Khoresh-e qormeh sabzi: Persian lamb and herb stew

Also known as ghorme sabzi, this dish is, by all accounts, the taste of Iran. I'd read so much about it it had reached almost mythical proportions in my mind before I ever got to try it. Why I did not get round to sampling it when I was in Iran, I'll never know. (Mostly it was a problem of too many things to eat, and not a big enough stomach (despite good intentions). A common enough problem for travelling foodies (g).)

In fact this is just the second time I've made/eaten this glorious green stew of herbs and lime. But since it is an adaptation from Najmieh khanom's recipe in New Food of Life (the definitive Persian/Iranian cookbook in English), you don't just have to take my word for it that it is the real deal.

Now, you will either need to do some shopping or some chopping for this one, as it contains some 7 cups of fresh herbs that need finely chopping and sauteing for 20 minutes before going in the stew pot. Or you can do as I do and get a bag of dried herbs that have been carefully blended in the right proportions for this dish (and this is vitally important, it seems--when I was buying my bag from the good guys at Tehran Shop near Yokohama Stn., one of the GG's friends got so worked up about the difficulty of getting the proportions of meat to beans to herbs just right that he eventually recommeded I just get a tin of the ready-made stew instead!). You will also need dried Persian limes (limu omani), also available from Tehran Shop or your own local stockist of such things. Hunting these things down is all part of the fun, now, isn't it?

I use a pressure cooker for khoreshes and tagines. If you don't have one, just double the the cooking times and add more water, if necessary.

Khoresh-e qorme sabzi: Persian lamb and herb stew

Ingredients
2 large onions, peeled and sliced thinly
1 kg lamb leg, cut into stew-sized pieces
3 tbsp oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp turmeric
4 whole dried Persian limes, pierced in 3-4 places
4 tbsp fresh lime juice
Either:
(4 cups finely chopped fresh parsley
1 cup finely chopped fresh chives or scallions
1 cup finely chopped fresh fenugreek
1 cup finely chopped fresh coriander)
Or:
(1 3/4 cups dried ghorme sabzi herb blend, soaked in lukewarm water for 20 min and drained)
1 cup cooked red kidney beans (I used beans I had cooked previously and frozen; if using dried, use 1/3 cup and add with the water in step 1)

Method
1. In a large pressure cooker, brown onions and lamb in oil. Add S&P and turmeric. Pour in 700 ml water (or to cover). Bring to boil and skim off scum. Bring to pressure and cook for 10 minutes on low.
2. If using fresh herbs, fry in extra oil over medium heat, stirring constantly for 20 min, or until the herbs become aromatic.
3. Add fried fresh herbs or drained dried herbs and lime juice, bring back to pressure and cook for 40 min on low.
4. Check that the meat (and beans if using dried ones) is tender and add pre-cooked beans. Adjust seasoning and transfer to a large serving dish.

I served this with adas polo (rice with lentils), but plain steamed rice or saffron rice would also be great.

Enjoy!