Beef & Bean Khoresh (a Persian Beef Stew)

"This is simply lean beef and kidney beans in a delicious cinnamon and cumin-scented stew, with lots of parsley and chives and a splash of lemon juice. The unusual color is from turmeric, and it's best served with rice."
 
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photo by Jonathan Melendez photo by Jonathan Melendez
photo by Jonathan Melendez
photo by JoyfulCook photo by JoyfulCook
photo by JustJanS photo by JustJanS
photo by Sackville photo by Sackville
photo by Sackville photo by Sackville
Ready In:
1hr 40mins
Ingredients:
13
Serves:
4
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ingredients

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directions

  • In a large saucepan saute the onion in two tablespoons of the olive oil until golden.
  • Add stewing beef and cook for ten minutes more, until meat is browned on all sides.
  • Add the cumin, turmeric and cinnamon; cook for one minute, stirring, then add water and bring to a boil.
  • Cover and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Heat remaining one tablespooon of oil in a small frying pan and saute parsley and chives about 2 minutes; add this mixture to the beef.
  • Also add the drained and rinsed kidney beans and lemon juice.
  • Season with salt and pepper.
  • Stir in one tablespoon flour whisked with a bit of hot water to thicken the stew a little; simmer uncovered for another 30 minutes, until meat is wonderfully tender; serve with rice.

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Reviews

  1. The beef was super tender and the flavor of the stew was spot on! I served it with rice and lavash, it was great!
     
  2. A lot of reviewers are saying this is Ghormeh Sabzi as opposed to Khoresh and the recipe is not authentic. I agree but it's still a fantastic base! I love the addition of cinnamon. I added ground fenugreek (no leaves or seeds available) and also added coriander (a.k.a cilantro) and celery leaves to the fried herb mix. I used lime instead of lemon and added garlic as a personal preference. Probably not an "authentic" take on this dish but I LOVED it!! Served with basmalti rice with dill and broad beans. Delicious. Thanks for posting.
     
  3. This is definitely Ghormeh Sabzi! I'm glad to see people try this dish. The classic recipe does NOT have cinnamon and just a bit of cumin, maybe 1/4 teaspoon. There is usually waaaay more greens, including fenugreek. At least a whole bunch of Italian or regular parsley, and it should all be fried before being added, which gives it a desirable darker look and more flavor. But all in all, great recipe for the brave and adventurous souls out there who are unfamiliar with Persian cuisine.
     
  4. A flavorful stew! Very tasty but the meat was not as tender as I thought it was going to be so next time I'll try to make it in the slow cooker. Thanks for posting!
     
  5. I am reviewing Ghormeh Sabzi , I have my recipe from a Persian cookbook and from what I recall there is no cinnamon and no cumin(when I added it my Iranian husband said it doesn't taste like the real one becoz of it). There is a lot more herbs to it -one kg herbs was like a half dollar in Iran . The herbs are being fried then added to the onions and meat.
     
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Tweaks

  1. This was delicious! I will defintely make this dish again. I didn't have turmeric on hand. (thought I did...so I searched on-line for spice substitutes) Recommendations included leaving the spice out altogether or substituting equal amounts of ground mustard. I chose to substitute with ground mustard...but only with 1 teaspoon instead of 2. I also used 1 1/2 cups of water and 1 cup beef broth. I disagree with reviewers that said the water content was too much. I did thicken the broth using cornstarch instead of flour. The cornstarch container recommended using 1/2 of the measurements called for when flour is the listed ingredient used to thicken a broth. I guess those who said they would cut down on the water enjoy their stews with more of a gravy type of sauce. This dish was served over brown rice. We liked eating it more like a soup. So you'd want a lot of broth in that case. The flavors were perfect. Because I didn't use turmeric, the broth had a more clear consistency...no orangey color.
     
  2. We loved this dish! I substituted beef stock for the water and added extra lemon juice and some dried chili pepper flakes. We'll definitely make this again. Thanks!
     
  3. FABULOUS. I substituted chicken broth for the water and added a handful of raisens at the end. YUMMIE! Serve OVER rice. Followed directions until #4, then I transfered to a crock pot and cooked on high for several hours, returning to a pot before adding flour mixture. Meat was SUPER tender! Hint: Make sure to add plenty of salt and pepper, as this really brings out the flavors (bland without).
     

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