The King of All (Persian) Kabobs

It feels like I went on a wild goose chase to find the best Persian kabobs out there (minus the home made kind from my girl MA). After trying three different restaurants (there can't be TOO many more in the city), my vote goes for Cazba in Lonsdale, North Vancouver. The price was unbeatable, portions were ginormous and the tenderness and flavor of the meats was undeniably the best. For those of you who haven't tried these kabobs, I really encourage you to go out and get some. Kabobs have a way with me. For some strange reason, I can eat them all day, any day, and the problem is, I can't stop eating even when I'm full. I hate to admit it, but it's my crack. A definite PHAN FAVE!

The above two photos are from Cazba. I can't say I've tried too many items on these Persian menus but I don't think you can ever go wrong with my two choices of the Kabob Koobideh (two skewers of ground beef) or the Jujeh Kabob (one skewer of boneless chicken breast). Each are marinated to the tee with their herbs and spices and then bbq-ed to perfection on the grill and de-skewered on your plate. Always accompanied by a grilled tomato and a heaping amount of rice, this meal will have you wanting more. Something in the rice really gets me going as well, maybe it's the oil or butter that's soaked into each grain, I don't know, but it's scrumptious!!! Plus Cazba was the cheapest of the three ranging from $6.95-10.95 per dish! BEAT THAT!

And of course, you must order one or both of the yogurts to enjoy at first as an appetizer but then paired with your meats and rice with every spoonful. Above you will find the Mast-o Moosir (yogurt with shallots) and the Mas-o Khair (yogurt with cucumber). Both are divine and an absolute must when dining Persian. Now we've moved on to restaurant #2, Darcin. They used to be on Davie but I've recently heard that they've re-located to Pacific. I have yet to track this place down and give it a second whirl.

The one other dish I had a bite of was their heavily spiced and slow cooked lamb chops. I've looked for an alike dish like this at Daria and Cazba, no luck so I'll need to visit this place soon.

And again, the chicken and beef kabob skewers. Yummmmmm! Out of the 3 places I tried, Darcin was the most expensive ranging from about $11-$14 a dish. One thing to add, don't expect amazing service at these places, you go there strictly for the authentic food and for sticking out like a sore thumb amongst the posh Persian crowd!

And finally, I've learned to combine my cravings of both kabobs and order the combination of both! This time, I dined with LC at Daria on Denman. It was a take out food atmosphere and I expcted the food to come quick and come cheap but it was the opposite of that. So my fellow food lovers out there, take a lesson from my book and choose Cazba!

My Dearest Persian MA, Don't You Ever Go Away!

Sit back relax, and let Phancouver tell you a little tale. Once upon a time, I met a wonderful Persian princess named MA. MA's daddy was the King. No literally he was a Sultan. (Sultan's Delicious Donair in Coquitlam, check it out, it's REALLY GOOD!!!) K, sorry that was a restaurant plug but back to my story. MA decided to have 5 little piggies over for a Persian feast, SC, PY, RHM and TS but TS couldn't come and missed out big time. =(

Anyhoo, MA decided to try out the Queen's (her mom) delicious recipe for beef kabobs. Ingredients include 700-800 grams of lean ground beef, 1 onion in the grinder, S&P, one cap full of bread crumbs, a dash of turmeric and baking soda, all pounded together by hand and rolled and flattened into perfect long john patties. Because we didn't know how to spark the BBQ (LOL), MA decided to pan fry these babies with chunks of tomatoes and orange peppers for flavor and tenderness.

Using grape seed oil (ooh la la), on medium heat and keeping a close eye on flipping them (wink wink), the patties were fried to Persian perfection. Coming out juicy, colorful and DEFINITELY flavor-filled.

Now, I'll have to interrupt this story because I am drooling too much reminiscing about this freaking awesome meal and have to wipe up my keyboard. OMG - you don't know how often I crave this meal. No matter what time of day it is, or how BULL I am (Bull is a word I use for when I'm REALLY full), I would be ready to eat this meal again. Okay, now on to the sides. WOW. Here you see the basmati rice cooked to a tee with crispy 'tadeek' showing in a nice golden brown. Steamed with a pinch of salt and butter, this rice is good to go on it's own. Our little Persian princess is multi-talented. Yes, that is her home made cucumber yogurt (maast-o-khiar). I just drizzled some on top of everything on my plate - it was SO refreshing! Prepared with 1 English cucumber, yogurt, dried mint, S&P and a few secret herbs, this accompaniment completed the meal. And, we can't forget to add some veggies! A nice spring salad mix with feta cheese and again, home made salad dressing, sure did the trick!

Sprinkled with sumac, nicely plated, and quickly devoured, we were so happily full this night, I just couldn't believe that I ate such a delicious meal. I think I had thirds. Several times during the night I would burst out saying, 'OMG guys, do you remember the meal we just had?' - it was THAT unbelievably mind blowing.

Finishing the night off with some authentic Persian tea, this was a night to remember in Food Fairytale Land. A meal fit for royalty, indeed.

So This Is What Persian Food Heaven Is Like...

Wow, look at that beautifully plated meal, made by the just-as-beautiful MA. =) My first home-cooked Persian meal (sabzi polo ba with mahi) in patio paradise.

Here you see MA's perfectly cooked salmon with the crispiest edges I have ever crunched on. This Atlantic salmon was covered in Persian spices Somag, Golpar, alongside herbs, salt and pepper, garlic and freshly squeezed lemon. Sent straight to the oven at 450 degrees Celsius for 45 minutes and out comes a tender and moist fish that melts in your mouth.

Ohh la la! This herb infused basmati rice was a great pairing with the salmon. Included was dill, parsley, cilantro, vegetable oil and salt. The crispy coating of the rice, tadeek, is the best part! (When cooking Chinese rice, we call it 'fan jew', lol). SO FREAKING DELICIOUS.

And of course, the greens! MA's lovely mixed green salad with chunks of avacado (my favorite!) and tomatoes. Her home made dressing which you can see in the above pictures is made with mayo, yogurt, apple cider vinegar, and salt and pepper. Refreshing and super tasty! What a delight! I was definitely in food heaven this day. =)

I also have to add that I was so fascinated by her kitchen's modern gadgets! (Modern to me, anyway). On the left is the tea bag scooper and drainer and on the right, a grind for fresh lemon juice! I just love using kitchen tools for every job possible!

Oh and of course her two-tiered dish drying rack - brilliant!! Thanks again MA, for an amazing meal topped off with our favorite reggae jams and relaxing patio time. You're the best!