A Fork on the Road: Torange Persian Cuisine

The “O” in the Torange logo is a pear-shaped pomelo, with the name of the restaurant derived from the Spanish word (toronja) for the citrus fruit. This family-run spot in Coral Gables specializes in Persian food including chelo kebab (rice with skewers of grilled meats), polo (rice pilaf) and delicately balanced khoreshes (thick sauces) for spooning over rice.

Behzad and Taraneh Azadi are the husband and wife team behind the place with help from their daughter Negar. Six years ago the Azadis left Tehran, where they ran restaurants, to join relatives in Miami. They opened two years ago after meeting chef Teerdad Kavosi through the close-knit South Florida Iranian community. He learned to cook from his mom, assuring authenticity. In Iran, diners traditionally are seated on beautiful carpets, but here you’ll sit at tables with vases holding small sprigs of fresh flowers. Persian cuisine is one of the oldest and most imaginative in the world. Fruits, candied orange peel and nuts are stewed with meats and flavored with herbs, dried lime, fresh lemon and advieh, a ground spice mixture made from dried rose petals, cardamom, cinnamon and cumin. There are similarities to some North Indian, Afghan, Turkish and Greek dishes because those regions were once part of the vast Persian Empire.

Start by sharing a platter of stuffed grape leaves, eggplant-yogurt dip, hummus and chopped salad with pita. It is hard to resist ta dig, the golden brown, crispy crust of rice left on the bottom of the pot after cooking. Have it plain or with a choice of herb stew with kidney beans and chunks of beef or split yellow peas and beef cooked in tomato sauce.  Rice is sensationally light, studded with jewel-like tart barberries served with grilled chicken or scented with dill and plated with shrimp. Fesenjan is shredded chicken stewed in pomegranate puree with ground walnuts. Vegetarians can get it without chicken or choose veggie pilaf. Soltani are kebab combos. The most popular brings kubideh  (ground beef), barg (beef tenderloin) and chicken.  Ice cream infused with saffron and rosewater satisfies a sweet tooth with a floral flourish.

This story was originally published October 13, 2010 at 1:10 AM.