Deliciously spiced meatballs made of lentils, rice and ground meat in a sumptuous tomato-ish sauce. If you prefer a veggie version just replace the meat with nuts and bulgur – see details at the end of the recipe. Perfect holiday dish!

Preparation time: 1 hour and 15 minutes

What you need:

For the meatballs

1 cup (200g) lentils

1 cup (200g) white rice

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 eggs

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 lb (450g) ground meat (beef, lamb, chicken or turkey)

1 cup (85g) fresh parsley, chopped

1 cup (85g) fresh dill, chopped

2 cups green onions, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

For the sauce:

2 tablespoons oil

2 onions, finely chopped

2 teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon pepper

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon turmeric

5 tablespoons tomato sauce or paste

2 tomatoes, chopped

6 cups (1.5 liters) broth (you can substitute with water)

5 tablespoons fresh lime juice

How to do it:

Cook lentils with 6 cups of water and ½ teaspoon salt at medium heat for about 30 minutes, drain and allow to cool

In a large mixing bowl combine all ingredients for the meatballs and knead lightly with your hands until it turns into a smooth paste (don’t overmix); set aside

For the broth, heat the oil in a large pot at medium heat and fry onions until translucent

Add salt, pepper, pepper flakes, turmeric, tomato paste and cook for just a minute

Add the tomato, broth/water and lime juice and simmer for 3 minutes over low heat

Preheat oven to 420F (210C), form meat/rice/lentil paste into small balls (size of a mandarin) and arrange them in a Dutch oven or large baking dish. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes or until lightly brown

Pour the hot broth carefully over the meatballs, cover and bake for 15 minutes; take cover off and bake for another 15 minutes

Take the dish out of the oven and adjust the seasoning until you like it.

Gently place the meatballs on plates and spoon the broth on top.

Alternatively, you can also do stovetop cooking: Shape the meatballs and slip them gently into the broth, one at a time; simmer uncovered for 15 minutes; then partially cover and cook over low heat for 1 hour.

Serve hot with yogurt and rice or bread.

Nush-e Jan!

Vegetarian version: You can replace the meat with 2 cups of coarsely ground nuts and 1 cup of cooked bulgur; increase eggs to 4

This recipe comes from Najmieh Batmanglij’s wonderful cookbook “Food of Life” with lots of delicious Persian and Iranian dishes.