Traditional ghormeh sabzi: the Persian stew of herbs, kidney beans and lamb with dried lime

If there is one dish that gathers Iranians around the table, it is ghormeh sabzi. Khoresh, stew, and sabzi, herbs: a mountain of parsley, cilantro, scallion and fenugreek, finely chopped and slowly sautéed until dark and concentrated, which gives the dish its deep green color and the herbal, slightly bitter and sour flavor nobody forgets.

The sourness comes from limu omani, Persian dried limes, small, black and pierced with a fork so they release their juice into the broth. Fenugreek gives the characteristic bitterness, and the lamb and kidney beans, the body. The cooking is long, two to three hours, until the flavors merge and the meat falls apart. It is a Friday dish, family day in Iran, and has a national day at the end of November.

It is served over chelow, Persian basmati rice steamed with saffron, whose golden crust at the bottom, the tahdig, is fought over by everyone. The fresh herbs can be replaced by the dried mix sold in Persian grocery stores, with surprisingly good results.

Recipe card

• Origin: Iran
• Category: Main course, stew (khoresh)
• Difficulty: Medium
• Preparation time: 45 minutes
• Cooking time: 3 hours
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 700 g lamb shoulder or leg (or beef shank) in 3 cm cubes
• 2 large bunches parsley (about 300 g), leaves and thin stems only
• 1 large bunch cilantro (150 g)
• 1 bunch scallions, green part only (100 g)
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh fenugreek leaves (or 2 tablespoons dried)
• 1 cup kidney beans, soaked overnight
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 Persian dried limes (limu omani), pierced with a fork
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 cup oil
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice (to adjust at the end)
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• Saffron basmati rice to serve

Method

1. Wash and dry the herbs very well and chop them as finely as you can, by knife or in quick pulses in the food processor.
2. In a wide frying pan, heat half the oil and sauté the herbs over medium-low heat, stirring often, for 20 to 25 minutes, until dark, wilted and fragrant, without burning. Set aside.
3. In a large pot, heat the rest of the oil and brown the onion for 8 minutes.
4. Add the turmeric, stir for 30 seconds, add the meat and sear on all sides.
5. Add the drained beans, the sautéed herbs, the dried limes, salt and pepper and cover with hot water about two fingers above.
6. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover and cook for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally, until the meat falls apart, the beans are tender and the broth is dark and thick. Press the limes against the pot so they release their juice.
7. Taste and adjust the salt and acidity with lemon juice.
8. Serve over saffron basmati rice, with pieces of tahdig on the side.

Tips and variations

• The long sauté of the herbs is the step that defines the dish: under-sautéed herbs give a watery, raw stew.
• Ready-made Persian dried herbs: soak 1 cup in warm water for 20 minutes, squeeze and sauté for 10 minutes.
• Without dried lime, use 2 extra tablespoons of lemon juice and a pinch of zest; the flavor is lighter.
• It is much better the next day; freezes for 3 months.
• Chicken version: thighs, with 1 hour 30 minutes of cooking.
• Tahdig: grease the bottom of the pot with oil and saffron, add the partly cooked rice, cover with a cloth and cook on low for 40 minutes.
• Too much fenugreek turns bitter: start with less and add more next time.

Ghormeh sabzi is the taste of home for every Iranian, a dark, fragrant green that only time in the pot can produce. Make it on a Friday and serve with plenty of rice.