Fesenjan Stew and Its Magical Health Benefits

You might also believe that when it grows cold, sweet and fatty foods are more popular than cold and watery foods. Among them which is very popular in wintertime, is Fesenjan Stew which is quite unique due to its walnuts and pomegranate paste. You already know that the cuisine is prepared either sweet or sour. Here is the recipe and a quick look at its ingredients health benefits.

Ingredients,

Serving 4
200 gground walnuts
250 g calf meat, minced
4 tablespoons pomegranate paste
1 medium onion
Salt and turmeric powder for seasoning
2 tablesppns sugar
4 glasses raw rice

Procedure

To begin, fry 1 chopped onion in a little oil in a pot and then add the ground walnuts. Don't forget to add salt and pepper at this stage and keep sauteing a bit. Then pour in water and allow to cook on low flame at least 45 minutes. Every now and then, stir the stew to prevent the contents from sticking. After that, shape minced meat into small balls and saute in oil a bit. Put the meatballs inside the pot along with pomegranate paste and a little sugar, if desired. After a half hour, remove from the heat and serve with cooked rice. Bon Appetit!

Meat

Red or white meat are both used in the cuisine. Almost all families would prefer to make he stew with red meat. Therefore, here is all about the red meat. Generally, consuming red meat 3 times a week supplies the body's need to iron, protein , zinc and vitamin B family. 120 grams of fat-less calf meat provides 16 % daily needs of the women for iron and 20 % for men. Women and girls in the society lack this vital mineral, and so consuming red meat shouldn't be left out because of its high cholesterol. What is recommended is to remove all the visible fat from the meat in the stew.
You can apply chicken and fish for other weekly meals to make up for any potential minerals shortage in the body. Calf meat is as nutritious as mutton but contains less fat. Mutton is more delicious because of its fat, though.

What to serve with the stew?

As a drink go for Doogh with little salt and gas-free which has been made out of low-fat yogurt
Doogh is a savory yogurt-based beverage popular in Iran and Azerbaijan, It is sometimes carbonated and seasoned with mint. Outside Iran and Azerbaijan, it is known by different names.
Aromatic herbs such as leek, basil leaves, parsley, coriander and the like can be consumed too. They contain a lot of fiber and prevents you from overeating the calorific, yet savory stew. A small plate of a variety of leaf vegetables gives your body 25 calories, which is indeed low.

Rice

Rice is the main staple of the Persian cuisine. The grain is always used in white color and without its husk. Unfortunately rice loses its high nutritional value due to different processes and becomes only a source for gaining energy. You might have heard of brown rice! Studies show that consuming 150 grams of the brown rice supplies 8 % of daily needs of the body for fiber where as white rice lacks this substance. In addition, when bran ( a rich source of vitamin B1 and B3) in the grain is removed during processes, these vitamins are destroyed.
And that's why you are recommended to consume less rice and have only one meal of rice during a day( preferably lunch).
Nutritionists believe that pomegranates are valuable fruits. But is
Pomegranate paste nutritious as well? Certainly not! Since it is prepared over a high heat and in a couple of hours; the high heat will destroy nutrients and vitamins. Furthermore, its amount in the stew is not so much to be regarded as a highly nutritional source. Yet it can be applied as a tasty seasoning. The only point here is to make it at home; or at least get it from the reliable and places that observe hygiene issues. To keep it for a long time, put it in a covered glass dish in the fridge to keep it immune from all pollution like mold.

Walnuts

Walnuts are nutritious. Some people don't like to consume them even for their breakfast. Studies show that consuming 6 walnuts, 40 grams, provides your body with 2 miligrams of vitamin E. The daily need of the men to this vitamin is 4 miligrams and for women it is 3 miligrams. Eating 100 grams of walnuts will supply 1 miligram of copper which meets the daily need of the women. You might have heard that those who eat walnuts alt least 4 times a week will reduce the deaths caused by heart attacks to 50 %. This is because the fruit lowers the bad cholesterol or LDL. Interestingly, There is a fatty acid in walnuts which is called linoleic which reduces the blood concentration and thus hinders plaque buildup in the arteries, lowers blood pressure and prevents heart attacks.
If you are a diabetic or suffer from a high blood pressure, are recommended to consume the stew rarely; apply little salt and add to the sour taste of the cuisine, omitting sugar seriously as sugar will increase the gained calories and obesity leading to worsening their health situation. Those who wish to lower the high calorie of the fruit, can apply butter squash with less walnuts in order to increase the fiber and reduce the calorie. Take this into account if you are concerned about the received calories.
If you are overweight, you should be cautious. The stew is calorific compared to other types of stew. If you are worried about gaining more weight, you are advised to remove the oil accumulated on top of the pot after cooking. Instead of red meat which certainly includes a large amount of calories, apply chicken breast. Consume little rice and make sure to apply plenty of greens and Doogh. Even a plate of salad is a good idea.
The nutritionist Dr. Sayyed Zia Aldin Mazhari says:" Do not miss the nuts!"
One of the main ingredients of the stew is walnut. All nuts are proper source of energy , protein and unsaturated fat, or the good fat. 30 Grmas almonds or walnuts or even pistachios equals a glass of milk in protein. the existing fat in the nuts doesn't increase the bad cholesterol( LDL); rather it multiplies the good cholesterol ( HDL).
Besides, consuming these nutrients contain unsaturated fat especially alpha-inoleic acid( Omega-3) which hinders inflammations and reduces reactionary power of blood vessels and thereby reducing 30 to 50 percent of the potential cardiovascular diseases. The nutritious nuts include a high calorie and overusing them will lead to weight gain.
For those who think that they should omit nuts from their menu, it should be noted that thinness or obesity depends on the energy intake and consumption during a day. Therefore, if a person consumes the nuts based on his daily need will never put on weight. While even eating an apple or any other fruits more that the daily needs will result in gaining weight.
Unfortunately, those omitting even one walnut, eat plenty of fruits and always complain about gaining weight while they believe that this way they will lose weight! The contamination of the nuts will put the health of the consumers at risk; for example, old and fungus-affected nuts have toxins such as Aflatoxin which is carcinogenic. So you are recommended not to consume the nuts with brown or green stains on their kernels.
The nuts colored with unhealthy colors are also harmful; they bring dangerous heavy metals into the body causing a lot of health problems.
Therefore, you are highly advised to purchase raw nuts which are not only long-lasting but also their potential contamination is less.

Staleness and unfreshness

Generally, you are recommended to prepare a meal that is enough and wont remain for other meals. But in case there is leftover, put the stew in a covered dish in the refrigerator for 1 or 2 days at most. Although it might not be contaminated but its nutritional value will indeed decrease. therefore, if you predict that the stew will remain in 2 days time, then put in the freezer.
As for walnuts, you can keep walnuts in the refrigerator 6 months straight. Some families usually grind their needed walnuts in the freezer. The recommendation is to do this each time you want to apply it in your cuisine to avoid destruction of its nutrients. Grinding them for consuming over the months is not a good thing to do.