zucchini – Rozina's Persian Kitchen

Zucchini Flat Naan Bread نان کدویی

Naan / noon /nan is a Persian word and means bread. Naan is a kind of flat bread found in the Iranian cuisine, Azerbaijani, Turkish, Indian and Middle East countries.

Naan being freshly prepared in tandoor and we can get fresh beautiful naan for breakfast, lunch and dinner from bakery everyday. There are loads of different kinds of naan bread. All are gorgeous, tasty and beautiful. Today I baked my zucchini flat bread.

Zucchini flat bread naan, is a favourite treat. Zucchini which is called ‘ Kadoo’ makes main roll in keeping the bread soft and moist. It is a beautiful combo of zucchini with onions, cheese and spices. I have used mozzarella cheese, but it goes well with feta or cheddar cheese too. These are Sooooooo good. Sooooooo delicious and hearty naan bread.

Ingredients

3 cups all purpose flour
1 large zucchini, grated
2 eggs
1 onion, finely chopped
30-40g Cheese (feta cheese, mozzarella cheese or cheddar cheese)
40-50 ml water
1tsp baking powder
2tsp salt
1tsp paprika
1.2 tsp chilli flakes
Vegetable oil

How to make it?????

Grate the zucchini and squeeze to release the juice. Add chopped onion, eggs, cheese and season with spices. Mix all together. Then add flour, baking powder and combine with hand. Slowly add water to the batter and knead it for 2-3 minutes. If the batter is sticky add some flour. Make a ball and cover the dough and allow to rest for 1 hour.

After an hour, place the dough on a floured surface and divide the dough into 8 pieces. Roll each dough into a small ball.

On a floured surface, using a rolling pin and roll it into a flatten circle.

Heat a little bit oil in a pan and add in flattened dough. Once one side fried ( 3-4 minutes) flip over and fry other side.

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Zucchini flat naan bread

Ingredients

3 cups all purpose flour

1 large zucchini, grated

2 eggs

1 onion, finely chopped

30-40g Cheese (feta cheese, mozzarella cheese or cheddar cheese)

40-50 ml water

1tsp baking powder

2tsp salt

1tsp paprika

1.2 tsp chilli flakes

Vegetable oil

How to make it?????

After an hour, place the dough on a floured surface and divide the dough into 8 pieces. Roll each dough into a small ball. On a floured surface, using a rolling pin and roll it into a flatten circle. Heat a little bit oil in a pan and add in flattened dough. Once one side fried ( 3-4 minutes) flip over and fry other side.

Persian Stuffed Zucchini (Dolmeh Kadoo)

Dolma

Dolama or dolmeh is a tasty dish found in Iranian cuisine, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Greece, Arabic countries and Central Asia. The word dolma is a Turkish word and means to fill. Dolma is the Persian version of stuffed vegetables. You can use eggplant, zucchini, onion, or tomato and stuff with either ground beef or turkey and aromatic herbs.

Up to now, I have shared several recipes for my collection of dolma recipes including: stuffed grape leaves, cabbage rolls, stuffed eggplants, stuffed onions, and today I am going to share my Persian stuffed zucchini. In Persian language zucchini or courgette is called Kadoo .

Dolma is considered comfort food. These different kinds of dolma are stuffed with either meat and spices, or meat – herbs and rice, or there are vegetarian version with rice and herbs and GOOD NEWS IS, all are DELICIOUS.

Ingredients

2 large zucchini or Courgette,
300g ground beef or lamb meat
5tbsp semi cooked rice
100g mixed herbs: mint, parsley, coriander, spring onions
1tsp turmeric
2tbsp tomato paste
1tbsp dried dill (I use dried dill because it is more aromatic rather than fresh dill)
Olive oil
Greek yogurt
1-2 cloves of garlic, grated

How to make it??

First of all wash the zucchini. If the skin of the zucchini has been waxed , peel the skin but leaved the skin of if it’s unwaxed. (However large zucchini should be peeled because the skin might be bitter).

Then cut each each zuchini into 3 tubes. Scoop out the insides. Keep the insides and add into the pot where you are going cook the zucchini dolma.

For stuffing you need, add rice, chopped fresh herbs, salt, pepper, some turmeric and dried dill to the ground meat and mix ingredients until combine well. Fill each zucchini with the stuffing and settle stuffed zucchini in the pot.

Fill each zucchini with the stuffing and settle stuffed zucchini in the pot.

In a saucepan, add tomato paste, olive oil, pinch of salt, turmeric and Chilli powder. Saute for 2 minutes. Then, add a cup of water to the tomato paste and bring it to a quick boil.

Pour the sauce on the stuffed zucchini. Simmer over the low heat for about 30-40 minutes, allowing the sauce to reduce.

Meanwhile, mix yogurt with grated garlic. Serve the stuffed zucchini with garlic-yogurt.

Persian Stuffed Zucchinni

Ingredients

2 large zucchini or Courgette,
300g ground beef or lamb meat
5tbsp semi cooked rice
100g mixed herbs: mint, parsley, coriander, spring onions
1tsp turmeric
2tbsp tomato paste
1tbsp dried dill
Olive oil
Greek yogurt
1-2 cloves of garlic, grated

How to make it??

Then cut each each zuchini into 3 tubes. Scoop out the insides. Keep the insides and add into the pot where you are going cook the zucchini dolma. For stuffing you need, add rice, chopped fresh herbs, salt, pepper, some turmeric and dried dill to the ground meat and mix ingredients until combine well. Fill each zucchini with the stuffing and settle stuffed zucchini in the pot.

Heat some olive oil in the saucepan. Add tomato paste, pinch of salt, turmeric and Chilli powder. Saute for 2 minutes. Then, add a cup of water to the tomato paste and bring it to a quick boil. Pour the sauce on the stuffed zucchini. Simmer over the low heat for about 30-40 minutes, allowing the sauce to reduce.

Meanwhile, mix yogurt with grated garlic. Serve the stuffed zucchini with garlic-yogurt.

Fried zucchini – aubergine bites

Dish, Vegetarains

In my childhood, when my mother used to fry slices of zucchini ( kadoo) and aubergine ( baademjan) for preparing stew, we always took several fried slices and with a pinch of salt ate them. . Fried zucchini – eggplant were very yummy.

Ingredients

1 zucchini, thinly sliced
1 aubergine, thinly sliced
½ cup plain yogurt
1 small clove of garlic, grated
Flat Lavash – tortilla or Taftun bread
Pinch of salt and pepper
Oil

Preparation

In a pan heat the oil and fry slices of zucchini and aubergine. In a bowl mix grated garlic with yogurt and season with salt and pepper. Make zucchini or eggplants bites with garlic yogurt dip.

Persian Zucchini Stew ( Khoresht-e Kado Sabz)

Stew with polow

Green zucchini/courgette stew is a classic- colourful and flavourful Persian stew ( khoresht). Zucchini is called kadoo in Farsi language. If you think courgettes were boring, you have to try this recipe. It’s cooked in a lemony-tomato sauce along with beautiful spices such as Persian saffron, turmeric, ….You might use either beef/lamb or chicken meat.

Lemon juice or Ghooreh ( unripe grapes) gives unique taste to this recipe. This meal is a lovely, comforting stew that my mother used to cook once a week.

Ingredients

1 large zucchini/courgette, peeled and sliced
200g lamb, diced
2 medium onions, chopped
2 tomatoes
1 lemon juice or handful Ghooredh (unriped grapes)
pinch of Persian saffron
½ tsp turmeric
2tbsp tomato paste
Sand pepper to taste
Vegetable oil

Method

In a pot with diced meat, add one of chopped onions and water. Leave to cook until nice and tender. In a non-stick pan, drizzle with oil and saute other onion until translucent.

Cut zucchini lengthwise. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan and place them in the pan. Lightly fry.

Once meat is ready, add fried onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes.. Mix 1 ½ cups of boiling water with pinch of Persian saffron, turmeric, tomato paste, and lemon juice.

Seasoning with salt and pepper, mix well and pour in the pot with meat and onion. If you do not like lemon juice, simply add unripe grapes to the stew and let to cook with other ingredients.

Add fried zucchini slices and tomatoes halves to other ingredients in the pot. Cover the pot and cook over medium to low heat until juice reduce.

Serve khoresht kadoo warm over polo (pilaft ) or with flat bread and a salad by the side.

Persian Zucchini Spaghetti

Spaghetti/pizza, Vegetarains

Courgette, zucchini or Kado as we say it in Persian, is treated as vegetable but botanically zucchini is fruit. The abundant Courgette in company with other ingredients change into something really delicious. You can make lovely frittata , stew, curry and soup with zucchini.

Today in my kitchen I will cook a Persian style DIVINE vegetarian zucchini spaghetti with spices and full of flavour, colour and taste. This recipe has approve by my family members and my guests.

Zucchini spaghetti

ingredients

200g spaghetti

2 large green zucchini, diced

400g tinned chopped tomato

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

3 garlic cloves, grated

1 medium bell pepper, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp turmeric

½ tsp cinnamon

1tbsp curry powder

1tbsp Persian saffron water

2 potatoes, sliced

Olive oil

3tbsp Greek yogurt

Method

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Saute onion until soft. Add chopped zucchini and bell pepper. Cook until zucchini is softened, Stirring occasionally.

Now, add tinned tomato, above mentioned spices, saffron water and season with salt and pepper. and remove from the heat. Now add grated garlic and gently mix all ingredients.

Cook the spaghetti following pack instructions. Drain the spaghetti and stir into the zucchini sauce.

Heat the Olive oil in a pan, layer slices of potatoes and spread curry powder top of potatoe as you see in the photo. Pour spaghetti top of the potatoes. Cover the pot with a lid and leave to cook potatoes over medium heat.