In the UK these days, people are familiar with quince primarily in the form of membrillo, a concentrated, sugary jelly paste of Spanish origin that pairs perfectly with Manchego. Every year, without fail, someone in my neighbourhood Facebook group posts something along the lines of: ‘I have so many quinces on my tree – what can I make other than membrillo?’
One of the things I cook on a pretty regular basis during the autumn quince season is this sweet and sour khoresh. Quince and chicken: a duo even more perfect than jelly and cheese, if you ask me.
• 1kg skinless chicken thighs or legs
• 2tsp fine sea salt, plus extra to taste
• 6tbsp olive oil
• 2 onions, sliced into half-moons
• ½tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1tsp advieh (Persian spice blend)
• ½tsp ground turmeric
• 2tbsp tomato purée
• 75g dried yellow split peas
• 100g dried apricots
• 700g quinces, peeled, cored, and cut into 2.5cm chunks
• 0.25g saffron, ground with 1/8 tsp granulated sugar using a mortar and pestle, and then brewed with 1 tbsp orange blossom water and 1 tbsp hot water
• soft light brown sugar, to taste
• apple cider vinegar, to taste
• cooked rice, to serve
1. Season the chicken with 1tsp of the salt and set aside.
2. In a large casserole pot or saucepan for which you have a lid, heat 3tbsp of the oil over a high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, reduce the heat to low and add the onions. Sauté for 5-7 minutes or until they are soft and golden, then add the remaining 1tsp salt, along with the black pepper, advieh, turmeric, tomato purée, split peas and apricots. Stir to mix. Add the chicken to the pot, stir everything together and add 600ml water.
3. Reduce the heat to the lowest it will go, cover the pot and cook on a quiet simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
4. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 3tbsp oil in a medium sauté pan over a medium heat. Add the quince pieces and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes, or until the fruit begins to brown at its edges. Set aside.
5. When the hour of simmering is up, add the browned quince to the pot with the chicken, using a slotted spoon if you don’t want any additional oil in your finished khoresh. Stir in the brewed saffron.
6. Stir everything together and cook for another 20 minutes with the lid on. You can add an additional 120ml water to the pot if it looks too dry. (You want to serve this over rice on a plate rather than as a soup in a bowl – so only add more liquid if you think it really needs it.)
7. After 20 minutes, add sugar and vinegar to taste, starting with ½tsp of each. The khoresh should be a good balance of sweet and sour, so adjust accordingly. Add additional salt now too if needed. Stir everything together and cook for a final 10 minutes. Serve with the rice.
Photography by Laura Edwards (DK RED, £28).
For a teenage Anna Ansari hell-bent on a summer in Italy, being packed off to China felt like a catastrophe of epic proportions. But, as destiny would have it, the trip marked the beginning of a life-long love affair with the history, beauty and flavours of the Silk Roads, as vividly illustrated in her debut cookbook