Khoresht-e Badenjan- Aubergine Stew

Ingredients: (4 servings)

2kg (4 lb) aubergines
500 g (1 lb) boned leg of lamb
2 medium onions
1 teaspoons turmeric
3 tablespoons tomato paste
3-4 medium tomatoes
60g (2oz) small unripe
grapes juice of 1 lemon
salt and paper

Directions:

Peel the aubergines and cut into 50mm (1/4 in) thick slices. Spread them out, sprinkle with salt and leave for half an hour. Fry in a generous amount of oil until golden brown. Leave to drain. Trim the meat of all fat, cut into 5cm (2in) cubes, wash and leave to soak in fresh water for a few minutes. Slice the onions and fry briskly in oil until golden brown. Add the tumeric, salt and pepper, then the drained meat and stir-fry until well browned.
Stir in the tomato paste, the skinned and finely chopped tomatoes, the sour grapes and lemon juice with water to cover. Put on lid and simmer gently for 30 minutes. Add the drained aubergines and a little more water, cover and simmer for a further 30 minutes or until the meat is tender and the sauce well blended, Serve in a warmed vegetables dish, arranging the aubergine slices round the dish and heaping the meat and tomato sauce up in the middle. Serve with white rice.

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Khoresht-e Ghormeh Sabzi - Fresh Herb & Lamb Stew

Ingredients: (4 servings)

120g (4 oz) red kidney or black-eyed beans
30g (l oz) fresh fenugreek or 2 tablespoons dried
150g (5 oz) parsley
l00 g (4 oz) coriander or parsley
180g (6 oz) spring onions or leeks
30g (l oz) dill (optional)
360g (12 oz) boned leg of lamb
1 medium onion
2 tablespoons dried lime powder
4 whole dried limes
salt and pepper
juice of 2 lemons or 4 if dried limes are not available

Directions:

If using red kidney beans, leave to soak for several hours, preferably overnight. Then boil fast for ten minutes, drain and rinse well, Put to one side. Clean and wash the herbs, removing coarse stems, drain and shake dry. Chop finely.
Fry the herbs (sprinkling in the crushed dried fenugreek leaf if using) in a little oil over a moderate heat, turning constantly, adding more oil when necessary until the herbs begin to darken (about 30-40 minutes). Remove from heat and keep on one side. Trim and cut the meat into large pieces, 6-7 cm (21/2 in), wash and leave to soak while you slice and fry the onion until soft and golden. Add the drained meat and brown well on all sides. Stir in the herbs. Add the beans, lime powder and enough water to cover. Cover the pan and simmer gently for an hour.
Pierce the dried limes in several places with a sharp knife and add along with the dried lime powder and salt. Simmer gently for a further hour or until the meat and beans are tender and the whole sauce well blended. Add lemon juice to taste. Dish up into a warm serving dish and serve with white rice.

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Khoresht-e Sib - Apple Chicken Stew

Ingredients: (4 servings)

4 tablespoons vegetable oil, butter, or ghee
2 small onions, peeled and thinly sliced
1 pound skinless,boneless chicken leg,or duck breast, or meat (lamb, veal, beef), cut into thin strlps
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground saffron threads, dissolved in 2 tablespoons hot water
5 tart cooking apples
1 cup pitted, dried tart cherries

Directions:

In a medium pot, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add the onions and stir-fry 5 minutes, until translucent. Add the chicken and fry for 15 minutes longer, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Add the salt, pepper, and cinnamon. Add 2.5 cups of water, the lime juice, brown sugar, and saffron water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes over low heat, stirring nccasionally.
Meanwhile, peel and core the apples and cut them into wedges. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat and fry the apples for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until all sides are golden brown. Preheat the oven to 350°E Transfer the khoresht to a deep ovenproof casserole. Arrange the apples and cherries on top. Cover and bake for 30 minutes, until the apples and meat are tender.
Taste the khoresht: It should taste sweet and sour. Adjust seasonings, adding sugar or lime juice if necessary. Cover and keep warm until ready to serve. Serve hot with saffron steamed rice.

Variation: Instead of dried cherries, you may use 1/s cup yellow split peas as shown here. If you do, cook the split-peas in 2 cups of water for 20 minutes, drain, and add just before placing in the over.

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Khoresht-e Esfenaj-o Aloo - Prune & Spinach Stew

Ingredients: (4 Servings)

500 g (1 Ib) boned leg of lamb
500 g (1 Ib) fresh spinach or 1 packet frozen chopped spinach
juice of 2 lemons or 4 dried limes
10 pitted prunes
2 medium onions
2 dessertspoons dried lime powder
180 g (6 oz) leeks or spring onions
salt and black pepper

Directions:

Cut pieces of meat into 2-cm (0.75 inch) cubes. Slice and fry the onions in a little oil until soft and golden. Add the meat to the onions and stir-fry until meat is well browned. Add water to cover, and sprinkle in the dried lime powder, cover the pan and let it simmer for an hour.
Wash and drain the spinach and chop finely. Leave it aside. Wash and chop the leeks or spring onions and fry it lightly until soft. Add spinach and stir-fry for 5-10 minutes until soft and well mixed. Add them to the stew with lemon juice, salt and pepper and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Wash and cut in half the pitted prunes, and add to the stew a few minutes before serving. Serve with white rice.

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Khoresht-e Baamieh - Okra Tomato Stew

Ingredients: (6 servings)

Stewing lamb or beef, 500 grams
Okras, 750 grams
Potatoes, 500 grams (optional)
3-4 onions
Fresh Lime juice, 2-3 spoons
Tomato paste, 3-4 spoons
Cooking oil
Salt and pepper

Directions:

Peel and thinly slice onions, then fry in oil until slightly golden. Wash and cut meat into small pieces and fry in onions until color changes. Add 3 glasses of hot water and bring to boil. Turn heat down and let boil slowly for about 45 minutes, adding more hot water during cooking if needed.
Wash okras and cut their stems only but do not cut the bases. Add okras, salt, pepper and tomato paste to the meat and cook for another 10-15 minutes. Take care not to overcook the okras so that they do not become slippery.
Add lime juice and adjust seasoning. Cook for another 3-4 minutes. Khoresht-e Bamieh should be served over Persian white rice.
If desired, potatoes can also be added to Khoresht-e Bamieh. In that case, 500 grams of potatoes should be washed, peeled and cut into small pieces, and added in with 500 grams of okras (or slightly earlier; required cooking time depends somewhat on the size of the cut pieces).

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Khoresht-e Fesenjaan (Fesenjoon)- Pomegranate Stew

Ingredients: (6 servings)

Chicken pieces, 1-1.5 kgs
Ground walnuts, 500 grams
3-4 onions
Pomegranate juice, 3-4 glasses (or 4-5 spoons of pomegranate paste)
Sugar, 2-3 spoons
1/2 cup of cooking oil
Salt AND PEPPER

Directions:

Peel onions and slice thinly. Fry in oil until slightly golden. Wash chicken pieces and fry in onions until color changes. Add 3 glasses of hot water and bring to boil. Turn heat down and let boil slowly for about 30 minutes adding more hot water if needed.
Add salt, a bit of pepper, ground walnuts and pomegranate juice or paste (if using pomegranate paste, add 2 more glasses of hot water and bring to slow boil). If pomegranate juice or paste is sour, add some sugar to the khoresht. This should be done to taste. Some people prefer the sour taste. Care should be taken to cook the khoresht long enough so that the oil in walnuts comes out and the mix becomes quite thick. This could take from 1-2 hours. Serve the Khoresht-e fesenjan over white Persian rice.

PersianMIRROR TIP: If you are out of Pomegranate paste or don't want to spend the money on fresh pomegranate juice, then try making your Fesenjoon with Prune Juice. It will taste slightly different but can be a delicious and easy alternative. Use at least 2 bottles to get the same rich flavor.

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Khoresht-e Ghaimeh- Split-pea Lamb Stew

Ingredients: (6 servings)

Stewing lamb or beef, 750 grams
Split-peas, 250 grams
3-4 onions
potatoes, 500 grams
1/2 cup of cooking oil
2-3 spoons of tomato paste
3-4 crushed, dried limes (small ones with sour taste); freshly-squeezed lime juice can be used instead
salt and pepper
spices (turmeric, paprika), 1 spoon

Directions:

Prior to cooking, soak split-peas in warm water for 2-3 hours, then drain out the water.
Peel and thinly slice onions, then fry in oil until golden. Wash and cut meat into small pieces and fry in onions until color changes. Add 3 glasses of water and bring to boil. Let boil slowly for 1-1.5 hours until mostly cooked, adding more water if needed.
Peel and wash potatoes and cut into small pieces. Add potatoes, split-peas, salt, pepper, spices and tomato paste and continue boiling slowly until cooked. Add more water if needed during cooking.
If using dried limes, they should be added in with the other ingredients. If using lime juice, add in towards the end and continue cooking for another 3-4 minutes. Adjust seasoning according to taste. Serve this delicious khoresht over Persian white rice.

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Khoresht-e Karafs - Celery Beef Stew

Ingredients: (6 servings)

lamb or beef, 500 grams
celery, 2 bunches
medium onions, 3
fresh lime juice, one cup
sugar, 2-3 spoons
mint and parsley, 500 grams (optional)
1/2 cup of cooking oil
salt and pepper

Directions:

Peel and thinly slice onions. Fry in oil until slightly golden. Wash and cut meat into small pieces and fry in onions until color changes. Add 2-3 glasses of hot water and bring to boil. Cook over medium heat for about 45 minutes, adding more hot water during cooking if needed.
Wash celery and cut into 3 cm pieces. Finely chop mint and parsely and fry slightly in oil. Add celery, mint, parsely, salt and pepper to the meat and continue cooking for about 20 minutes (celery should not become too soft).
Khoresht-e karafs can be made without mint and parsley. In that case, three bunches of celery should be used.
Add lime juice and sugar to taste and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Taste the juice and make adjustments as desired. Serve the dish over nice Persian rice.

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Khoresht-e Ghaarch - Mushroom Stew

Ingredients: (4 servings)

chicken, 500 grams
mushrooms, 500 grams
onions, 2 large
wheat flour, one spoonful
fresh lime juice, 3-4 spoonfuls
saffron, 1/2 teaspoon
cooking oil
salt andpepper

Directions:

Peel and thinly slice onions. Fry in oil until slightly golden. Wash chicken pieces and fry in onions until color changes. Add a glass of hot water, salt and pepper and cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes.

Wash mushrooms and cut into small pieces. Fry in oil for about 5 minutes. Pour flour on and mix well. Fry a bit longer, then add to chicken. Add in saffron and lime juice, and cook over low heat for another 5-10 minutes. Serve over Persian rice or Kateh.

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Khoresht-e Reevaas- Rhubarb Stew

Ingredients: (4 servings)

rhubarb, 1 kg
lamb or beef, 500 grams
large onions, two
sugar, 2-3 spoons
cooking oil
salt and pepper
mint, 200 grams (optional)
parsley, 200 grams (optional)

Directions:

Peel and thinly slice onions. Fry in oil until slightly golden. Wash and cut meat into small pieces and fry in onions until color changes. Add 2-3 glasses of hot water and bring to boil. Cook over medium heat for about 45 minutes, adding more hot water during cooking if needed.

Wash rhubarb and cut into 3 cm pieces. Finely chop mint and parsely and fry slightly in oil. Add rhubarb, mint, parsely, sugar, salt and pepper to the meat and continue cooking for about 10 minutes (rhubarb should not become too soft).

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Khoresht-e Loobia-Sabz - French Bean Stew

Ingredients: (6 servings)

stewing lamb or beef, 500 grams
string (French) beans, 750 grams
potatoes, 500 grams (optional)
3-4 onions
fresh Lime juice, 2-3 spoons
tomato paste, 3-4 spoons
cooking oil
salt and pepper

Directions:

Peel and thinly slice onions, then fry in oil until slightly golden. Wash and cut meat into small pieces and fry in onions until color changes. Add 3 glasses of hot water and bring to boil. Turn heat down and let boil slowly for about 45 minutes, adding more hot during cooking water if needed.

While meat is cooking, wash French beans, cut the ends and chop into 2-3 cm pieces. Add French beans, salt, pepper and tomato paste to the meat and continue until cooked. Add lime juice and adjust seasoning. Cook for another 3-4 minutes. Serve over Persian white rice.

If desired, potatoes can also be added to Khoresht Loobia-Sabz. In that case, wash, peel and cut 500 grams of potatoes into small pieces and add in with 500 grams of French beans (note that required cooking time depends somewhat on the size of the cut pieces).

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