Tags
ghormeh sabzi, herb dish, Persian cooking, Persian food recipes, Persian green herb stew, Persian recipes, sabzi, turmeric
Ghormeh Sabzi
Ghormeh sabzi is the most delicious and popular Persian stew in my opinion. It’s always a big hit with everyone at the parties. It can be made up to few days in advance and just reheated in the oven or microwave.
Ghormeh Sabzi (Persian Green Herb Stew)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 2 hour 30 min
Ready in: 3 hours
Yields: 6 servings
INGREDIENTS
Meat
1 large onion chopped
5 tablespoons oil
2 teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon turmeric
2 pounds stew meat
4 cups water
6 whole dried Persian limes pierced with a fork
1 can red kidney bean (15 oz.)
Herbs
3 bunches fresh parsley
3 bunches fresh green onions or Persian tareh
1 bunch fresh cilantro
1 bunch fresh fenugreek or 1 tablespoon dried
1/3 cup oil
INSTRUCTIONS
Heat 5 tablespoons oil in a 5-quart nonstick pot over medium high heat. Add chopped onions; fry for about 6 to 8 minutes or until golden. Add meat, salt, pepper and turmeric. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the meat is no longer pink. Add 4 cups water. Bring to a boil, skimming off any foam that rises to the surface. Reduce heat to medium low. Cover; cook for 1 hour.
While the meat is cooking, cut the stems off parsley, cilantro and fenugreek. Wash, drain and finely chop them. Cut the ends of the green onions. Wash, drain and thinly slice them. Place all the herbs in a large nonstick frying pan. Add 1/3 cup oil. Fry on medium high heat, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes or until all the liquids have evaporated. Lower heat to medium, fry for about 10 to 15 more minutes or until the color changes to dark green. This is an important step in creating the aromatic and deep flavors in this dish.
When the meat is half cooked, add fried herbs and limes. Cook over low heat for 1 hour. Add cooked beans; cook for 20 to 30 minutes or until the oil separates. Adjust seasoning to taste.
I had the vegetarian version of this stew once, it was SO delicious. Can you make this recipe vegetarian?
You certainly can. When I make the vegetarian version I add extra dried fenugreek (not too much because it makes the dish bitter) to my fried onions to enhance the aroma and flavor of the dish. I also add more onions and increase the seasoning. I actually have a recipe that I haven’t had time to post yet. Will put that on my to-do-list for you :).
It seems crazy to me to cook the onions for only 6 to 8 minutes and to not brown the meat before hand.
Did you ever try caramelizing the onions to a deeper color? Or browning the meat in advance? Was there a reason you kept it to only 8 minutes?
I normally cook the onions for upwards of 30 minutes until the color is a deep rich golden brown and they are fully caramelized.
Thanks for your comments Jesse. What you are doing is the proper way of preparing this dish or any Persian dish for that matter. Caramelizing the onions and browning the meat in advance add so much more flavor and depth to any dish and to answer your question yes I have done that for decades :). However, most people who use my recipes simply don’t have the time or the patience to spend a minimum of 30 minutes just to caramelize their onions. Your dish will still turn out delicious if you don’t fully caramelize your onions or brown your meat. Give it a try and see for yourself :).