ghormeh sabzi, mixed-herb stew
Posted: 1 December 2011 Filed under: Ghormeh sabzi, mixed herbs stew, KITCHEN, for recipes, Uncategorized | Tags: booteh_recipes, food_photography, ghormeh_sabzi, khoresh sabzi, main_dish, mixed-Herb_stew, Persian_cuisine 9 CommentsGhormeh sabzi, a mixed-herb stew or khoresh, is the signature dish of any Iranian’s kitchen. So much so there is even an anthropological article written entitled “Bastard chicken or Ghormeh Sabzi”, by Lynn Harbottle which I recommend if interested in the strategies Iranian women migrants in UK employ to keep their family healthy through good food and Persian cooking. Now, My recipe:
Ingredients: (serving 5-6)
- Milk veal, or lamb, 500 grams, cleaned, washed and cut in small to medium chunks.
- Onion, 1 medium, finely sliced.
- Fresh herbs, 500 grams in total washed and chopped; herbs consist of parsley and leek in equal amounts, coriander half that amount. Fenugreek, one tbsp. if fresh, and less than half that amount, if dried herb is being used. Note that you could indeed use a combination of fresh and dried herbs (or even all dried) without loosing much of the taste. See below for some tips.
- Roman beans, half a cup.
- Dried limes 5-6.
- Turmeric, 2 tea spoons.
- Oil, about 2/3 of cup.
- Salt, and black powdered pepper to taste.
Method: In a small pot wash the roman beans, add a pinch of salt cover with water and cook until half done. In a medium pot, sauté onions in 2 tbsp. of hot oil until golden. Add the meat and fry a few minutes until its color turns whitish. Add turmeric and fry two more minutes. Add salt and pepper, top with warm water and cook until it is tender but not entirely soft. While the meat and beans are cooking, use a frying pan and fry herbs in 3-4 tbsp. of hot oil over medium heat. If you are using a combination of fresh and dried herbs start by frying the fresh herbs. Meanwhile, soak dried herbs in a colander placed in a bowl of water for 5 minutes. Drain and add semi-dried herbs to the frying pan. Fry the mixed herbs for at least 15 minutes. Stir frequently and add oil if necessary. The goal is to get a fairly dark green mixed herbs. Add the thoroughly fired herbs and semi cooked roman beans to your main pot of the stew and simmer for at least one hour.
All Iranian khoreshes need to be slow cooked to allow a smooth blend of tastes and parts. Ghormeh sabzi in particular must be given a lot of blending and settling time, or it simply would not turn as scented and delicious as it should. Ten minutes before serving, put little holes in dried limes and throw them in the pot. They go soft quickly. Squeeze a couple with the back of a spoon to give ghormeh sazi its mildly sour taste. People at the table might help themselves with a whole lime and squeeze it in their own plate if they like to add more sourness. Like all khoreshes, ghormeh sabzi is served with plain white rice, steamed cooked Iranian style.
My Caldron 
بوته بانو: ضمن تشکر میخواستم ببینم اگه وقتی سبزی ها رو سرخ میکنم, کمی رب به سبزی ها بزنیم و کمتر سرخ کنیم, حکمش چیه!؟!؟…..
متشکرم..
کورش چند ساله از کالینز قلعه
کورش جان، رب (گوجه فرنگی) به قرمه سبزی زدن از گناهان کبیره ست و حکمش هم اعدامه! 🙂 اما اگه بخوای سبزیش رو کمتر سرخ کنی اتفاق مهمی نمیفته. خیلی‌ها نمیکنن فقط رنگ خورش سبز تر میشه اما تاثیر چندانی در مزه ش نداره. موفق باشی و نوش جانت بشه هر وقت خوردی
Loved the way you described it. I am not sure about your cooking (should try it first then comment about it) but I can say that you are a good writer. Thanks for the recipe one of these days I will surprise the banoo of the house with it 😉
Thanks for the compliment Fereydoon jaan. Only if my cooking skills matched my writing skills, right !? 🙂 Hope you will try and it turns decent. Looking forwards to your feed back in that department too
Hi
What about some potato.I remember my mam always add it up some potato to ghormeh sabzi.
and when I went to school in north of Iran in the table egg with ghormeh Sabzi as a (Nimro)
Salam Nader. You are absolutely right. In the Southern provinces of Iran it was (may be still is) very common to use small cubes of potatoes in lieu of roman beans in ghormeh sabzi. Tasted good too, I now remember:) But the combination of egg and ghormeh sabzi as nimro I have never heard before, but again, that does not mean much because I am not very familiar with Northern cuisine 🙂
سلام خانومی
شرمنده من اینجایی که هستم سبزی خشک شنبلیله و گشنیز دارم ولی تره و جعفری تازه گیرم میاد . به نظر شما نسبت ها باید چند به چند باشه؟
ممنون از دستور بربریتون خانوم
سلام زری جان. خواهش میشه عزیزم. نسبتها رو توی “موادِ لازم” نوشته م. اینکه برای نیم کیلو گوشت ۵-۶ نفر) مجموعاً نیم کیلوسبزی تازه شامل تره وجعفری، به مقدار مساوی، گشنیز، نصف تره و جعفری، و مقدار کمی هم شنبه لیله لازمه. اینو داشته باش. حالا میزان خشک و ترهم بهت میگم. ببین یک مشت پر سبزی تازه خورد شده تقریباً معادل یک ق. غذا خوری سبزی خشک میده. بنابر این شما که تره و جعفریت رو تازه میخری. خورد میکنی. میگیم یک بسته تره یا جعفریت شده دو مشتِ پر خورد شده. یک و نیم ق. غذا خوری گشنیز خشک بریز، یک ق. غذا خوری هم شنبله لیله
این رو هم اضافه کنم که اگه یه مقدار نسبتها پس و پیش بشه اتفاق خاصی نمیفته. فقط مراقب باش شنبهلیله زیادی نریزی که خورش تلخ میشه
سلام ممنون عزیز که به فکر ایرونی های مقیم خارج هستین