Persian lamb/beef-bean-stew (Ghorme Sabzi) and Persian Rice with crust (Tahdig)
This is not the original recipe. I added some ingredients, but this is anyways the kind of recipe where each family has its own version.
"Ghorme Sabzi" (literally: "green stew"
for 4 people
- 1-3 onions, chopped not too fine
- 150g of green herbs, chopped fine (a very generous handfull before chopping, a soup-plate spilling over after chopping):
whatever you can find: parsley, dill, spinach, mint-leaves (not peppermint), dandelion-leaves, chives, spring-onions, leek... (there really should be fenugreek in there, but that could be hard to find)
- 2-3 pounds of lamb or beef, including bones (I prefer lamb-haunch), cut into inch-sized pieces, preserve the bones
- 1-1.5 teaspons turmeric
- 2 limes, each cut into 8 pieces
- 250g red kidney-beans, soaked overnight
- 1 tablespoon salt
I replace the kidney-beans with chickpeas, add 3-4 pieces of oxtail (for a stronger broth), 300g Tofu diced a little bit smaller than half an inch, and 3 dried chilies.
1. Fry the onions and the chilies on low heat until the onions are brown. (Meanwhile cut the meat and chop the herbs.) Remove the onions and chilies from the pot, leave the oil in there.
2. Cut the lamb/beef and season with turmeric. Make sure everything is nicely covered. Fry the meat in the pot, roast until crunchy and brown. Meanwhile finish chopping the herbs.
3. Add the herbs, stir and let it fry for 1 more minute. Add onions, chilies, limes, beans/peas, the bones and the oxtail. Mix well. Sprinkle the chopped Tofu on top, don't stir. Add water until everything is barely covered.
4. Bring to boil and simmer for 1h45m. Add 1 tablespoon of salt about 15 minutes before it's done.
Persian Rice with crust. There are at least 5 different ways how to make the crust, here is my take on two basic versions:
- 50-75g rice per person
- a sheet of baking-paper, large enough to easily cover the bottom of the pot
(optional: 1-2 potatos)
1. Put the rice in a pot with cold water. Bring to boil. When the water gets all cloudy from the starch, drain. Bring to boil again with fresh water. Change water at least two times this way. (The starch-powder would burn in the frying-step of the recipe.)
(Alternatively: Rinse the uncooked rice with cold water until it's no longer cloudy. Then boil. Add a shot of cooking-oil and some salt to the boiling rice.)
2. Boil the rice until it's halfway done. Basmati <5 minutes, parboiled rice ~15 minutes. The grain should be soft outside and hard inside. Drain and remove from pot. Transfer rice to deep dish and add cold water (again, to remove the starch). Drain again.
3. Put the baking-paper on the bottom of the pot, with a little bit extra forming a rim. Add a shot of oil on the paper, so the bottom would be equally covered with a thin film.
(Optional: Peel a raw potato and cut it into thin slices. Put the slices on the oil-covered baking-paper until the whole bottom is equally covered, in about 1-2 layers.)
Carefully pour the wet and half-cooked rice in the pot in the "jar" formed by the baking-paper.
Use the stem of a wooden spoon to bore a few holes in the pile, so the steam will get everywhere.
Lay a paper kitchen-towel over the pot, put the lid on that, seal with a cloth kitchen-towel.
Do not remove lid until dish is finished.
4. Put back on the oven. Put on highest heat until you hear frying-sounds from inside the pot (a few minutes), then reduce to minimum-heat.
The bottom of the rice will fry, forming a crust. The rest will steam.
Steam for 30-45 minutes without lifting the lid.
5. Remove kitchen-towels and lid. Place the plate you want to serve the rice on upside-down on the pot. (e.g. a soup-plate or something more decorative). Quickly turn upside-down. Remove pot, remove baking-paper. You will have a pile of steamed rice, topped by a crunchy crust.