Ghormeh Sabzi, Persian Traditional Stew
Iranian cuisine

Ghormeh Sabzi, Persian Traditional Stew

Eating tradition is one of the most enduring legacies of Iranian culture and civilization that still plays an important role among Iranian traditions. You cannot find any rituals and ceremonies in Iran where eating has no place. One of the most important Iranian special dishes that more or less has become national, is Ghormeh Sabzi. The popularity of Ghormeh Sabzi among Iranians is unexplainable. Almost everyone likes this genuinely delicious Persian food. It is an idiom among Iranians that if you could cook Ghormeh Sabzi well, you are a perfect chef. This traditional and yummy stew is not only favored among Iranians but also has popularity outside the borders of Iran.
Ghormeh Sabzi is cooked in a unique way in every city and every home. In some cities, tomato sauce or pomegranate sauce is added to Ghormeh Sabzi. Some make this dish with pinto beans, whereas others use kidney beans for making this stew. Sometimes, women fry vegetables less in order to make the food healthier which eventually makes the stew to have a brighter green color, while others believe that vegetables should be fried to the point that they become completely dark and closer to black.
Apart from being tasty, the ingredients of this stew are rich in nutrients; from vegetables and beans to even meat and rice. Of course, what is important in cooking this stew is the ratio of raw materials. This fact has to be well respected. The most important part of the job is to prepare the vegetables with the right ratio and fry them as needed. It should be noted that the aroma of this stew is dependent on the combination and amount of vegetables. Now, we are going to teach you how to cook Ghormeh Sabzi with golden cooking tips.

Ingredients:

    Ghormeh Sabzi vegetables (Spinach, parsley, Leek, Fenugreek, and Coriander) 500 g
    Medium size onion: 2 pcs
    Kidney beans (or pinto beans): 200 g
    Red meat: 400 g
•    Dried lime: 3 pcs
•    Liquid oil: To the extent needed
    Pepper, salt and turmeric: To the extent needed
    Rice: 400 g

Steps to cook Ghormeh Sabzi

•    Step One: Soak the kidney beans
It is best to dip the Kidney beans in the water the night before and then change the water 2-3 times if possible.

•    Step Two: Roast the vegetables
First wash the vegetables, such as spinach, leeks, coriander, and parsley, and then finely chop them. After the vegetables have been chopped, pour some oil into the pan and add the chopped vegetables to the pan. The more we roast the vegetables to make them darker, the more our stew becomes greasy and ripe. But this should not be done too much because it will destroy all the vegetables’ vitamins. After roasting the vegetables, remove them from the flame and set aside.

•    Step 3: Add the onion and chopped meat
Peel and wash onions and chop them. Then pour some oil into the pan and place it on the flame. Add the chopped onions to the pan and stir. Allow the onions to turn slightly golden and then add the turmeric as needed and stir again. Cut the stewed meat into small pieces and wash and add to the onions and fry until the meat is slightly darkened. At this point, we should not add salt to the meat as it will cause it to be cooked late.

•    Stage Four: Left ingredients simmer slowly
At this point, add the kidney beans to the meat and stir, then add a few glasses of boiling water to the pot and allow the beans to be cooked over medium heat. After the meat and beans are cooked together, add the fried vegetables to the pot and add salt and pepper. Finally, wash the lemons, pierce them with a fork and immerse them in the water to take the bitterness away and then add them into the stew. Lower the heat and allow the stew to be cooked slightly.

•    Step Five: Cook the rice
First before cooking, it is best to soak the rice in water and salt for a couple of hours. Then fill the pot with water and put it on the oven to boil and then add a little oil and salt. Pour the soaked rice into it and rinse it when the rice is cooked. After rinsing, pour the rice into the pot and cook over medium heat. After the rice is brewed, pour hot oil over it so that the rice is not dry, and after 15 minutes remove the rice from the flame. You can also add saffron to rice to make it more fragrant.

Golden Tips to Make Ghormeh Sabzi more delicious

1.    The secret to a delicious Ghormeh Sabzi is that it takes at least 5 hours to cook, so if you are in a hurry, choose another food.
2.    Never use a pressure-cooker for cooking Ghormeh Sabzi. Let the stew to boil in an ordinary pot over medium heat.
3.    The water you add to the dish should be boiling water and not cold water. You can also use meat juice to make the stew more delicious.
4.    The bitterness of the stew can be due to too much fenugreek or dried lime, which is better to soak the dried lime in the water beforehand.
5.    In the end, throw two pieces of ice into the stew. This gives the stew a pleasant color.
6.    The freshness of vegetables is another important factor in the taste of this dish. However, fresh vegetables are sometimes unavailable for various reasons, and we have to use dried vegetables. In this case, you can expect a delicious taste of this dish by considering the cooking tips of Ghormeh Sabzi with dried vegetables.

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