Quince Khoresh Iranian Quince & Chicken Braise Recipe, by Anna Ansari
by Anna Ansari
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Easy
Originally native to the ancient Hyrcanian forests near the Caspian Sea, the quince, like so many other foodstuffs, spread across the globe via the trade routes of antiquity, and has featured in mythology and superstition for centuries. Some believe the mythic golden apple that sparked the Trojan War was actually a quince. Others claim the golden peaches of Samarkand, the inspiration for this very book, were quinces.
Further west, some Europeans in the Middle Ages believed eating quinces could stave off the Black Death, while others, including Britain’s “Bloody” Tudor Queen Mary, believed the fruit to be an aphrodisiac. In the UK these days, people are familiar with quince primarily in the form of membrillo, a concentrated, sugary jelly paste of Spanish origin that pairs perfectly with a slice of Manchego cheese. Every year, without fail, someone in my neighbourhood Facebook group posts something along the lines of: “Hey guys! I have so many quinces on my tree! What do I do with all of these? What can I make other than membrillo?”
When I tell my father of the British quince glut, his eyes grow wide in shock and envy. We don’t have a lot of quinces in America, you see. “You are so lucky,” he tells me. And I am, for
many reasons, least of which is my ability to cook this sweet and sour khoresh on a pretty regular basis during the autumn quince season. Quince and chicken, a duo even more perfect than jelly and cheese, if you ask me.
Ingredient for Quince Khoresh Iranian Quince & Chicken Braise Recipe
- 1kg skinless chicken thighs or legs
- 2 tsp fine sea salt
- 6 tbsp olive oil
- 2 onions, sliced into halfmoons
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp advieh
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 75g dried yellow split peas
- 100g dried apricots
- 700g quinces, peeled, cored, and cut into 2.5cm chunks
- 0.25g saffron: ground with ½ tsp granulated sugar using a mortar and pestle, and then brewed with 1 tbsp orange blossom water and 1 tbsp hot water
- soft light brown sugar, to taste
- apple cider vinegar, to taste
- cooked rice, to serve
How to make Quince Khoresh Iranian Quince & Chicken Braise Recipe
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- Season your chicken with 1 teaspoon of the salt, then set aside.
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In a large casserole pot or saucepan for which you have a lid, heat 3 tablespoons of
the oil over a high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, reduce the heat to low and add
the onions. Sauté for 5–7 minutes, or until they are soft and golden, then add the
remaining 1 teaspoon of salt, along with the black pepper, advieh, turmeric, tomato purée, split peas, and apricots. Stir to mix. -
Add the chicken to the pot. Stir everything together, then add 600ml water. Reduce
the heat to the lowest it will go, then cover and cook on a quiet simmer for 1 hour,
stirring occasionally. -
Meanwhile, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons oil in a medium sauté pan over a
medium heat. Add the quince pieces and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5–7 minutes, or until the fruit begins to brown at its edges. Set aside. -
When the hour of simmering is up, add the browned quince to the pot with the
chicken, using a slotted spoon to do so if you don’t want any additional oil in your
finished khoresh. Stir in the brewed saffron
About the author
Anna Ansari has a background in Asian studies, with a BA from Barnard College, Columbia University and an MA from Yale University. Her writing focuses on the intersection of food, family, and history, with special attention to the immigrant experience and foods of the Asian continent.
