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Baghali pokhte
باقالی پخته · Boiled broad beans with golpar and vinegar, a Tehran and Gilan street snack
When autumn rain sets in over Rasht, and through the winter on Tehran street corners, sellers ladle steaming broad beans in their skins from giant pots into paper cones. The beans are soaked overnight and boiled slowly until creamy, then each bowlful is sprinkled with sharp golpar (ground Persian hogweed seed), salt and a splash of vinegar. You pinch the beans out of their skins as you eat. A common mistake is salting the cooking water early, which keeps the skins tough. Chef's tip: golpar is strong and smells a little like celery and citrus; start with a light dusting and add more at the table.
- Total time
- 95 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
To serve
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: The night before, cover the 14 oz dried broad beans, skin on with plenty of cold water and leave them to soak for 12 hours. They will double in size; drain and rinse them.
5 minStep 2: Put the soaked beans in a large pot with the 10 ½ cups water. Bring to the boil, skim off the grey foam, then lower the heat to a gentle bubble.
10 minStep 3: Simmer, partly covered, for 60–70 minutes, until a bean crushes easily between your fingers and the inside is creamy. Top up with boiling water if the beans start to poke out.
70 minStep 4: Stir in the 1 ½ tsp salt only now and simmer 5 more minutes so the beans take it up.
5 minStep 5: Ladle the beans into bowls with a little of their cooking liquid. Sprinkle with 2 tsp ground golpar (Persian hogweed), splash with 4 tbsp white wine vinegar or grape vinegar and serve hot with 4 lemon wedges wedges, if using.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 290 kcal
- Protein
- 20 g
- Carbs
- 45 g
- Fat
- 1 g
- Fibre
- 20 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does baghali pokhte take?
- About 95 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 80 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of white wine vinegar or grape vinegar?
- Lemon juice, same amount.
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