Rumi’s Kitchen shares Persian recipes layered with flavors

Atlanta has long had its share of Persian restaurants, beloved for their rice dishes, flatbreads, platters of herbs and cheese, kebabs and roasted meats.

Stephen Kaplan remembers growing up in Sandy Springs going to Persian restaurants with his family. “I ate chicken kebabs on family visits to our favorite Persian restaurant and, in fact, my first job, at age 16, was working in that restaurant,” Kaplan said.

Stephen Kaplan is the chief operating officer of Rumi's Kitchen (Courtesy of Rumi’s Kitchen)

Kaplan was in college earning a master’s degree before he ate at Rumi’s Kitchen. “I had never eaten there but I met a girl who worked at Rumi’s and I started visiting her there. I met the owner Ali Mesghali and ended up working for him. That was in 2010.”

Now Kaplan is a partner and the restaurant group’s chief operating officer.

In 2006, Rumi's Kitchen opened its first metro Atlanta location in Sandy Springs. The flagship restaurant has undergone many updates over the years and is currently closed for renovation. (Courtesy of Rumi's Kitchen)

He and Mesghali have expanded the restaurant footprint from its original Sandy Springs location to locations in Alpharetta, Colony Square, Washington D.C. and Houston. That original Sandy Springs restaurant is being renovated, scheduled to reopen in late October. “We’re adding some fun new equipment in Sandy Springs that will allow us to put new items on the menu like grape molasses-glazed lamb ribs, pomegranate three-bone short ribs and fried quail.”

In 2011, Rumi's Kitchen opened its second metro Atlanta restaurant in Alpharetta's Avalon development. (Courtesy of Rumi's Kitchen)

Over the past 16 years, the AJC’s From the Menu of column has received more requests for recipes from Rumi’s Kitchen than from any other single restaurant. Readers have described the dishes as “standout” and highlighted choosing Persian food as the meals they wanted for birthday parties and other celebrations.

“I think the food is so popular because the flavors are familiar. There’s nothing too spicy, nothing overly sweet. It’s very balanced. The beauty of the cuisine is in the layering of flavors. After all, it’s a cuisine that is thousands and thousands of years old,” he said.

The dining room at Rumi's Kitchen in Alpharetta is airy and elegantly appointed. (Courtesy of Rumi's Kitchen)

Rumi’s Kitchen

6112 Roswell Road, Atlanta. 404-477-2100

7105 Avalon Blvd., Alpharetta. 678-534-8855

1175 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta. 404-777-9807

rumiskitchen.com

RECIPES

Stephen Kaplan of Rumi’s Kitchen shared five recipes for AJC reader-requested favorites.

Rumi’s Kitchen shakshuka poaches an egg in shakshuka sauce (Courtesy of Rumi's Kitchen)

Rumi’s Kitchen Shakshuka

Shakshuka is a relatively recent addition to the Rumi’s Kitchen menu, developed when the Colony Square location began serving brunch. Each serving uses 2 cups of shakshuka sauce and is prepared and served in individual skillets with 2 eggs per serving.

“The sauce is the magic in this recipe, but the biggest challenge is getting those eggs perfectly poached in the sauce. We serve the shakshuka in individual skillets and prepare the eggs so they have a runny yolk perfect for accompanying with our flatbread,” said Kaplan.

Urfa chile flakes are available at stores carrying Middle Eastern groceries and online.

• 2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, with juice
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup diced red bell pepper
• 3/4 cup diced yellow onion
• 6 minced garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon Urfa chile flakes
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon toasted ground cumin (see note)
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 8 eggs
• Parsley sprigs, for garnish
• Flatbread (see recipe), for serving

1. Make shakshuka sauce: In a large bowl, using your hands, break up the whole tomatoes into small pieces. Set aside.
2. In a large skillet, warm olive oil over medium-high heat. Stir in bell pepper, onion and garlic. Sauté vegetables until onions begin to turn golden, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes.
3. Stir in salt, Urfa chile, coriander, cumin and black pepper.
4. Add crushed tomatoes and turn heat to high. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer 3 minutes. Remove from heat and taste for seasoning, adding salt to taste. Can be used immediately or prepared ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
5. When ready to serve: Heat sauce in a large skillet over medium heat, about 3 minutes, or until bubbling around the edges. Make 8 indentations in sauce and break an egg into each indentation.
6. Cover skillet and heat until eggs are cooked to your preference, about 5 minutes for egg whites that are set and yolks are still runny. Remove skillet from heat, uncover and garnish with parsley. Serve immediately with flatbread.

Serves 4.

Per serving, without flatbread: 268 calories (percent of calories from fat, 51), 8 grams protein, 13 grams carbohydrates, 6 grams total sugars, 3 grams fiber, 10 grams total fat (2 grams saturated), 166 milligrams cholesterol, 965 milligrams sodium.

Rumi's Kitchen hummus is garnished with a spoonful of tahini blended with jalapeno and herbs, drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with Urfa chiles and topped with leaves of watercress. (Courtesy of Rumi's Kitchen)

Rumi’s Kitchen Hummus

“Hummus is not necessarily a Persian dish, but it’s become something Rumi’s Kitchen is known for,” Kaplan said. “We started by making our hummus with canned chickpeas, but it was often grainy. We learned that to have perfectly smooth hummus, we needed to start with dry chickpeas and add baking soda while they were cooking. Rinsing the cooked chickpeas in a bowl of cool water allows the skins to rise to the top and be discarded. That turned out to be the secret for the smooth hummus we make today.”

If you wish, you can reduce the cooking time by about half by soaking the dried chickpeas overnight. And don’t be afraid to “overcook” the chickpeas. The softer the chickpeas, the creamier the hummus.

• 12 cups water
• 1 pound dried chickpeas
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup tahini
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon toasted ground cumin (see note)

1. In a Dutch oven, combine water and dried chickpeas. Bring to a boil over high heat and continue to boil 2 hours, adding more water as needed to be sure water continues to cover chickpeas.
2. After 2 hours of cooking, add baking soda. Cook additional 2 hours and begin testing for doneness. The chickpeas are done when they are completely tender and the skins are easily removed.
3. Drain chickpeas into a colander, discarding cooking liquid.
4. Move chickpeas to a bowl of cool water and stir with your hands to remove skins. If needed, gently rub off any remaining skins. Continue until most, if not all, the skins have been removed. Drain chickpeas into a colander and allow to cool.
5. Transfer chickpeas to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the S-blade. Add tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, garlic and cumin. Process until smooth and creamy. This may take several minutes. Add water by the tablespoon if you want a looser texture.
6. Taste hummus for seasoning, adding more lemon juice, salt or cumin if needed. Serve immediately.

Makes 6 cups.

Per 1/2 cup: 305 calories (percent of calories from fat, 53), 11 grams protein, 30 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram total sugars, 11 grams fiber, 21 grams total fat (3 grams saturated), no cholesterol, 359 milligrams sodium.

Rumi’s Kitchen flatbread is a popular favorite at the restaurant. (Courtesy of Rumi's Kitchen)

Rumi’s Kitchen Flatbread

Freshly baked flatbread is in such demand at the restaurant that each location prepares three batches a day using 50 pounds of flour with each batch. “Baking this flatbread is a huge part of our production,” said Kaplan. “You can imagine how devastating it is if we have a mixer go down.”

They bake the bread in tandoor ovens. We’ve adapted the recipe for a home oven, using a baking stone. The restaurant uses a high-gluten flour for the flatbread. We tested the recipe with both bread and all-purpose flours and had better results in a home oven with all-purpose.

Plan ahead because the dough needs to rest 24 hours before baking. To come close to replicating the results of baking in a tandoor oven, you’ll need a baking stone.

• 3/4 cup room temperature water
• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for flouring work surface
• 1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal Kosher salt
• 1/3 cup half-and-half, plus more if needed
• 2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted  

1. Combine water, yeast and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and stir with a rubber scraper.
2. Fit the mixer with dough hook and add the flour and salt.
3. Turn mixer to low and run until flour is moistened, about 2 minutes.
4. With mixer running, add half-and-half and butter.
5. Continue running mixer until a smooth dough is formed, about 4 minutes, adding more half-and-half by the tablespoon if needed.
6. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
7. Transfer dough to a floured work surface. Divide dough into four balls and arrange on baking sheet. Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and refrigerate 24 hours.
8. When ready to bake, remove dough from refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature.
9. Heat oven to 500 degrees. Place a baking stone on middle rack of oven.
10. When dough is at room temperature, flour work surface and roll each ball into a 10-inch circle. Use a fork to poke holes in the dough about 2 inches apart.
11. Working with one piece at a time, transfer dough to baking stone and bake until the dough has bubbled and tops of bubbles turn golden brown, about 8 minutes.
12. Remove from oven and cool slightly on wire rack. Continue until all bread is baked.
13. Cut each round into 8 wedges and serve warm.

Makes 32 wedges.

Per wedge: 69 calories (percent of calories from fat, 13), 2 grams protein, 13 grams carbohydrates, trace total sugars, trace fiber, 1 gram total fat (1 gram saturated), 3 milligrams cholesterol, 212 milligrams sodium.

Rumi’s mirza ghasemi pairs well with its flatbread. (Courtesy of Rumi's Kitchen)

Rumi’s Kitchen Mirza Ghasemi

“This is a northern Iranian dish that you will find in almost every Persian restaurant in America,” Kaplan said. “The combination of ingredients — eggplant, garlic and tomatoes — can be found in many cuisines but what makes it Persian is the layering of flavors: the way the garlic is fried until it’s perfectly golden, roasting the skin-on eggplant over an open flame so it has a smokiness you can’t get in any other way, making sure it’s perfectly cooked but not overdone.”

An appetizer serving of mirza ghasemi is 1 cup, served with flatbread for sharing.

• 2 tablespoons canola oil plus more for lubricating grill grates
• 3 pounds Italian eggplant (about 2 large eggplants)
• 2 chopped garlic cloves
• 7 Roma tomatoes (about 1 pound), cored and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• Flatbread (see recipe), for serving

1. When ready to serve, heat grill to 350 degrees and lightly oil grates. Have a sheet plan near the grill.
2. Place whole eggplants on grill and cook just until eggplants have collapsed, rotating eggplants every 2 to 3 minutes, about 25 minutes.
3. Transfer eggplants to sheet pan and allow to cool enough to be handled.
4. Once cooled, remove the caps and peel from eggplants and, using your hands, break flesh into large pieces.
5. In a large skillet, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and sauté until golden brown, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes.
6. Stir in tomatoes and lower heat to medium. Cook 7 minutes or until tomatoes have completely softened and released their juice.
7. Stir in tomato paste and cook 1 minute.
8. Stir in salt and pepper, then add eggplant and cook 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
9. Transfer to serving dish and serve warm with flatbread.

Makes 3 cups.

Per 1/2 cup, without flatbread: 120 calories (percent of calories from fat, 34), 3 grams protein, 18 grams carbohydrates, 11 grams total sugars, 8 grams fiber, 5 grams total fat (trace saturated fat), no cholesterol, 575 milligrams sodium.

Roasted salmon with sour cherry rice is pictured here with a charred Roma tomato. (Courtesy of Rumi's Kitchen)

Rumi’s Kitchen Roasted Salmon with Sour Cherry Rice

“Our roasted salmon is often served with basmati rice flavored with fava beans and dill or other herbs, but we find many guests like the salmon with one of our sweeter rices like this sour cherry rice,” said Kaplan. “Sour cherries are one of the magic ingredients in Persian cooking and fresh sour cherries can often be found in Persian markets.”

• 1/4 cup hot water
• 1 teaspoon saffron
• 1 small lemon
• 1 small lime
• 6 tablespoons chopped yellow onion
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil plus more for lubricating grill grates
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon Louisiana Hot Sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 3/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 3/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon white vinegar
• 6 (8-ounce) skin-on salmon fillets
• Sour Cherry Rice (see recipe), for serving

1. Make saffron water: Combine hot water and saffron in measuring cup and set aside.
2. Make cooking sauce: zest the lemon and lime and put zest into the jar of a blender. Cut peel off lemon and lime, removing and discarding all pith. Cut each fruit in half, remove any seeds and put lemon and lime flesh in the blender jar.
3. Add onion, 2 tablespoons oil, lemon juice, lime juice, hot sauce, soy sauce, salt, red wine vinegar, pepper, white vinegar and reserved saffron water.
4. Start blender on low speed then increase speed until mixture is completely pureed, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a container and use immediately or refrigerate covered, overnight.
5. When ready to serve, heat grill to 500 degrees and lightly oil grates.
6. Arrange salmon skin-side down on grill. Spoon cooking sauce over each filet, dividing evenly, and use a brush to spread over surface.
7. Cook salmon until it reaches 145 degrees, about 5 minutes, depending on thickness of fillet.
8. Remove salmon from grill and serve with Sour Cherry Rice.

Serves 6.

Per serving, without rice: 324 calories (percent of calories from fat, 38), 46 grams protein, 3 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram total sugars, 1 gram fiber, 13 grams total fat (3 grams saturated), 168 milligrams cholesterol, 463 milligrams sodium.

Sour Cherry Rice

Fresh sour cherries have a limited season so preserved sour cherries are an acceptable substitute. Sour cherries are also known as tart cherries, and canned or jarred tart cherries can be found at many grocery stores. If you have trouble locating them, consider reconstituting dried tart cherries in hot water for 10 to 15 minutes.

• 2 cups raw basmati rice
• 2 tablespoons hot water
• 1 teaspoon saffron
• 1 cup canned or jarred sour cherries, drained
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon rosewater

1. Prepare rice according to package directions.
2. While rice is cooking, make saffron water: combine hot water and saffron in small bowl and set aside.
3. In a small saucepan over low heat, combine cherries and sugar and cook until sugar dissolves, about 1 minute, stirring with a wooden spoon, being careful not to break up cherries.
4. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice and rosewater.
5. When rice is done, set 1 cup aside.  
6. In a large bowl, stir together remaining rice and cherry mixture. Spread on serving platter.
7. Stir together saffron water and reserved cup of rice and arrange on top of sour cherry rice. Serve hot.

Makes 6 cups.