Fesenjun, one of the celebrated classics of Persian cuisine, is always brought out for special occasions or to honour invited guests. There’s no denying the appeal of this exotic sweet–sour–earthy sauce, traditionally served with strongly flavoured game birds, such as duck or pheasant. These days, in truth, most Iranians make fesenjun with a humble chicken, but the combination also works surprisingly well with firm white fish, and it is often served this way in the Caspian Sea area.
In classic fesenjun recipes the bird is cooked in the sauce itself, but I like the firmer consistency of roasted whole duck or, as here, pan-fried duck breasts. Either way, the dish is extremely rich, and needs only plain chelow rice and perhaps a few peppery herbs by way of accompaniment.