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Ghormeh Sabzi

Servings

6

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cooking Time

1 hour and 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 pound of stewing meat (I used lamb)

  • 1 yellow onion finely chopped

  • 4 cloves of garlic finely chopped

  • 1 tsp of Turmeric

  • 1 tsp of cumin powder

  • salt to taste

  • 1 28oz can of kidney beans

  • 1 box of Sadaf Gormeh Sabzi

  • 2 tablespoons of dried fenugreek leaves (Kasuri Methi)

  • 7 dried persian limes

  • 8 tablespoons of olive oil

  • 4 cups of water

Ghormeh Sabzi is an Iranian herb stew and is very popular in Iran. Ghormeh Sabzi to Iran is what Rajma Chawal (Kidney beans and rice) is to India. This stew is tangy, savory and citrusy and is made from sautéed herbs which mostly consist of parsley, leek, fenugreek, and scallions. The tanginess of this dish comes from the dried limes which are soaked in hot water and added in the stew and allowed to simmer on low flame to release their flavor. Growing up in Iran, Ghormeh Sabzi was a staple in our house and my mom would make it every weekend but the preparations would start a week before. She would buy fresh herbs from the sabzi mandi (vegetable market), wash, and cut and sauté them. This is the most laborious part of making this delicious stew so she would always make extra and freeze it.
As much as I love and appreciate using fresh herbs, I chose to make my favorite dish with dried herbs which give you the same flavor and taste but save you slaving for hours in the kitchen.

Now, let’s talk about how to prepare this dish. Traditionally this dish is prepared on a stovetop and allowed to simmer for an hour for all the herbs, meat and the dried limes to release their flavor, but if you are looking to save time, you can also achieve the same results by preparing it in an instant pot. For this particular recipe, I opted to prepare it the traditional way but will add details about preparing it in an instant pot too.

  1. Soak the dried herbs in water for 10 minutes
  2. Drain them in a colander and squeeze out all the water from them, and set aside
  3. In a large skillet, heat 5 tablespoons of olive oil and saute the herbs and the fenugreek leaves for 10-12 minutes or till they turn into a really deep dark green color (almost black)
    NOTE: You can do a little test by squeezing some herbs in between your fingers and if they release a green color liquid, your herbs are done
  4. Drain and rinse the kidney beans in cold water and set aside
  5. Pierce the Persian limes all over with a sharp knife and set aside
  6. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a deep dutch oven
  7. Add onions and saute till they are golden brown
  8. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute
  9. Add lamb, mix well and cook for 10 minutes till the lamb is browned
  10. Add turmeric, salt, cumin powder and cook for another 10 minutes stirring often
  11. Add in fried herbs, Persian limes, and the water
  12. Mix well and allow to reach a boil
  13. Once it reaches a boil, close the lid and allow to cook for 1.5 hours
  14. Check-in midpoint for seasoning
  15. After an hour, add in the kidney beans
  16. After an hour and a half, your lamb should be tender, the gravy should be thick and you should see oil floating on top. These are key indicators for a perfectly cooked Ghormeh Sabzi
  17. Enjoy this dish with Persian rice!

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