Ghormeh Sabzi

 

"Can you cook Persian food?” a friend asked me not so long ago. “A little bit,” I answered. “Can you cook Ghormeh sabzi?” she continued “Not really, I’ve never tried”. “Can you try? I’d like to surprise my husband, this is his favorite dish ever, and me, I can't cook it for my life”I got to know Persian cuisine through a high school friend, and fell in love at first bite. His mom was an out of this world cook and I never refused an invitation to dine at his home. With time I learned to cook more than a few Persian dishes and I'm always game for new kitchen adventures. “I’ll try” I told my friend “and if it will come out good, I’ll make one for you”. “No need to try, whatever you’d prepare will be a 100 times better then what I can”
A couple of days later she called. “My husband’s family can be tough people, it’s not an easy task to satisfy them”. “I told you I should try first…”I started, then she interrupted, “but when they say that this was the best Ghormeh sabzi they had since my mother in law passed a couple of years ago, I guess you nailed it”

Ingredients

3 lb beef cubes for stew
6 cups parsley
1 ½ cups cilantro
½ cup chives
½ cup scallion (green part)
1 TBS dry fenugreek
6 dry lemons
1 onion
1 ½ TBS turmeric
1 cup red kidney bean soaked overnight
4 TBS oil (divided)
2-3 cups water

Soak one cup of red kidney beans in 2-3 quart of water overnight. Strain and set a side.
Place dry lemons in a small bowl, using a fork puncture the lemons, add 1 cup of boiling water and let soak for 30 minutes.
Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Add all herbs and dry fenugreek. Saute for about 10 minutes until tender, stir occasionally to avoid sticking.
In a second pan (or pot) heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add onion and fry to golden. Add beef cubes and fry all sides to brown. Add turmeric and stir to cover. Add the kidney beans and the herbs mix to the pan and stir. Add salt and the dry lemons with the water and stir well. Add water to cover and bring to boil. Cook over low heat until meat is tender, about 2 hours. Serve with white rice.

 

Posted in Main cours, Meat and tagged , .