Persian Lamb And Okra Stew Khoresh Bamieh Food

BAMIEH (MIDDLE EASTERN OKRA STEW)

Steps:

• Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, salt and black pepper; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned a light golden brown, about 10 minutes.
• Add the lamb, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, and garlic paste. Cook on medium heat until the lamb starts to brown, 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the tomatoes and tomato paste; cook and stir for another 5 minutes.
• Dissolve the beef bouillon cubes in 4 cups of boiling water. Pour the broth into the pot with the lamb and stir in the okra. If necessary, add water to cover the okra. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the cover and cook for another 45 minutes to 1 hour until the lamb is very tender and the stew reaches your desired thickness.

KHORESH-E GHORMEH SABZI (PERSIAN HERB, BEAN AND LAMB STEW)

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, season the meat with turmeric, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.
• Rinse the beans and place in a medium bowl with 1 cup water and a generous pinch of salt. Set aside to soak for 30 minutes.
• In the meantime, place a large Dutch oven or similar pot over medium-high heat. Add 3 tablespoons oil. When it shimmers, add meat and cook, turning regularly so that it browns evenly on all sides, about 15 minutes. Once the meat has browned, move it to the edges of the pot and add the onion to the center of the pot, along with a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring regularly, until the onion begins to soften and turn brown, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Drain the beans and add to the pot, stirring to combine everything and coat the beans with oil. Add 4 cups water, increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover pot and simmer for 2 hours.
• In the meantime, prepare the herbs: Wash parsley and cilantro, then use a salad spinner to dry very well. Remove and discard the tough stems. Chop the leaves and tender stems very, very finely, or feel free to use a food processor to get these herbs as finely chopped as possible. The more finely chopped the herbs, the more green and unctuous the ghormeh sabzi will be.
• Separately chop the chives and entire bunch of scallions (including the green tops) as finely as possible by hand. These, too, must be very finely chopped - nearly minced - but they will turn to mush in a food processor and thus should be chopped by hand.
• Set a large frying pan over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add the remaining 1/4 cup oil and the scallion-chive mixture. Allow to wilt, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes, then add remaining chopped herbs and fenugreek leaves, crushing the fenugreek leaves between your fingers as you add them. Cook, stirring continuously, until the herbs are wilted and very dark green - but not burned - and they give off a bright green oil when pressed with a spoon, 18 to 20 minutes. This step is crucial to the flavor and color of the stew. You'll know the herbs are ready when they feel dry and emit a strong, savory aroma.
• When the meat has cooked for 2 hours, add the cooked herb mixture, Omani limes and 1/2 cup water. Season with salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover pot, and simmer for another hour. Check on the limes occasionally to make sure they are submerged in the stew but not falling apart. Gently push them into the stew if they're still floating after 20 minutes.
• As the stew nears the 3-hour mark, remove the lid and check the meat; it should be very tender. If the ghormeh sabzi seems a little watery, leave it uncovered for the last 20 minutes of cooking and allow to reduce into a thick stew. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. If the stew needs a little acidity, juice a lime into the stew through a sieve by pressing down on it with a spoon (avoid letting the seeds through the sieve, as they can be bitter). Set aside. Taste the stew and continue adding more lime juice until the stew is sufficiently tangy. Stir in the saffron. The stew should be a very deep, dark shade of green and quite thick when done. Return dried limes into the stew to serve.
• Serve hot with Persian rice and mast-o khiar.

PERSIAN LAMB AND OKRA STEW (KHORESH BAMIEH)

Steps:

• Peel and thinly slice onions, then fry in oil until slightly golden.
• Wash and cut meat into small pieces and fry in onions and garlic until meat becomes opaque.
• Add 3 cups of hot water and bring to boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for about 45 minutes, adding more hot water during cooking if needed.
• When meat is tender, wash okra and remove stems.
• Add whole okra, 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 slick textured.
• Add lime juice, adjust seasoning and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
• If you wish to use potatoes, wash, peel, and cut them into small pieces, and add to stew when meat becomes tender, allowing 10-15 minutes of cooking before adding okra.

PERSIAN LAMB AND CHICKPEA STEW (QORMEH SABZI)

Steps:

• Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large heavy pan, and saute the lamb until well browned on all sides.
• Add the onion, cooking until soft, then add salt, pepper to taste, turmeric, lemon juice, and water, bringing to a boil.
• Lower heat and cover, simmering for 15 minutes.
• Heat 2 tbsp oil in a skillet and saute the onions, celery leaves, spinach, and parsley for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Add these vegetables and the chickpeas to the meat and mix together thoroughly.
• Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer another 20 minutes, or until meat is tender, adding water as necessary to keep up with consistency.
• Serve with steamed basmati rice.

KHORESH KARAFS (PERSIAN LAMB AND CELERY STEW)

Steps:

• In a large pot, brown onions with meat in 3 tablespoons oil. Add salt, pepper, turmeric. Pour in 2 cups water. Cover and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.
• In a non-stick frying pan, fry the chopped celery in 3 tablespoons oil for 10 minutes, sliming occasionally. Add chopped herbs and fry for 10 minutes longer.
• Add the mixture of celery and herbs, and lime juice to the meat. Cover and simmer over low heat for 1 1/2 hours longer, or until the meat and celery are tender.
• Taste the stew and adjust seasoning accordingly. Serve hot with steamed white rice.

KHORESH-E BADEMJOON (PERSIAN LAMB, EGGPLANT AND TOMATO STEW)

Steps:

• In a large bowl, season lamb with turmeric, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.
• Peel the eggplants but leave the green skin on the stem end intact. Trim the tips of the stems and make an incomplete lengthwise cut in each eggplant from the bottom, leaving both halves attached at the stem. Place eggplants in a colander set inside a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and let sit for 30 minutes.
• In the meantime, set a large Dutch oven or similar pot over medium-high heat. When the pot is hot, add 3 tablespoons oil. When the oil shimmers, add onion and cook, stirring regularly, until softened and browned, 16 to 18 minutes.
• Add the meat and cook, turning regularly, until it browns evenly on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes. Add 4 cups water and increase heat to high. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 1 hour.
• In the meantime, rinse the eggplants, dry thoroughly and set aside. Remove stems and halve tomatoes through their cores and set aside. Line a baking sheet with two layers of paper towels and set aside.
• Set a large frying pan over high heat. When the pan is hot, add 1/4 cup oil and carefully lay eggplants in the pan in a single layer. It's crucial to leave space between each eggplant for steam to escape, so brown in batches if necessary. Reduce heat to medium-high and cook, turning regularly, until eggplants are browned on all sides, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove browned eggplants to lined baking sheet and allow to drain.
• Use the same pan to brown tomatoes, cut-side down, in remaining 2 tablespoons oil for about 5 minutes. Flip and cook tomatoes on skin side until lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes, then remove to lined baking sheet.
• Once the meat has cooked for 1 hour, stir in the tomato paste, saffron and 1/4 cup lime juice. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Carefully arrange the browned eggplants and tomatoes atop the stew and then sprinkle on the young grapes. Allow the stew to come to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer, uncovered, until meat is falling apart and stew is thick and unctuous, about 1 hour. Without jostling the eggplants too much, taste a spoonful or two of the stew. It should be pleasantly tart, so adjust the seasoning with salt and lime juice as needed.
• Serve hot, with Persian rice and mast-o khiar, as well as pickles, fresh herbs, scallions and radishes, if desired.

KHORESH KARAFS (PERSIAN CELERY STEW WITH LAMB)

Steps:

• Trim or break off thicker parts of the parsley stems and pull mint sprigs and larger leaves from their stems. Discard stems or reserve for another use. Pluck a small handful of leaves and tender sprigs from parsley and mint and set aside for garnish. Chop remaining herbs.
• In a large Dutch oven or pot, heat 1/4 cup oil over medium-high. Season lamb with turmeric, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Add lamb, onion and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions start to caramelize and lamb is evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Add 2 cups water, cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes.
• While the lamb simmers, cook the celery: In a skillet, heat the remaining 1/4 cup oil with the butter over medium-high. Once butter foams, add celery, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes. Add chopped parsley and mint, and cook, stirring occasionally, until celery just starts to caramelize, about 8 minutes.
• Add celery and herbs to the Dutch oven, along with lemon juice, lime juice and saffron. Cover, leaving lid slightly ajar, and simmer on low heat until lamb is tender, about 30 minutes.
• While stew cooks, make the fried shallots, if desired: Line a small plate with a paper towel. In a small bowl, sprinkle flour over sliced shallots and toss with a fork. Heat canola oil in a small saucepan or skillet over medium-high until it shimmers slightly, about 1 minute. Fry shallots in oil, flipping once or twice so they cook evenly, until golden brown and crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from oil with a fork, season with a pinch of salt and let drain on paper towel-lined plate until stew is ready.
• Taste stew. Broth should be tart, but balanced. Celery and lamb should be tender but hold their shape. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper. Garnish with reserved herbs and fried shallots. Serve with chelo (Persian-style steamed rice) or buttered, steamed white rice. Stew can be made up to 2 days in advance.