I am trying to identify a dish I had a while ago while traveling in Iran. It was in Isfahan, and none of the languages I speak seemed particularly common with the locals, so I only got patchy details in addition to the actual experience of the dish.
The dish:
- was served in a shallow plate, for dipping/scooping.
- had a paste-like consistency, somewhat similar to hummus, but less chunky, more rope-y, and much more homogeneous.
- was mainly sweet, with a slight hint of savoury taste and saffron.
- was yellow-to-orange in color, I assume on account of saffron spicing.
- was made (primarily or mainly) of lamb (I double-checked with the serving staff as well as other patrons).
I found it hard to believe given the taste and appearance, but after making sure everybody agreed on the fact that it was meat, both the consistency and the slight savoury taste made more sense. I don't know if it's eaten as dessert by the locals, but I would certainly think of it as dessert. It was very sweet.
Do you know:
- what this dish is called?
- how exactly it is made?
Best Answer
As confirmed in comments, the dish is khoresht mast.
According to this recipe and this video, the main ingredients seem to be lamb or beef neck, yoghurt, sugar, saffron, rosewater, and garnishes of pistachios and barberries.
The lamb/beef is simmered with onion and turmeric then mashed and blended, and mixed with an egg yolk, yoghurt, and sugar. This is gently heated, to which saffron water and and (optionally) rosewater are now added. The mixture is then chilled, garnished, and served cool. The video explains everything quite well.