Sauces & basics

Anar bij (Persian pomegranate)

Anar bij is the Persian word for pomegranate, here prepared as a concentrated juice and a lightly sweet-sour sauce that serves as a base for many Iranian dishes. Its tangy, fruity flavour goes well with rice, grilled meats and salads.

40 min
4 servings
Medium
Budget-friendly
🇮🇷 Iran

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Ingredients

Spices & seasoning

Pinch of salt

Optional extras

2 Bay leaves

Nutrition facts

228 kcal per serving

Protein: 2.3 g
Carbohydrates: 46.9 g
of which sugars: 45.1 g
Fat: 2.2 g
of which saturated fat: 0.2 g
Fiber: 3.5 g

Ecomely’s estimate, calculated from the ingredients with the ANSES Ciqual food composition table, excluding sides and seasoning added to taste.

Instructions

Cut the pomegranates in half, scoop out the seeds and gently crush them to extract the juice, then strain it.
If using shop-bought juice, skip the extraction and simply reduce it in the next step.
Pour the juice into a heavy-based saucepan and add the sugar, the lemon juice and a pinch of salt.
Bring gently to a simmer and reduce over low heat for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring regularly, until you have a syrupy sauce that coats a spoon.
Off the heat, flavour with the cardamom and rose water if using.
Leave to cool completely, then store in a clean jar in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.