The smell of ghormeh sabzi is the smell of friends and family gathered around a Shabbat or holiday table. Long before anyone sits down, it drifts through the house: herbs cooked down until they are dark and fragrant, the earthy warmth of fenugreek and the sharp tang of dried Persian limes.
When I was a kid, the smell of those dried limes told me everything. The moment I caught it, I knew our home would be filled with family that Shabbat.
Ghormeh sabzi (also spelled qormeh sabzi or gormeh sabzi) is a staple in Persian homes, and it always brings people together. It is a slow, unhurried herb stew. Onions cook until golden, parsley, cilantro and chives fry down to a fraction of their volume, and tender meat and kidney beans simmer until everything melts into a deep, tangy sauce meant to be spooned generously over rice.
It is also one of the best make ahead dishes there is. Ghormeh sabzi tastes better the next day, which makes it perfect for Shabbat. Make it on Thursday, let the flavors meld in the fridge and reheat it gently on Friday, so your house smells like Shabbat before the candles are even lit. My version uses dried fenugreek, which is easier to find than fresh and gives the stew its signature earthy depth, with an option to use fresh if you can get it.
Serve it with white rice tahdig, and spoon plenty of that juice over the top.
Ghormeh Sabzi (Persian Herb Stew)
Ingredients
- ½ cup avocado oil divided
- 1 large onion thinly sliced
- kosher salt
- 3 lb beef stew cut into 2-in pieces
- 1 lb beef bones with bone marrow (optional)
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 4 bunches parsley finely chopped
- 2 bunches cilantro finely chopped
- 2 bunches chives finely chopped
- 2 tbsp dried fenugreek powder
- 6 dried persian limes limoo omani, pierced with a knife
- 3 tbsp lemon juice plus more
- 1 20oz can kidney beans
Instructions
- Heat 1/4 cup of the avocado oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook for about 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Season with salt and reduce the heat to medium.
- Add the meat, turmeric, 2 tsp salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook for about 8 minutes, until the meat gets some color.
- Add in beef bones if using and 3 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 1 1/2 hours.
- Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1/4 cup oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the parsley, cilantro, chives and dried fenugreek. Cook, stirring often, until fragrant and reduced in volume, about 25 minutes. Add more oil if needed and be careful not to burn the herbs.
- Turn the heat under the meat up to medium. Add the fried herbs, dried limes, lemon juice and 1 1/2 tsp salt. Bring to a gentle boil, partially cover and reduce to low. Simmer for another hour.
- Thirty minutes into that hour, add the rinsed and drained kidney beans. As the stew simmers, press the dried limes to release their juices.
- Taste and add more lemon juice or salt if needed. The khoresht shouldn’t be watered down, but there should be plenty of juice for everyone to spoon over their rice.