Kufteh Tabrizi

Rinse the rice, cover with plenty of water, bring to a boil and cook for 8–10 minutes, until the grains are almost tender but still slightly firm in the center. Drain and rinse with cold water.

Rinse the yellow split peas, cover with water, bring to a boil and simmer over low heat for 30–40 minutes until soft but not falling apart; drain. Hard-boil three eggs for 9–10 minutes, cool, peel and cut in half.

In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, cooled rice, split peas, two raw eggs, grated onion, chives, parsley, cilantro, tarragon, dried mint, turmeric, black pepper and salt. Mix until evenly combined, but don't overwork it into a sticky paste, then divide into 6 portions.

Coarsely chop the dried plums, dried apricots and prunes. Flatten each portion of the meat mixture in your palm, place some of the dried fruit, two walnut halves and half a boiled egg in the center, then close the meat mixture around the filling and gently shape into a tight ball.

For the sauce, heat vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed pot, sauté the thinly sliced onion for 5–7 minutes until golden, add the tomato paste, turmeric, dried mint, black pepper and salt, and cook for 30 seconds.

Pour in water, bring the sauce to a boil and cook uncovered for 20–30 minutes, until it darkens and thickens slightly. Carefully lower the kufteh into the sauce, cover the pot with a lid and simmer over the lowest heat for 60–75 minutes, occasionally spooning sauce over the balls but without turning them.

Serve the Kufteh Tabrizi hot: place each ball over a portion of the tomato sauce and sprinkle with barberries quickly sautéed in butter with a pinch of cinnamon and sugar.