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Kahu sekanjabin
کاهو سکنجبین · Lettuce leaves with mint-vinegar syrup for Sizdah Bedar
On Sizdah Bedar, the thirteenth day of the new year, Iranian families leave the city for parks and riverbanks around Tehran and Isfahan, and the picnic cloth almost always holds a jar of sekanjabin and a head of crisp romaine. The syrup is an ancient one: sugar and vinegar simmered together and steeped with fresh mint, sweet-sour and cooling. You tear off a lettuce leaf, dip it and crunch. The usual mistake is boiling the syrup too long, which turns it into hard toffee once cold. Chef's tip: keep the lettuce in iced water until the moment you serve; the colder and crisper the leaf, the better the contrast with the syrup.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the sekanjabin
To serve
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Fresh ingredients (3)
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Put the 10 ½ oz sugar and 1 cup water in a small saucepan over a medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves and the syrup comes to the boil.
5 minStep 2: Add the ½ cup white wine vinegar or cider vinegar and simmer gently for 15–20 minutes, until it thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon like thin honey. It will thicken more as it cools.
20 minStep 3: Take the pan off the heat, push the 1 large bunch fresh mint stalks and leaves into the syrup and leave to steep for 1 hour as it cools. Lift out and squeeze the mint, then discard it.
5 minStep 4: Wash the 2 romaine lettuce hearts leaves and keep them in a bowl of iced water until serving. Shake dry.
5 minStep 5: Pour the syrup into small bowls, stirring in the 2 small cucumbers if you like, and dip the lettuce leaves as you eat. The syrup keeps 2 months in a jar in the fridge.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 180 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 45 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kahu sekanjabin take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 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.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of white wine vinegar or cider vinegar?
- Lemon juice, same amount.
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