Ghormeh Sabzi (Persian Herb Stew)
Ghormeh Sabzi (Persian Herb Stew) is a traditional Persian dish made with several different green herbs, dried limes, and red kidney beans that serves over Persian Rice.
There are varieties of recipes to make Khoresh Ghormeh Sabzi. Some people use fresh herbs and others use dried herbs. I used dried herbs because I could not find fresh fenugreek leaf.
Most of the Iranian stores sell the dried herbs for Ghormeh Sabzi in one package, that have been carefully blended in the right proportions, but you can also buy them separately.
Yield: Serves 6
- 750 g meat (lamb or beef), cut into 2-inch pieces
- cooking oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 4 dried limes (you can find dried limes at any Iranian store)
- water
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 can (540 ml) red kidney beans or 2/3 cup dried red kidney beans
- Either: 3 cups (60 g) dried Ghorme Sabzi herb mixture (you can find the Ghormeh Sabzi herb package at any Iranian store) Or: buy the herbs separately and mix together (20 g dried parsley, 15 g dried coriander, 25 g dried scallions or dried leeks and 2 tablespoons dried fenugreek)
For Beans:
If you are using the dried red kidney beans, first soak them in cold water for about 8 hours and drain.
Place them in a small pot and pour 3 cups water over them. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until beans are just tender. Drain and set aside.
If you are using the canned beans, just drain and set aside.
For Herbs:
If you are using dried herb, place the herb mixture in a medium bowl. Add 1 cup water, mix well and let stand for 30 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed.
Heat 1/3 cup oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat. Add the herb mixture and sauté until they are fragrant and color turns to a dark green, about 8-10 minutes (do not burn them; watch them carefully as they will go bitter if burned). Add more oil if necessary. Set aside.
Heat 5 tablespoons oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and sauté for 5-6 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high, add the beef and sauté until brown on all sides.
Add the turmeric powder and tomato paste; mix well.
Add 4 1/2 cups hot water, fried herbs and dried limes. Cover the pot and bring to a boil on high heat for just a couple of minutes.
Lower the heat to medium and simmer until beef is tender (not completely cooked), about 60 minutes (cooking time depends on the meat).
Add salt and pepper.
Simmer until beef is completely cooked, about 30 minutes. Add more boiling water during cooking, if necessary.
Then add the red kidney beans. Taste and adjust seasonings. Cook covered over low heat for 30 more minutes. Serve with Persian Rice.
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I made this for my dad’s birthday dinner and both my parents loved it! They said they thought it was from a Persian restaurant so this recipe is definitely a keeper! :) Only change I made is after cooking all ingredients on the stove for a couple mins I transferred them to a dutch oven and cooked it in there at 325 instead on the stovetop for the duration of the recipe. The lamb was very tender. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for sharing this recipe. The stew smells so good. Love it.
Enjoy
Hi my dear:-) Thank you very much indeed for your all recipies:-) PERFECT:-)