Chelo Kebab for a dinner party — went down extremely well

I made Chelo Kebab for eight guests who had varying familiarity with the cuisine. Every single person asked for the recipe. The sweet-sour with pomegranate profile was the main talking point — no one had quite experienced saffron used that way before.

Iranian cuisine has a 3000-year recorded history with influences on Arab, Turkish, and Central Asian cooking. I explained the a communal sofreh tablecloth feast context as I served it which helped people appreciate it fully. rose water sharbat was what I offered alongside and it worked perfectly. Excellent dinner party dish — impressive without being inaccessible.