Ghormeh sabzi is one of the most delicious stews in Persian cuisine. To have an authentic taste, two ingredients are essential:
- Fenugreek leaves
- Dried lemons
They are available in Iranian specialized supermarkets or ethnic middle eastern markets.
In case you don’t find them:
- Replace the Fenugreek leaves with Fenugreek Seeds, they are very bitter use only 1tsp (ground).
- Replace the dried lemon, with Fresh Lemon by using its juice and zest. The traditional Ghormeh sabzi is greasy so the sourness of the lemon is important to balance the flavors.
This recipe is the most common Ghormeh Sabzi in Iran which is also known as Tehrani Ghorme Sabzi (Tehran’s version). There are 9 to 10 other variations that differ from province to province.
This dish is served with white rice and it’s always prepared alongside Ghormeh sabzi.
Ingredients | 4-5 servings
- 500g/17.6oz chopped Parsley
- 500g/17.6oz chopped Chives or leek
- 1 tsp Turmeric
- 1/2 tsp Cumin
- Clarified butter or oil
- 500g/17oz Lamb
- 1-2 tbsp Dried Fenugreek leaf or 1tsp fenugreek seeds
- 140g/5oz Red beans
- 2 Onions
- 4-5 Dried Lemons
Video recipe
Preparation of meat:
– In a big pot add: 1 whole onion, lamb, turmeric, red beans, and cumin.
– Pour 5 cups of water. Cook for 2 hours. If you have a pressure cooker it’ll take 45 minutes.
➡️ No need to chop the lamb. In the end, the meat becomes so tender that it falls apart with touch of a fork. This was my grandmother’s technique. In the final pot she divided meat before serving (if it needed).
– Remove the onion from the pot when the meat is cooked. Because it served to absorb the smell of meat.
– The beans will taste better when they cook in meat’s broth. The juice of meat is very important to be plenty because It will be the main liquid of Ghormeh sabzi. (we may add small amount of water if the stew looks dry)
Preparation of herbs:
– Stir fry all the herbs together: chopped parsley, chives (or leek) & fenugreek. Till they lose moisture and become darker (⏳30-40 mins)
➡️ An important characteristic of a traditional Ghormeh sabzi is to have a dark green oil on top. Pour loads of oil in this step. The herbs should shine!
Preparation of dried lemons:
( ➡️ Skip this step if you don’t have dried lemon. Add the fresh lemon juice and zest to the final pot instead.)
– Wash the dried lemons with water.
– Add a cup of water to a small pan, boil them for 20 mins. Their skin become slightly soft.
– Create (carefully) holes in the dried lemon using a knife or a safer tool like a fork. Don’t throw the water of boiled lemons. It’s full of flavor.
Final pot
– Stir fry a chopped onion.
– When the onion becomes golden add a bit of turmeric and stir.
– Add meat, meat broth, herbs & dried lemons and its water to the pot and simmer for at least ⏳1.5 hour
– 10 minutes before finishing, add the beans (just to maintain their shape and avoid the stew becomes mushy)
When the dark green oil is visible on top while the stew is dense and the flavors are well settled (جا افتاده), the Ghormeh sabzi is ready!
Notes
- The longer Ghormeh sabzi cooks the better its flavors combines.
- I used a food processor to chop the herbs (to be quicker).
- The amount of red beans is subjective, it’s up to your taste. Some like it with loads of beans and some don’t.
- Some people cook the beans separately and while cooking they throw its water so It does not cause bloating.
- Pinto beans are used instead of red beans in Iran’s Azarbaijan’s province version.
- For those who aren’t familiar with Persian cuisine, the taste of dried lemon is something unexpected and strong. Advise your guests of its presence because some might try to eat them without knowing it. Just to avoid shocking surprises. (lol this happened to me with my Italian friends)
- As accompaniment Ghormeh sabzi is served with: plain yogurt, salad, and raw onions.
Serve it with white rice decorated with saffron preferably with tahdig!
Noosh-e-jan! ☺️ (Buon appetite)
