Creating The Perfect Wedding Cookies: A Step-By-Step Guide

Shirini is a traditional Afghan wedding custom that marks the official proposal or engagement ceremony. The boy's family visits the bride's home to observe and approve her, after which both families exchange Dismal or Khimcha. The term Shirini derives from the girl's approval, signifying yes from both families. Following this, they begin preparations for the festivities and traditions, including pre-wedding celebrations such as Iftari, Eidi, and Nowrozi. The engagement ceremony, known as Sher-E-Ne Khore, is hosted by the bride's family and serves to announce the upcoming marriage. This is followed by the Khina Night or Mehndi Night, a joyous event where the groom wears traditional attire and musicians entertain the guests. The actual wedding ceremony, or Nikhah, may take place on the same day or be held privately on a separate occasion.

Soak almonds and pistachios for 10 minutes

To make wedding shirini, you'll need to soak the almonds and pistachios in water for at least 10 minutes and up to an hour. This is an important step as it helps to soften the nuts and makes it easier to remove the peel from the almonds. The peel should come off easily after soaking.

Once the nuts have been soaked, drain them and set them aside. If you are using whole almonds, be sure to peel them before thinly slicing them. You can also buy slivered almonds, which are already thinly sliced, to save time.

Soaking the nuts is a crucial step in preparing the ingredients for wedding shirini. It ensures that the nuts are softened and ready to be added to the other components of the dish.

By following this step, you'll be on your way to creating a delicious and beautiful wedding shirini that your guests will surely enjoy!

Heat oil, add onions and cook until light golden brown

To make the onions for shirin polo, start by heating 3 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. You can use a flavourless oil like grapeseed, avocado oil, sunflower, peanut oil, or canola. Once the oil is hot, add in the onions. For this recipe, you'll want to use yellow or red onions, as these are the preferred choice for Persian fried onions.

Cook the onions, stirring occasionally, until they are a light golden brown colour. This will take around 20 minutes. Be careful not to overcook them, as you only want them to be lightly cooked. Once they are ready, remove them from the heat and set them aside.

Now your onions are ready to be added to the rest of the ingredients to create a delicious shirin polo, a special dish usually served at weddings to bring sweetness to the new couple.

Heat oil, add barberries, currants, raisins and sugar

Now that you have gathered and prepared your ingredients, it is time to start cooking. First, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium to medium-low heat. You can use any flavourless oil, such as grape seed, avocado oil, sunflower, peanut oil, or canola. Next, add in your rinsed and drained barberries, currants, and raisins. Give them a good mix so that they are all coated in the oil.

At this point, you will cook the fruits for 2 minutes. Then, add 1 teaspoon of sugar and continue cooking. Keep an eye on the barberries as they can burn easily. You will know the fruits are ready when they become soft and plump, which should take around 1-2 minutes. Once they are soft, remove the pan from the heat and transfer the fruits to a bowl. You can use the same bowl that you used for the onions.

A tip to remember is to keep stirring the fruits so that they do not stick to the pan and burn. Also, be careful not to overcook them as they will continue to cook a little even after being removed from the heat.

Boil orange peel to remove bitterness

To make wedding shirini, you'll need to prepare candied orange peels. However, orange peels are extremely bitter, so you'll need to remove the bitterness before using them. Here's a detailed guide on how to do that:

First, it's important to understand which parts of the orange are bitter. Contrary to popular belief, the pith (the white part) is not the main source of bitterness. Instead, the bitter compounds are primarily found in the orange peel itself. These compounds, known as naringin and limonin, are soluble in hot water.

To effectively remove the bitterness, you should start by blanching the orange peels. Bring a pot of water to a boil and briefly blanch the peels for a couple of minutes. Drain the water and repeat the process 3-4 times. Blanching helps to leech out the bitter compounds, reducing the bitterness by about 50%.

After blanching, the orange peels will still retain a slight bitterness. At this stage, you can decide if you want to tolerate this subtle bitterness or continue reducing it. If you choose to further minimise the bitterness, there are a few additional steps you can take.

One effective method is to utilise sugar. Sugar helps to mask the bitter flavour, making it less noticeable. You can add sugar to the orange peels or to the final dish in which you're using the peels.

Another factor that reduces bitterness over time is storage. Interestingly, studies have shown that storing candied orange peels in an airtight container for a month can result in a 10-30% reduction in naringin, one of the main bitter compounds.

It's worth noting that individual taste perception also plays a role in bitterness detection. Some people are more sensitive to bitter flavours than others, so adjust your recipe accordingly.

By following these steps and adapting them to your taste preferences, you can effectively remove the bitterness from orange peels, making them suitable for use in your wedding shirini or other culinary creations.

Bring orange peel, carrots, water and sugar to a boil, then simmer

To make the candied orange peel, first, thinly slice the orange peels and add them to a saucepan. Cover the peels with water and bring to a boil. Boil the peels for 2 minutes, then drain the water and repeat this process 3 more times. This step is important as it removes the bitterness from the orange peel.

Next, add the drained orange peel, carrots, water, and sugar to the saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and let it cook for about 15 minutes.

While the mixture is simmering, prepare the other ingredients. Heat oil in a pan over medium heat and add the onion, cooking until it turns a light golden brown colour. In a separate pan, heat some more oil and add the rinsed and drained barberries, currants, and golden raisins. Cook for 2 minutes, then add sugar and continue cooking until the mixture is soft and plump.

Once the orange peel and carrot mixture has finished simmering, drain the water and add the carrots and orange peel to the bowl with the onions and dried fruit.

Now, it's time to cook the rice. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add salt. Wash the rice with lukewarm water and add it to the boiling water, stirring gently. Once the water comes back to a boil, remove the lid to prevent overflowing. Cook the rice until it is al dente, then strain it and shake the colander to remove excess water.

To assemble the dish, add oil to the rice pot and layer half of the rice, followed by half of the other ingredients and spices. Mix and fluff the mixture with a fork. Add the remaining rice and ingredients, and pour over the ground and steeped saffron. Using a kitchen utensil, gently pull the rice away from the edges of the pot to form a pyramid shape. Make 6 deep holes in the rice, then cover and cook over low heat for about 30 minutes.

Shirin Polo, or Persian Jeweled Rice, is a sweet and colourful dish often served at weddings. It is a labour-intensive recipe, but the end result is well worth the effort!

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