Ghormeh Sabzi (Persian Beef Stew with Herbs and Dried Lime)
The King of Persian stews is now yours to master by following the steps below, which is best served with Persian Rice and Salad Shriazi. As the Persians say, “Nousheh Jaan” - may it be nourishing for your soul!
Servings: 8 to 6
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (divided)
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 1 garlic clove, pressed or minced (optional)
- 1 1/2 pounds stewing beef, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 small leek, trimmed and tops discarded, white part finely sliced
- 1 pound fresh parsley, woody ends removed and finely chopped (about 4 bunches)
- 1/2 pound cilantro, woody ends removed and finely chopped (about 2 bunches)
- 2 tablespoons dried fenugreek leaves, crushed with your hands or in a mortar and pestle
- 5 scallions, green parts only, finely diced
- 2 (15 ounce) cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 4 dried limes, poked several times with knife
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 limes, juiced
Instructions
- Cook the onion: In a large pot on a medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons olive oil. When shimmering, add the onion and cook, stirring, until it turns golden, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, if using, and stir until fragrant, 1 minute or so.
- Cook the beef: Add the beef and stir until browned, about 10 minutes. Add the turmeric and stir to coat, then add three cups of water to cover the meat. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to simmer and cover with a lid while you prepare the herbs.
- Fry the herbs: Place a large frying pan over medium-high heat, add the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil. When shimmering, add the leek and stir until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the parsley, cilantro, fenugreek, and scallions and saute for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Stew the herbs: Once the herbs have wilted and started to reduce in volume, reduce heat to medium-low. Continue to stir for 15 minutes–You are drying out the herbs to intensify their flavor. They will be a dark green color when they are ready. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Season and simmer: To the pot with the beef, add the fried herbs, kidney beans, dried limes, and two cups of water. Increase the heat to bring the stew to a simmer, then lower the heat to cook until the stew is rich and flavorful, a minimum of 1 hour and 30 minutes.
- Season and serve: Add salt, pepper and lime juice to taste. Add more water if required, the stew should be thick with herbs but with some broth for your rice to soak up. Ladle the stew into a serving dish and serve.
Notes
- Serving suggestions: Serve this stew with Persian Rice with Potato Tahdig and a simple chopped salad of tomatoes, cucumbers and tomatoes dressed with lime juice and olive oil like Simple Shirazi Salad. A side of Greek yogurt also complements this dish.
- Substitutions:
- Dried Limes: You can find dried limes at Middle Eastern Markets, select specialty grocery stores or online. They have a distinct flavor that really makes this stew unique, so I wouldn’t try to substitute with another spice like sumac. But if you don’t like dried limes or can’t find them just stick with the fresh lime juice.
- Fenugreek Leaves: You can find this at South Asian markets or online. I wouldn’t substitute with seeds, as the leaves have a fresh, herbal taste, while fenugreek seeds are more pungent and bitter.
- Feel free to process the herbs using a food processor to save time. Just remove all the tough woody ends off the parsley and cilantro and finely chop in batches by pulsing the food processor. If you chop the herbs too finely they will become bitter, so pulse the food processor and work in batches to ensure the right consistency.
- Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including olive oils, honey, jams, and spices.
Nutrition
Calories: 362.3kcal | Carbohydrates: 34.4g | Protein: 31.1g | Fat: 12.2g | Saturated Fat: 2.6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 52.7mg | Sodium: 99.1mg | Potassium: 1266mg | Fiber: 11.7g | Sugar: 2.6g | Vitamin A: 6958.3IU | Vitamin C: 93.2mg | Calcium: 165mg | Iron: 9.5mg
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