(I’m sure there are some Iranians out there gasping that I ate this for dinner, but what can I say? Chasbid!) Kahu sekanjabin Khâkshir خاکشیر This is a lazy summer afternoon ritual in Iran (and on sizdeh bedar)! Just a few days ago, after an exhausting day of bouncing around all over downtown Tehran in the heat and traffic, I came home to kâhu sekanjabin as the perfect cooling, light dinner.
Instead of mixing it with water and cucumbers, dip some crisp romaine lettuce hearts into it. The sekanjabin syrup doubles as a dip here. Khiar sekanjabin is a cool drink to try in Iran in the summer Kâhu sekanjabin کاهو سکنجبین Add some grated, peeled cucumber, water, ice, and fresh mint, and you’ve got yourself the ultimate summer refresher. These days, you can even buy ready-made sekanjabin syrup from the grocery store. The syrup is made up of water, mint extract, honey (or sugar), and white vinegar (to balance out the sweetness). This sweet and sour cucumber cooler is another summer favorite. Clay pots of âb doogh khiâr at Tehran’s Friday Bazaar Khiâr sekanjabin خیار سکنجبین The coolness will be radiating from your gut to the point where you’ll be untouchable to the heat. And let me tell you- it’s like having A/C inside your body. To make it more filling, we’d tear pieces of bread into it (a process in Persian called tilit). This was something my mom always used to prepare for lunch in the summer. Âb doogh khiâr translates as “water- doogh -cucumber.” It’s essentially a delicious cold cucumber soup made with watered-down yogurt, diced cucumbers, sweet raisins, chopped walnuts, dried rose petals, and plenty of fresh and dried herbs (you could add ice cubes to make it colder). The best part is they’re all a breeze to make no matter what part of the world you’re in! Âb doogh khiâr آب دوغ خیار
So check out exactly what to eat and drink in Iran to keep you cool as a cucumber in the summer. If you’re anything like me, when it comes time to eat, you’ll shun heavy and hot dishes like chelow kebab and dizi and instead opt for something lighter or load up on fresh fruit. If you’re planning to visit Iran at this time, be prepared for the heat to drain you as you explore the narrow, mud-brick alleys of Yazd or go back in time to the ancient Persian Empire in Persepolis. Summer is rapidly approaching, and even though I’m not fully prepared to make it through Tehran’s brutal heat again, I know I’ve at least got plenty of food and drink to keep me cool and hydrated.