Story & Photos by S​hayma Saadat

The first thing I think about when the leaves turn ruby­-red and my shawls come out of the hidden part of my closet, is a hearty tomato­-spiced stew. Now that the days are shorter and we are beginning to spend more time indoors, the scent of saffron, mingling with tomatoes and cumin, bubbling away on the burner, seems to be the best way to spend a night in.

Aubergine, with its glorious shades of violet is in season right now and one of my favourite ways of preparing it is to incorporate it into a k​horesht;​ a stew.

With its jammy tomato base, all you need to have with this K​horesht­-e­-adejmaan​ is a tahdig​– saffron­ rusted basmati rice – and creamy strained yogurt. It seems to be the best way to start a new season and to give thanks for all that we have.

Speaking of giving thanks, I recently became a Canadian citizen. Canada is now the country which this
P​akistani-Persian-­Afghan n​omad,​ now calls home.​

R​ecipe

Shayma Saadat i​s a Toronto based f​ood writer,​ p​hotographer, stylist, ​c​ook,​ t​eacher,​ p​ublic speaker​ a​nd storyteller. Follow Shayma @SpiceSpoon. Photos ©Shayma Saadat