A famous street-food sandwich from the South of Iran made with beef sausages, peppers and onions cooked in a spicy and rich tomato sauce. This recipe comes with a side of saffron tatties served with harissa mayo!
What is Sosis Bandari?
This dish is basically the Persian equivalent of a sausage sandwich! Beef sausages are cooked with onions and peppers in spicy tomato sauce and it is commonly served in a baguette-style bread.
Sosis Bandari translated is sausage from the port or port-style sausage. ‘Sosis’ is the Persian word for sausage, and ‘Bandar’ means port. Apparently this dish was invented in one of the northern ports of Iran, called Bandar Anzali where the first sausages were introduced from Iran (probably from Turkey). However, it became trendy amongst southern port residents, and the dish is now associated with Southern Iran. Iranians who live in the south of Iran mostly eat spicy foods and this dish packs a punch due to their revisions to the original recipe.
Ingredients in Sosis Bandari
I love this dish as it is so easy to cook and, other than the sausage, all other ingredients are available at your local supermarket.
You will need:
- Sucuk / Sujuk: a Turkish fermented sausage consisting of ground beef, garlic and other spices. they are encased in a red skin, which you peel off before cooking. You can buy them from most Middle Eastern supermarkets or online. If you cannot find sujuk, then use any other sausage you fancy including vegetarian or vegan varieties. Sujuk has a fair bit of oil in it and the heat of the pan should release sufficient amounts to cook the sausage and other vegetables. Add a dash of olive oil to your pan if required.
- Garlic, turmeric and red chilli flakes: aromatics to flavour the dish.
- Red onion, yellow pepper and cherry tomatoes: vegetables used for the dish.
- Tomato puree and water: used to make the sauce for the Sosis Bandari.
- Salt & Pepper: to season the dish.
- Parsley: added as a garnish.
If you are using your local supermarket raw sausages then cook them first (as per the instructions on the packet) before slicing them up and adding to the recipe below.
Ingredients in Saffron Roasties and Harissa Mayo
Traditionally Sosis Bandari includes potatoes in the mixture itself, however my recipe extracts the potatoes and cooks them separately by making them into saffron flavour roasties to be eaten as a side dish and dipped into harissa mayonnaise.
You will need:
- Olive Oil: used to roast the potatoes.
- New Potatoes: you can use any potatoes suitable for roasting. I use this variety as they are small, no need to peel and they cook quickly.
- Saffron: used to flavour and colour the roasties.
- Water: used to boil the potatoes.
- Salt & Pepper: to season the tatties.
- Mayonnaise, Harissa Paste and Lime Juice: combined to make the Harissa may to dip the roasties in. I use Belazu Harissa paste either the rose or the standard version is fine.
How to Serve this Dish
I serve this dish as a sandwich using a rustic roll with a side of saffron roasties. I also love to put pickled cucumbers and some fresh herbs in the Sosis Bandari Sandwich. A cousin of mine recently mooted adding cheese to the sandwich which would also be an excellent addition.
Other Handheld Pockets of Deliciousness
Check out our other recipes:
- Sweet Potato & Leek Bolani with Coriander Chutney
- Sambuseh-e Sabzijaat (Persian Vegetable Samosas)
- Spicy Halloumi Pasties served with a Spinach and Yoghurt Dip
Sosis Bandari
Ingredients
For the Saffron Roasties
- 600 g new potatoes (halved – approx 150 grams per person)
- 1/8 tsp ground saffron
- Water to boil the potatoes
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
For the Sosis Bandari
- Approximately 300 grams of Sucuk Turkish sausages (remove outer skin / casing and slice diagonally) – see note above re: alternatives to sucuk
- 2 cloves garlic (crushed)
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp dried red chilli flakes
- 1 large red onion (finely sliced)
- 1 yellow pepper or red or green (finely sliced)
- 1 heaped tbsp tomato purée
- 100 g cherry tomatoes (halved)
- 100 ml water
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
- Fresh chopped parsley (to garnish)
For the Harissa Mayonnaise
- 8 tbsp mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp Harissa paste
- A squeeze of a fresh lime
To Serve
- 4 crusty rolls / mini baguettes
- sliced gherkins or Persian pickled cucumbers and / or cheese can also be included in the sandwich
Instructions
Harissa Mayo
- Combine mayo, harissa paste and lime juice in a small bowl. Cover and place in fridge until you are ready to serve the dish.
Roasties
- Take a saucepan and fill with water, add halved new potatoes and saffron. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Boil potatoes for approximately 8 to 10 minutes - you want them cooked through but not too soft as they will fall apart in the roasting stage.
- While potatoes are cooking in the saucepan, pre-heat oven to 180°C (fan) / 200°C (conventional) / Gas Mark 6.
- Turn the stove off and drain potatoes. Take a baking tray and place potatoes on it. Add oil, salt and pepper and toss potatoes until evenly coated. Place tray in oven and roast the potatoes for 30 minutes or until crispy to your liking.
Sosis Bandari
- While potatoes are roasting, take a frying pan (about 30 cm diameter) and place on medium-high heat.
- Add sliced sausages to pan, cook until they release oil and start to curl. Then add garlic, turmeric and chilli and stir until evenly distributed. Add sliced onions and pepper and stir until they start to soften.
- Add tomato purée and stir. Add halved cherry tomatoes. Then add water and stir and lower heat to let the sosis bandari cook gently for about 5 minutes. Season to taste and scatter some chopped fresh parsley over the top.
Serving the dish
- Turn oven and stove off. Remove the potatoes from the oven and place them on a paper towel to soak up any excess oil.
- Fill rolls / baguettes with the sosis bandari (sliced gherkins or Persian pickled cucumbers and / or cheese can also be included in the sandwich).
- Serve the sosis bandari sandwiches with a side of roasties and some harissa mayo to dip them in.