Khoresh-é-Ghormeh-Sabzi (Persian Braised Meat)

• servings: 6 servings
• total time: 3 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup dried red kidney beans (about 6 ounces; 170g) (see note below about using canned beans)

2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal Kosher salt; for table salt use half as much by volume, divided

6 larger or 8 smaller whole dried limes (total weight about 1 ounce; 28g)

1/2 cup (120ml) olive oil or ghee, divided

2 pounds (907g) boneless leg of lamb, lamb shoulder, neck or shank, or stewing beef such as beef chuck, short ribs, or oxtail, cut in 1- to 1 1/2-inch chunks

1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

1 medium white or yellow onion (about 8 ounces; 226g), peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

4 1/2 ounces (125g) fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems (see notes)

4 1/2 ounces (125g) fresh parsley leaves and tender stems (see notes)

4 1/2 ounces (125g) fresh Persian leekschives, green parts of scallions, or the middle third section of common leeks

1 tablespoon crushed dried fenugreek leaves

Directions

In a medium bowl, soak red kidney beans in room temperature water to cover by 1-inch with 1 teaspoon of salt for at least 30 minutes or until ready to use.

In a separate medium bowl, soak whole Persian dry limes in room temperature water for 30 minutes or until ready to use; place a plate on top of bowl to ensure limes are submerged.

Season meat all over with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. In a large Dutch oven or pot, heat 2 tablespoons oil or ghee over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add seasoned meat to the saucepan in a single layer. Cook, turning occasionally until meat is well browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer meat to a plate and set aside.

Lower heat to medium, and once rendered fat in pan is shimmering, add onions and cook until translucent and edges have turned golden brown, 7 to 10 minutes.

Sprinkle 1 teaspoon turmeric over the sautéed onions, stir thoroughly and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add 2 1/2 cups of water to the saucepan, bring to boil, while scraping the bottom of the saucepan to free up all brown bits left.

Add seared meat. Stir to mix, return to boil, then reduce heat to medium low to maintain a simmer; cover and cook for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the herbs. Wash all fresh herbs and leeks or chives well. Spread over a clean kitchen towel and gently roll to remove excess water. Alternatively, use a salad spinner to achieve the same results.

Harvest the leaves and most tender stems from the bundles of parsley and cilantro (If you wish, save the scraps and longer tough stems for other purposes such as making broth.) Chop all fresh herbs (including chives or leeks) as finely as you can. The finer you chop them the more luscious the ghormeh-sabzi will be. Feel free to use a food processor to chop the herbs. However never chop the chives or leeks in the food processor by themselves—if you do, they will turn into an unpleasant mushy mess. Either mix them with the parsley and cilantro to be chopped in the food processor or simply chop them separately the good old fashioned way with a sharp knife on a cutting board.

After the meat has cooked for 30 minutes, drain the kidney beans and add to the pot, stir to combine and cover. Adjust the heat so the content of the pot is simmering gently. Cook for another 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, heat 1/4 cup ghee or oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Reduce heat to medium. Add half of the chopped herb mixture. Carefully stir to mix well with oil. Cook until well coated and beginning to cook down, about a minute. Add the rest of the chopped parsley-cilantro-leek mixture. Cook, stirring often until cooked down for 10 minutes, then sprinkle with crushed dried fenugreek leaves. Continue cooking, stirring often, until the herbs are very wilted and are a dark green color but not burned, about 10 more minutes. The herbs are ready when they feel a bit dry but when pressed with the back of a spoon exude shiny bright green oil, and you can smell a strong savory aroma. This is a crucial step that could take 20 to 25 minutes total. Be patient.

Drain whole Persian dried limes with a sharp instrument, such as a tine of a fork or tip of a sharp knife) make 6 or 7 small holes in the outer skin of each lime.

After the meat has cooked for 1 hour, add the fried herbs and the pierced dried limes to the meat and gently stir. Cover and adjust heat as needed to maintain a gentle simmer and cook, gently stirring every 20 minutes until the meat and beans are tender and the stew is thickened, 60 to 80 minutes.

By this time, the whole Persian dry limes should be quite soft, plump, and juicy–full of tangy, sourish, earthy liquid. With a slotted spoon or small strainer, lift one of the whole Persian dry limes and very gently press down on it with the back of a fork without breaking the exterior skin, letting some of the interior liquid drip into the stew. Repeat with another 3 or 4 of the limes. Gently swirl the pot. Taste. If you can’t sense enough of the tangy, sourish, earthy flavor of the limes, repeat with the rest of the limes. It is OK if the exterior skin of the limes breaks in this process—just don’t let the seeds get into the stew as they are a bit bitter if chewed.

When ready, ghormeh-sabzi should be quite thick, be a very dark green color with red kidney beans, chunks of tender meat, and the limes poking out of the sea of the green herbs, tasting noticeably tangy, with the unique aroma of cooked fenugreek having filled the kitchen. Season to taste with salt as needed and serve.

Nutrition

• Calories: 700 kcal
• Total Fat: 44 g
• Saturated Fat: 13 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
• Cholesterol: 141 mg
• Sodium: 550 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 28 g
• Dietary Fiber: 8 g
• Total Sugars: 3 g
• Protein: 48 g