 The proportion of vegetables in anar bij stew is as follows:

 Instruction anar bij:

1. wash, peel and fry onions:

Take a pot and pick up a medium onion. First, wash, peel, and then grate it. After that, fry the onion until the color becomes golden.

Now add the ground or chopped walnuts to the onion and fry again a little. Be careful not to burn the onion.

For this purpose, always add the walnuts a little before the onions turn golden. Finally, add the pomegranate paste to the ingredients and fry.

2. Add water:

Add 1.5 glasses of cold water to the ingredients in the pot. Turn on the flame to medium heat and let it simmer until the walnuts will release oil.

While cooking, pour two or three pieces of ice into the pot so that the walnuts reach the oil faster (pouring ice is optional, and you can not do it).

3. Add vegetables:

Now, you can add herbs to your ingredients, stir, and then let it cook for about 30 minutes.

4. Prepare the meat for stew:

For Iranians, the presence of meat in food is very important. We enjoy chicken or lamb food more!

At this stage, first grate the rest of the onions and squeeze the water of it. Then, put the minced meat in a bowl and mix it with a spoon of aromatic herbs and main spices such as salt, pepper, and turmeric. Now, you must knead the meat well to make it uniform.

Then, take the meat the size of a walnut, put it in your palm, and make a ball. After that, put them in a pan with oil and fry them.

Related: khoresh bamieh recipe. 

5. Add meatballs to the stew:

At the final stage we go back to the first pot. Pour the meat into the stew and add salt and pepper. Then, put the pot on low heat and let it cook for about 120 to 180 minutes to cook well and settle.

 Related : Yalda night food.

What is served with anar bij?

Usually this delicious stew is served with rice or Iranian pilaf. In addition to this dish, zeytoon parvardeh, mast musir, sabzi khordan and sir torshi are used.

May Promote Heart Health

Regularly including pomegranate products, like pomegranate arils and pomegranate juice, into your diet may help protect your heart health. Study findings suggest that, thanks to their high concentration of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds, consuming pomegranates may help reduce heart disease risk factors such as high blood pressure and high blood lipid levels.

sourced: https://www.health.com/

Notes:

• You can add garlic to this stew, and adding it to the stew is optional due to your taste.

• Some authentic northerners use other vegetables such as kotkoto or warnbo. Maybe these names are strange to you, but it is good to know that these are aromatic vegetables that give dishes like anarbij stew a magical taste.

• You can adjust the sourness and sweetness of this dish to your taste with sour pomegranate paste and sweet pomegranate paste. Gilanis eat this food sour, and pomegranate should not be sweet.

• In most of the recipes for anar bij stew, they mix some chopped and raw vegetables with the meat; But if you use only aromatic vegetables in minced meat, it will be tastier.

• Fry the vegetables. This dish is not like ghormeh sabzi, where you fry vegetables until they turn black. Try to take the vegetables neither too raw nor too fried.

• The two main ingredients that make this dish taste are pomegranate paste and walnuts. To make this stew more delicious, use pure local pomegranate paste and quality walnuts.

Conclusion

Anar bij is an authentic Iranian stew with pomegranate and pomegranate paste that has been registered worldwide. This excellent stew is suitable for Yalda night and parties in winter.

Due to its beautiful appearance and having pomegranates, it is suitable for serving at Yalda night dinner.

FAQ

1. What are the main ingredients of anar bij?
Anar bij is a traditional Iranian stew made of meat, pomegranate, and pomegranate paste.
2. Can I use chicken instead of minced meat?
Yes, you can use chicken instead of minced meat.
3. What if I don’t have fresh pomegranate available?
You can use frozen pomegranate or pomegranate paste.
4. Can I use this stew in parties?
Yes, you can use this delicious stew at parties and especially on Yalda night.
5. What is served with this pomegranate stew?
Pomegranate stew is served with zeytoon parvardeh, sabzi khordan, and seer torshi.