Ghormeh sabzi
Ghormeh sabzi is the stew every Iranian household has an opinion about, and its smell means home. It is a huge quantity of parsley, coriander and chives fried until dark green, then simmered with beef, red kidney beans, turmeric and dried limes. The taste is sour, herbal and deep, quite unlike anything in European cooking. Two things decide the result: the herbs must be fried long enough to lose their raw smell, and the dried limes cannot be skipped.
Your own work in that: 0 min.
- Chopping the herbs 20 min
- Frying the herbs 15 min
- Simmering 120 min
Step by step
0 / 8 doneChop the herbs
Wash and thoroughly dry the parsley, coriander and chives, then chop them very finely. Wet herbs steam instead of frying.
Ingredients: 200 g parsley · 100 g coriander · 100 g chives or leek greens · 2 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves (shanbalileh)
400 g of herbs — no mistake.Brown the meat
Cut the meat into 3 cm cubes. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large pot (about 5 l) and brown the meat in batches, 3 minutes each, moving it to a plate.
Ingredients: 600 g stewing beef (shoulder, shin) · 2 pcs onions · 3 tbsp rapeseed oil · 1 tsp turmeric · 240 g canned red kidney beans, drained · 3 pcs dried limes (limu omani) · 1½ tsp salt · ½ tsp black pepper
Fry the onion
In the same pot fry the finely chopped onion for 8 minutes until soft. Add the turmeric and fry for half a minute.
Ingredients: 600 g stewing beef (shoulder, shin) · 2 pcs onions · 3 tbsp rapeseed oil · 1 tsp turmeric · 240 g canned red kidney beans, drained · 3 pcs dried limes (limu omani) · 1½ tsp salt · ½ tsp black pepper
Fry the herbs
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pan (about 28 cm) and fry the herbs with the fenugreek over medium heat for 12–15 minutes, stirring, until dark green and fragrant. They will fill the pan at first but collapse within minutes. This is the crucial step — underfried herbs taste grassy. Dried fenugreek leaves are sold in Middle Eastern and Indian shops (as methi).
Ingredients: 200 g parsley · 100 g coriander · 100 g chives or leek greens · 2 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves (shanbalileh)
Dark green — the herbs are ready.Combine
Return the meat to the pot, add the fried herbs, salt, pepper and 600 ml of water. Bring to the boil.
Ingredients: 600 g stewing beef (shoulder, shin) · 2 pcs onions · 3 tbsp rapeseed oil · 1 tsp turmeric · 240 g canned red kidney beans, drained · 3 pcs dried limes (limu omani) · 1½ tsp salt · ½ tsp black pepper
Add the limes
Pierce the dried limes in several places with a fork and drop them in. Simmer covered over low heat for 90 minutes.
Ingredients: 600 g stewing beef (shoulder, shin) · 2 pcs onions · 3 tbsp rapeseed oil · 1 tsp turmeric · 240 g canned red kidney beans, drained · 3 pcs dried limes (limu omani) · 1½ tsp salt · ½ tsp black pepper
Pierced limes give their sourness to the sauce.Add the beans
Add the drained beans and simmer uncovered for another 25–30 minutes, until the meat is tender and a layer of green oil rises to the surface — in Iran that is the sign the stew is done. If the meat still resists, carry on, checking every 15 minutes.
Ingredients: 600 g stewing beef (shoulder, shin) · 2 pcs onions · 3 tbsp rapeseed oil · 1 tsp turmeric · 240 g canned red kidney beans, drained · 3 pcs dried limes (limu omani) · 1½ tsp salt · ½ tsp black pepper
Season and serve
Fish out the limes, crush two with a spoon and return the pulp to the pot, discarding the skins. Taste: if the sauce is too sour add a pinch of sugar; if flat, salt. Serve with rice.
Ingredients: 600 g stewing beef (shoulder, shin) · 2 pcs onions · 3 tbsp rapeseed oil · 1 tsp turmeric · 240 g canned red kidney beans, drained · 3 pcs dried limes (limu omani) · 1½ tsp salt · ½ tsp black pepper
Before you start
From dried beans
If using dried kidney beans (120 g), soak them overnight, discard the water and boil hard in fresh water for at least 10 minutes, then cook until tender. Raw and undercooked kidney beans contain toxic phytohaemagglutinin.
Dried limes
Limu omani is sold in Middle Eastern shops, also ground. Without them, use 3 tablespoons of lime juice added at the end — sour, but without that characteristic slightly fermented bitterness.
Storage
The stew keeps 3 days in the fridge and is better the next day. It freezes well for 3 months. The figures given are without rice.
