Parsian International Market: A Taste of Tehran on Convoy

A few years ago, my friends Paula and Armando told me about Parsian, a tiny Iranian market on Balboa Ave. in Clairemont near See’s Candy. Armando, in particular, adored the fresh produce. It took me awhile to find it but once I did, I had a ball shopping there. And, then it wasn’t there; instead the much larger Balboa International Market was. It was all very confusing but it turns out that Parsian had simply moved, taking over what had been a Chinese restaurant (and before that a McDonalds) on Convoy in Kearny Mesa, across from Home Expo.

Parsian, still small by market standards, has been in these digs for three years now. It’s owned by three women, including Sariba Arin, who told me by phone that Parsian has been in business for 13 years. And, it’s a business with a loyal clientele. Last Saturday, a middle-aged man waiting for his takeout order told me how much he loved the store, how wonderful and kind the people are who work there and that he and his wife continue to drive down regularly to shop from Carlsbad, where they now live.

In fact, Parsian is a great place to stop by for a casual lunch on the patio before picking up authentic Iranian and Middle Eastern treats. The owners have obviously taken advantage of the pre-existing kitchen space (and drive-through window) to offer a nice mix of prepared meals, redolent with exotic spices. Start with dips like hummus, cucumber (their tangy, thick house yogurt mixed with crunchy chopped Persian cucumbers and fresh mint), shallot (yogurt with shallots—very oniony) or eggplant (eggplant marinated in garlic and onion, topped with yogurt). On a hot day, try a Greek salad or grilled chicken salad. They have A’sh Reshteh, a vegetarian noodle soup with lentils, garbanzo beans, herbs, reshteh (Persian noodles), garlic and mint. And, of course, they have kabobs—grilled filet mignon, minced beef, chicken, even salmon. The plates come with the most extraordinarily fluffy and aromatic basmati rice with saffron; a salad bursting with tomatoes, sweet onions and thick slices of Persian cucumbers; two pieces of warm lavash (a light, thin flat bread) with butter and the traditional grilled tomato. I sampled the mini grilled chicken kabob (marinated in saffron and a splash of lemon) and beef kabob (koobideh) platter. Both the chicken and beef were moist, tender and full of flavor.

They also have a variety of sandwiches and enormous wraps, as well as very tasty specialty stews. I took home the fesenjoon, a hearty walnut stew made with breast of chicken strips, crushed walnuts and pomegranate sauce, served over basmati rice, with a side salad. The stew is a deep brown and thick, almost like a paste, rich with the subtle essence of the walnuts and pomegranate. Equally enticing is the eggplant stew, with sautéed onions in a tomato sauce with top sirloin strips. Portions are huge and the prices very reasonable.

Once you’ve had some lunch, grab a basket and head down the aisles. Check out the colorful hookas, or water pipes, and the crazy collection of tobaccos—splash margarita, raspberry, cappuccino, cherry, strawberry daiquiri, cola and jasmine. That’s a whole other world of temptation for a nonsmoker like me, but obviously it has its fans.

More to my liking were the bins filled with snacking seeds and nuts—red melon, almonds, squash and watermelon. I was attracted to the thick red melon seeds but found I actually preferred the daintier “fancy” melon seeds.

They’ve got a good satisfying crunch and aren’t overly salty. Get the seeds loose here or packaged where they’re stacked in one of the aisles. In fact, look for something in the packaged section called “Leblebi.” These are, for a lack of a better term, frosted chickpeas. Frosted with sugar. Very popular in Turkey, they are nothing if not novel in taste, and actually, very good.

One of the best aisles for all-purpose hoarding is against the far wall. This is where you can stock up on all sorts of wonderful jars of pickles (torshi)—mixed torshi (hot marinated vegetables), pickled garlic, pickled onions, peppers, shallot, okra, cucumbers, eggplant and even sour grapes.

I bought what I thought was the most unusual—mixed fruits pickle. The ingredients include eggplant, quince, apple, garlic, cilantro, vinegar and salt in a thick minced texture. I don’t know what I was expecting but the first bite was not at all compelling and I thought I’d have to toss the jar. But, I decided to put it in the refrigerator and went back to it later. With a second try, I found that its odd sweet-vinegary tartness started to grow on me. It’s not something to spoon out and just eat, or even scoop with a cracker—anymore than you’d just nosh on a chutney, say. But, as a condiment, it would be delicious with fish or chicken and rice. And, in fact, torshis are accompaniments to a main course.

I also picked up a jar of green chili paste. This is very, very hot stuff. But, used judiciously, it can energize a sauce. Last night I steamed bok choy, scallions and sliced shitake mushrooms, and made a soy-based sauce for it that required red chili paste, which for some reason I didn’t have. So, I dipped into this and it added the heat I needed, as well as the flavor.

You can also find jars of vibrant orange pickled mango, zucchini caviar, marinated red tomatoes, pickled green tomatoes, curry pastes, ajvar (a wonderful red pepper dip) and a wide assortment of dried packaged herbs, flowers and spices, from cardamom, chamomile flower, borage and all spice to ground sumac, fenugreek, dried leek and valerian root. And, here’s something to try: dehydrated herbs and spices packaged in a canister by Sadaf. Each brightly colored container holds a mix specific to a particular dish—kookoo sabzi (herb soufflé), sabzi polo (herb rice), ghormeh sabzi (herb vegetable) and Aash (herb soup). Simply rehydrate the herbs and mix with other ingredients included in the recipe on the packaging. It’s an easy way to introduce yourself to unfamiliar dishes.

You’ll also find a wide range of olive oils, vinegars, olives and the mysterious assortment of waters I first found months ago at Balboa International Market—fenugreek, borage, sweetbriar, dill weed, oregano and the like. As I mentioned in a previous entry, some of these waters are medicinal, while others have specific culinary uses.

And, there are staples like beans, barley, rice flour, chickpea flour, bulgur, lentils, noodles and 10-pound burlap bags of aged basmati rice.

Stock up on the cans of stuffed vegetables. These are unbelievably handy to have in the pantry when you have company or can’t think of anything to make for dinner. Along with the traditional dolmas (grape leaves stuffed with rice), be adventurous and try stuffed eggplant. The rice is saturated with onions and tomato in a rich sauce. The stuffed chard leaves, or pazi sarmasi, are stuffed with wheat, onions and tomatoes. I tried the lahana dolma, or stuffed cabbage leaves. Again, it’s a rice, onions and tomato stuffing, but it also incorporates the sweetness of currants that complements the sweet cabbage leaves. If you serve them as finger food, cut them in half—they’re about three inches long and aren’t real firm—and squeeze lemon juice over them to offset the oil they’re prepared with. Lahana domas also make an easy, delicious and very pretty first course, served on a bed of baby greens. Again, squeeze lemon juice over them, and also drizzle with some olive oil and add a sprinkling of toasted pine nuts and grated black pepper to dress the greens.

The aisle with the packaged seeds is filled with other great snack treats: thick sunflower seeds, dried figs, pistachios and a rainbow of raisins.

There are packages of dried fruit strips, rose-water infused pistachio nougat and a variety of fruit nectars and syrups—quince, lemon, mint, rose, black currant, blueberry, raspberry and sour cherry. The syrups are terrifically versatile. Add one part syrup to three parts water (try carbonated) for a cool summer drink over ice. Add to a flute of Champagne or Prosecco. Or incorporate it into a glaze for grilling or roasting poultry.

I found jars of pomegranate spread, which I thought would be wonderful on toast. Surprise. “Spread” is an absolute misnomer for this; try molasses or syrup instead. It’s a deep brown, with a rich sour flavor and undertones of sweetness. And talk about versatile. Once I got over the looseness of this product, I came up with several ways to use it. I drizzled some over a bowl of sliced strawberries and blueberries for breakfast. I made a glaze for roasted chicken with olive oil, sea salt, red pepper flakes and minced garlic. I added it to a vinaigrette. I have yet to spoon it over vanilla ice cream or mix it with yogurt, but these would be refreshing desserts.

If you like to browse teas, Parsian has an aisle filled with a colorful variety.

And, of course, you’ll find Turkish coffee. For dessert, there are a range of sweet, thick halvas (both the Mediterranean version with sesame paste and the Iranian/Turkish version with semolina and rose water). And there are pastries: packaged tea biscuits and honey-laden baklava, chickpea cookies, walnut nazook (a cookie with walnuts and cinnamon) and, in a case, zolubia, little fritters made with flour and yogurt, dipped in a syrup of rose water and honey that melt in your mouth.

Parsian has a good selection of yogurts and yogurt drinks, several fetas (domestic, French, Bulgarian and Greek) and goat milk cheese. The small produce section had lovely summer fruits, enormous fava beans that a couple of customers were bagging to steam, luscious looking Persian cucumbers and a nice variety of fresh herbs.

Also tucked in that space are stacks of enormous flat breads specific to different regions of Iran—Tehran Sangak bread, Barbari Bread, taftoon and lavash. Parsian also makes its own taftoon, a Persian wholemeal flatbread that goes with just about anything—salad, kabobs, buttered for breakfast.

And, check out the ice cream freezer. You’ll find flavors like saffron rosewater, creamy rosewater, pistachio and the one I bought, pomegranate passion. The creamy base is a gentle foil for the sweet/sour essence of pomegranate.

Once you hit the counter, however, take a look for the gorgeous velvety green figs—soft fleshed, sweet and really delicious. And for the petite fresh sour cherries. While they are mainly used for cooking, they’re a wonderful, rare snack. This is a real find, not to be missed while they’re in season.

Parsian International Market is located at 4020 Convoy St.

Have some thoughts about Parsian International Market or other ethnic markets in San Diego? Do you have a favorite neighborhood market or shop that carries unique or unusual foodstuff? Let me know or add to the conversation by clicking on comments below:

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Nijiya Market: Japanese Living on Convoy

I’ve long been a fan of Mitsuwa, formerly Yaohan, on Mercury, off of Balboa in Kearny Mesa. Okay, their produce department is modest, but I enjoy their wide variety of teas, sake, sashimi-grade fish, frozen delicacies and, most of all, the fresh sushi. I’d never really thought about shopping for Japanese products elsewhere until I decided to follow Mineko Takane Moreno around on her tour of Nijiya Market. Years ago, I’d taken a beginning sushi class from Mineko at Great News (alright, I promise to check out other cooking schools in town!) and learned more than the basics from this petite, elegant woman. She is extremely knowledgeable (she’s the co-author, with my old friend Judi Strada, of Sushi for Dummies) and could probably spend days in the market, explaining what’s in various mysterious jars, bottles and plastic bags and how they can be used. In fact, if she’s game, I’d do it again to hit all the things time constraints forced us to miss.

And, I’ll definitely be returning on my own to Nijiya Market. First of all, their produce department is a delight, especially because they sell what they grow on their own organic farm. Here were the standouts:

• Enormous daikon radish, which I love to eat raw, but is perfect grated as a condiment to accompany fish or other protein (just don’t put the grated daikon in the refrigerator or everything inside will smell).
• Lanky long onions—at least two feet in length—that can be thinly sliced and rinsed for use as a condiment for noodles and dipping sauces or simmered with beef, grilled with chicken or cooked with duck in udon noodle soup.
• Mounds of gorgeous kabocha squash, ready for baking, grilling, roasting, deep frying as tempura or pureed as a substitute for chestnuts. Last night, I chopped one up and simmered it with sliced green onions in rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil and a little sugar. It took perhaps 20 minutes and was delicious with steamed rice sprinkled with Shichimi togarashi, a seven-spice chili seasoning combining chili flakes, black and white sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sancho (a Japanese pepper), aonori (a type of seaweed) and Mandarin orange peel.
• Burdock, an earthy-looking long and slender brown root wrapped in cellophane, enjoyed in stir fries. Peel it and add to roast chicken with other root vegetables.
• A variety of herbs and leaves, like Chrysanthemum leaves, used in one-pot dishes, tempura, sushi rolls and salad; Ooba, a mint-like herb with antisceptic powers, enjoyed with raw fish, on top of wasabi ice cream or with pasta instead of basil and Kinome, the leaf of Japanese peppers. This has a very strong flavor that can be released if you put it in one hand and smack it with the other.

Be sure to investigate the various mushrooms, taro root, lotus root and Naga-imo, or long mountain yam. Long, straight and a light beige color, they’re displayed surrounded by sawdust. It can be crunchy like jicama, but peel it and it’s a bit slimy. Eat it raw or cooked but just peel the skin first.

I didn’t even mention fruit, but there’s plenty—kumquats, fuji apples, satsuma oranges and amazingly huge and sweet grapes. I swear they tasted like apples.

Okay, moving on. If you enjoy pickled fruits and vegetables, Nijiya Market has a great selection (although Mitsuwa, with its own little room for their pickles, wins this competition). Alongside pickled plums (often placed on top of a mound of white rice to imitate the Japanese flag), there were bottles of Neriume, which Mineko explained is a paste made of Japanese apricot and used like mustard on salmon or in a vinaigrette.

There is a huge selection of different misos—white, dark, saikyo (sweet compared to regular white miso) and even an organic miso. Next to them is a variety of tofu and soy products. You’ll find bags upon bags of rice—avoid the mochi gome, or sweet rice if you’re looking for something for a daily meal. It’s simply too sticky. Mineko enjoys shorter grain Kagayaki California premium rice.

Like at 99 Ranch Market and Mitsuwa, I was overwhelmed by the selections of soy sauces, ponzu sauces, rice wines and rice vinegars (not to mention the various spices, noris and other packaged products). All I can say is take a tour with someone like Mineko to learn the distinctions. The choices here are amazing and picking just the right type, whether it's light or dark soy sauce or light or dark rice vinegar, can make a big difference in the dishes you prepare.

I was delighted to find a gorgeous display of meats and fish, although naively I was shocked at some of the prices. Sashimi-grade toro goes for $80 a pound as do geoduck clams; blue fin tuna for $70. They sell a long, iridescent fish called sanma, which I’ll try in the summer so I can grill it whole. The market has a wonderful display of freshly made sushi and bento boxes, as well as fish cakes, spring rolls, croquettes and tempura and they have an in-store bakery that sells large boxy loaves of white bread.

While my idea of the perfect day touring Nijiya would end with a return to someone’s home to go cook up our purchases, we did the next best thing—ate a homestyle lunch at nearby Sakura Restaurant. Our group of 20 enjoyed shrimp and assorted vegetable tempura, miso-marinated grilled salmon with grated dikon, tofu and wakame miso soup, sweet and salty root vegetables, a salad and mochi ice cream. I recommend Sakura so out of kindness, here’s how you find this unmarked eatery: It’s located on Convoy in the same strip mall as the Original Pancake House. Look for the doorway under the brown awning next to the Army recruiting office. That’s it. Why there’s no sign, I’ve no clue, but people know it’s there because it was packed on Sunday afternoon. I plan to return on an evening when owner and chef Kazuya Maeda serves sake with “tapas”-style treats.

Finally, at lunch I asked Mineko to recommend the best Japanese cookbooks around. She offered three, which I found available on Amazon.com:

• Washoku: Recipes from the Japanese Home Kitchen by Elizabeth Andoh
• Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art by Shizuo Tsuji
• The Japanese Kitchen by Hiroko Shimbo

Nijiya Market is located at 3860 Convoy St. in Sunrise Towne Centre. It’s just north of Aero Drive.

Sakura Restaurant is located at 3904 Convoy St.

Have some thoughts about Nijiya Market or other Japanese markets in San Diego? Add to the conversation by clicking on comments below: