When learning to cook regional dishes, I like to go straight to the source. I want to observe the way it’s done by people who grew up cooking and eating the food. I’ll travel pretty much anywhere to learn the secret of an authentic regional dish. Luckily, when I wanted to learn Persian cooking, I didn’t have to travel– instead, our friend Farah came to me. 🙂
Farah was born in Iran. She immigrated to Israel with her family when she was 5 years old. Her father worked as a cook in many different places, eventually landing as the head chef in a Tel Aviv hospital kitchen. Farah followed in her father’s footsteps, opening a small Persian cafe in Jaffa for other Iranian immigrants. She later moved to the United States with her family and cooked professionally for many years.
Farah is a terrific cook, and she’s generous with her talent. I asked her to give me a crash course in Persian cooking. When she asked what dishes I’d like to learn, I told her I really wanted the secret to making Persian rice with tah-deeg. So, she taught me how to make Persian rice with dill and lima beans… and Persian rice with raisins and carrots… and garlic roast chicken... and cucumber salad… and kooba, fried bulgur wheat pies stuffed with ground lamb and pine nuts. In addition to all this, my husband’s sister brought along two delicious eggplant recipes.
Needless to say, by the end of the night we were beyond stuffed! I think I waddled to bed. But the calorie splurge was worth it. Such a delicious meal!
Did I mention the Persian Lamb Stew? No? Well, it was my favorite dish of the night. I love it when a simple recipe is so full of flavor. You may be more familiar with traditional Irish Stew, but even if you’re not a big fan of lamb, you might want to reconsider and try this stew. The spiced meat is ultra tender, it flakes with a fork and melts in your mouth. The basmati rice soaks up the yummy sauce, a perfect accompaniment to the stew. As a bonus, this dish is gluten free. It also contains a hefty dose of turmeric, a spice that has strong anti-inflammatory and anti-aging properties. What a treat!
Recommended Products:
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Persian Lamb Stew
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon black pepper (or more to taste)
- 1 teaspoon salt (if salt sensitive, you may want to use less and salt to taste at the end of cooking)
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (omit if spice sensitive)
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 medium onions, minced
- 3 pounds lamb meat cut into chunks for stewing (leg meat works well, it cooks up very tender)
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley or cilantro, chopped
- 4 cups steamed basmati rice for serving
Instructions
- In a small dish, mix together turmeric, black pepper, salt, and crushed red pepper seasoning.
- In a large pot, or large dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium high heat till hot (not smoking). Saute for 10 minutes until onion softens and starts to turn golden brown.Begin browning the lamb. Add the lamb stew meat to the pot. You can use bone-in lamb meat, boneless meat, or a combination of the two. Brown the meat for a few minutes on each side. Drain the fat that collects at the bottom of the pot.
- Sprinkle the seasonings evenly across the top of the browned meat.
- Cover the meat with 4 cups of water. Bring mixture to a slow boil, then reduce heat to medium low. Simmer on medium low heat for two hours.
- Use a large shallow spoon to skim the fat from the surface of the cooking liquid every 30 minutes.
- After 2 hours, add tomato paste to the pot and stir slowly until paste dissolves into the broth.Simmer for another 20 minutes uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the meat is nice and tender and the sauce has thickened. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more salt and.or spice, if desired.
- Garnish the stew with fresh parsley or cilantro. Serve lamb and sauce over freshly steamed basmati rice.
Jeff says
I’m making it a second time now as we really liked it. Used lamb neck stew meat as it was on sale. Also browned the meat separate as suggested by others. Otherwise no changes, and will not make changes on my second go around either.
Thank you, it’s a keeper.
Tamara says
Hi Tori,
This stew was delicious. My 7 year old daughter loved it (I halved the red pepper flakes and black pepper), and my husband loved it too. I did add 2 cloves of garlic to the onion mixture, and I threw in a few stalks of cilantro toward the end of the cooking process for extra flavor instead of putting it on as garnish. Another reader asked about adding dried prunes or fruit. I added a small handful of dried prunes near the end of the cook time and it didn’t make it sweet at all. I think it just gave it more body. I’ve never had Persian lamb before, but this was delicious. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Anri says
great recipe thank you!
Keith says
I made this last night and it was amazing and super easy. I did make two changes which were to add diced red potatoes like Carol (above) did. Also, I cooked the lamb and onions separately to get some browning on the meat. I’m sure it would have come out great either way.
In my area (NJ) it was a challenge finding the lamb stew meat at regular supermarkets but I finally found it at Whole Foods which had it cut up and very lean.
Havatselet Kershenbaum says
Hi Tori,
Chag sameach! 🙂 I’m making this recipe right now, and wondering if you think raisins or prunes would be good to add as the lamb is simmering? PS – I LOVE your recipes – those I’ve tried, and those I haven’t (yet)!
Tori Avey says
Hello there– I’m guessing you’ve already tried this 🙂 I personally prefer the savory flavor of this recipe and wouldn’t add anything sweet to it. However, it might be a good flavor for some folks. It’s sort of a taste preference. Hope you enjoyed it!
Sue says
Looking at the pics, ingredients and reading the comments so far; I have just advised my husband that this is on the weekend menu. I tend to make my lamb stews with neck of lamb and will be doing the same with this recipe. Will let you all know the outcome. Thank you so much for sharing xxx
Kevin says
Do you know if this recipe is common throughout Afghanistan? During a tour there, our interpreters made us a lamb stew that seemed similar to this. Sauce was more on the runny side, not super thick. We poured it over basmati rice with raisins and used naan to sop up the leftover sauce. It was almost more of a curry and they utilized crushed tomatos, so I looked through North Pakistani cuisine and the only thing I found similar was Lahore-style lamb curry. When I asked the interpreter, he gave me a list of only a few ingredients which included turmeric but no curry powder. When I saw this I thought it might be my missing link.
Tori Avey says
Hi Kevin, I learned this recipe from my friend Farah who was born in Iran and grew up in Israel. It’s possible that it is also common in Afghanistan, but I wouldn’t know for certain. I will say that this recipe is quite flavorful and somewhat spicy (it’s got a “kick” to it). Whether it’s the same or not, I do encourage you to try it– it’s quite delicious!
Alfred says
There is so much Persian influence in Afghanistan that I am not surprised (the similarity between Dari and Farsi is an indicator). I would be interested to know where in Afghanistan this was as I would expect Persian influence in the North (Herat) and in Kabul, but less so in the South East.
Lisa says
I made the stew last night and it was a big hit with my little kids! The sauce however seemed thin despite following the recipe exactly. Do I simmer the stew covered or lid off?
Tori Avey says
Hi Lisa, I usually simmer it uncovered which helps the sauce to thicken and reduce.
Donna says
Can you make this persian lamb stew in a crock pot??
Ann says
I cooked mine in a crockpot because our stove is out of order. It did very well. Just make sure you keep the water level from evaporating off.
Pam says
Used garlic, garam masala and cumin. Very flavorful BUT definintely reduce the red chili flakes. 1/2 tsp if you want mild and moderate 1 tsp.
Josh Rachman says
Shavua tov & chag sameach.
I’ve used this recipe around 10 times now – I absolutely love baghali polo and to realize how simple it is to make – amazing.
I usually order this from a great takeaway in London UK (its called Kish in Kilburn if you’re ever in town), but prefer it with white rice over the dill version.
Thanks v much Josh
Tori Avey says
I love it with the Baghali Polo too, Josh! Happy you’re enjoying it.
Jamila Thomas says
Wow!! A 5 star recipe!! Absolutely love it; will be cooking it often.
Amu says
Excellent recipe! So easy, simple and delicious. We will be making this regularly.
Thank you for aharing
Julie says
Hi Tori,
My husband is on a strict diet and cant eat lamb or beef. Can I substitute chicken in this recipe?
Tori Avey says
Hi Julie, I’ve never tried this with chicken so not sure what modifications might need to be made. If you decide to try it, you might try bone-in chicken and slowly simmering until the meat is very tender. Good luck!
tim c says
I made this as a surprise for my wife. This was a great recipe! I added to the spices because I am from the southwest and we love heat. All I can say is WOW!
Tori Avey says
Thank you for writing Tim! Happy you enjoyed it 🙂
Mark Smith says
I just have to say that this dish has become our family favourite. My eight year old son requests this every week and sometimes even twice. Please keep recipes like this coming.
Mark
Tori Avey says
Happy to hear that Mark! 🙂
Jessica says
I recently did this recipe for our Seder (second year in a row, and still a hit!) and honestly, I want this dish more than once a year. Lol. Lamb is so expensive… I was wondering if you think a substitution of chicken or steak would work? Would I need to switch out any spices to cater to the diff meats and/it change cook time? Love this recipe!
Tori Avey says
Hi Jessica, I’ve also made this recipe with beef stew meat with good results. It’s not quite as tasty as lamb in this particular preparation, but still very good.
kristen gibson says
Hi
I saw several comments as to whether this can be made in a crockpot – but no replies. I made tis on the stove – but I don’t have the couple hours it takes to stand over it and skim while it simmers. Could you please reply to this?
thanks so much!
Tori Avey says
Hi Kristen, I don’t see why it wouldn’t work in a crockpot, but there will be a lot of fat collected at the top when it’s done so you’ll need to do a lot of skimming. Also I can’t give you an exact measurement on liquid; it will likely need less because the liquid won’t reduce as it cooks. If I were trying it I’d cook it on low for 8-10 hours and use 3 cups of liquid, but that’s just a guess. If you give it a try please let us know how it works for you.
Mina says
I am Persian, however, I’ve never seen or heard about that dish. It looks good and the style is Persian (ie. turmeric, tomato paste, onions), but it’s missing something…I’ve never seen it served just with meat. Usually, you add either eggplants (Khoresh badenjamn) or split lentils (khoresh gheymeh) or some kind of vegetable to it. Then it would be Persian. This is more “persian inspired”. But like I said… still looks good!
Tori Avey says
Hi Mina, I learned this dish from Farah, who is Persian– she considered it Persian and made it with her family growing up.
Sam says
Thanks, this is one of those Recipies thats a keeper. I make this at least once a month. delicious.
Tori Avey says
So happy to hear that Sam!