Laboo Syrup (Roasted Beet and Golpar)

About this syrup

Laboo is the winter street food of Tehran: whole beets steamed for hours in a copper pot until they are black-red, sticky and almost candied, sold hot in paper from a cart with a shake of golpar, the ground seed of Persian hogweed, bitter and citrusy, a little like celery, which Iranians put on everything sour: pomegranate seeds, fava beans, pickles. This syrup roasts the beets to get that caramel, then seasons them the way the cart does.

How to make it

1. Wrap the beets in foil and roast at 200 °C for about an hour, until a knife slides in. Cool, peel and chop.
2. Blend the beets with the water until smooth. Pour into a saucepan with the sugar and simmer 10 minutes, stirring, until dissolved and slightly syrupy.
3. Take off the heat; stir in the golpar, vinegar and salt; steep 10 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve without pressing hard; cool and bottle.

Yield and storage

• About 300 ml.
• Up to 2 weeks refrigerated. It stains: use a glass bottle.

Tips and troubleshooting

• Roast, do not boil: the laboo flavour is caramelised beet.
• The vinegar keeps the colour bright and cuts the earthiness; do not skip it.
• Golpar is strong; one teaspoon is the maximum.

Different concepts of this syrup

1. Classic

The recipe above.

2. Laboo and pomegranate

Replace 100 ml of the water with pomegranate juice: the winter sharbat.

3. Spiced

A cinnamon stick in the simmer.

4. Beyond cocktails

A spoon over thick yogurt, or over vanilla ice cream.

Allergen note

No common allergens.

Development notes

• Status: draft recipe, not yet taste-tested.
• First proposed formula; measure your own yield and adjust.