Persian cuisine is known for its mountains of basmati rice, an affinity for puckeringly sour flavors and its use of fresh herbs not just as a seasoning, but as a main ingredient. Ghormeh sabzi brings these all together. A long-cooked stew that uses fragrant herbs to make up most of its bulk, it uses dried limes to give it a deep, funky sourness.
Dried limes, known in Persian as limoo amani, are whole limes that are dried in the sun until their skin is hard and has taken on a brown or black color. They have an intense, savory citrus flavor. Whether you remove the limes before serving is a matter of personal preference; I do not like eating them, but some people add a little bit of lime to each bite as they eat.
Classically, ghormeh sabzi is made with pieces of beef, which become fork-tender during the long braise and add a rich unctuousness to the stew. However, it’s a satisfying dish even without the meat: the kidney beans in the dish provide protein, and served over steamed basmati rice – preferably with the irresistible saffron-hued crust known as tahdig that develops at the bottom of the pot – it’s a perfectly filling meal on its own, and an impressive addition to a Shabbat dinner spread.
The herbs used can vary from kitchen to kitchen. My family’s rendition is a classic recipe with a slight variation: We like to add a bit of spinach to give some body to the finished stew. You certainly don’t have to be exact with herb measurements at all — this is a home-cooked meal, and the flavors will all meld together beautifully as it cooks, regardless of slight variations in proportions.
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Notes:
- You can find tareh (sometimes called Persian chives, Persian leeks or tara) in Middle Eastern markets. If you’re unable to find it, just replace it with more scallions.
- You can find dried limes (sometimes called black limes or limoo amani) in the spice section of Middle Eastern markets or online. If you can’t find them, add ¼ cup fresh lime or lemon juice to the pot along with the water, and adjust sourness with more lemon or lime juice after cooking.
