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Slow Cooker (or not) Ghormeh Sabzi (Persian Lamb Stew)
with rice

Active: 45 Total: 525

We first featured this popular Iranian stew in 2022. It has a short list of ingredients but is unique in its combination of savory meat and beans. It is finished with a generous portion of fresh herbs.
Smarts: If you're not doubling the rice for later in the week, try adding a small pinch of saffron threads to the water for tonight's rice.
Cooking methods: This recipe includes instructions for using the Instant Pot, slow cooker, or stovetop. Select your preferred method.

Tags
Proteins
Cuisines

Ingredients

Metric
Servings:
4
White or Brown Rice:
  • Rice, uncooked white or brown - 1 cup
Ghormeh Sabzi:
  • Onions, medium - 1 , diced
  • Lamb shoulder - 1 1/2 lbs , trimmed and chopped into bite-sized pieces (sub cubed lamb stew meat or beef stew meat)
  • Turmeric, ground - 1 tsp
  • Salt - 3/4 tsp
  • Black pepper - 1/2 tsp
  • Oil, cooking - 2 Tbsp + 1 Tbsp
  • Stock, any type - 1 1/2 cups
  • Pomegranate seeds / arils - 1/4 cup (look for these already removed from the shell to save time)
  • Limes - 2 , wedges
  • Cilantro leaves - 1/2 cup , very finely chopped
  • Parsley - 1/2 cup , very finely chopped
  • Beans, kidney (14 oz / 397 g) - 1 can , drained and rinsed
  • Fenugreek leaves, dried - 1 tsp , crushed (sub dried mustard)
Cucumber and Pomegranates:
  • Pomegranate seeds / arils - 1/4 cup (look for these already removed from the shell to save time)
  • Cucumbers - 12 oz , chopped
  • Oil, olive - 2 tsp
  • Lime juice - 2 tsp
  • Honey - 1/4 tsp

Choose Cooking Method

Prep

  1. ​​Rice - (Double if making Wednesday's meal.) For white rice, rinse until clear. Fill a saucepan or Dutch oven (or rice cooker) with rice, water (use 2:1 ratio for water to rice), and some salt. Cover with lid and bring to a boil. Once water boils, stir, lower heat to a low-medium, and cover. Check white rice after ~20 min; brown at ~45 min. Rice is done when it's absorbed all the water. If it's not done, leave the cover on until all water has been absorbed. Take cover off to release steam and fluff with a wooden spoon after 5 minutes. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)

  2. Onions - Dice onions. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)

  3. Lamb - Trim and chop into bite-sized pieces. Toss with turmeric, salt, and pepper. (Can be done up to 1 day ahead)

  4. Sear lamb and onions - Heat first portion of cooking oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add lamb and sear on all sides until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. When lamb is lightly browned on the outside, move it to the sides and add onions to the middle of the pan and saute together until onions are softened, 4 to 5 minutes. (Can be done 1 day ahead)

  5. Slow cook stew - Combine lamb, onions, and stock in the bowl of a slow cooker. Cook until meat is very tender and shreds easily, 8 to 10 hours on low or 3 to 4 hours on high. (Can be done 1 day ahead)

  6. Pomegranate seeds (for stew and salad) - Remove seeds from shells (if not already removed).

  7. Cucumbers / Limes / Cilantro / Parsley - Prep as directed. Store cucumbers and limes in their own separate containers. Combine cilantro and parsley in another container.

  8. Make salad - Toss pomegranate seeds (portion for salad) and cucumbers with olive oil, lime juice, and honey. Season with some salt and pepper.

  9. Beans - Drain and rinse.

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Make

  1. When stew is nearly finished cooking, heat a skillet with second portion of cooking oil over medium heat. Add cilantro and parsley. Add fenugreek, crushing it between your fingers to help release the flavors. Cook everything together, stirring often, until fragrant and wilted, 6 to 7 minutes.

  2. Stir herb mixture into warm stew. Add in beans. Turn slow cooker up to high and cover. Cook everything together for 10 minutes to let flavors blend.

  3. Squeeze about a quarter of the lime wedges into the stew. Taste and season with some more lime juice and / or some salt and pepper.

  4. If rice was made ahead, reheat in the microwave. (Reserve half if doubled.)

  5. Serve stew over rice with pomegranate seeds (portion for stew) over top and extra lime wedges. Enjoy cucumber salad on the side.

Prep

  1. ​​Rice - (Double if making Wednesday's meal.) For white rice, rinse until clear. Fill a saucepan or Dutch oven (or rice cooker) with rice, water (use 2:1 ratio for water to rice), and some salt. Cover with lid and bring to a boil. Once water boils, stir, lower heat to a low-medium, and cover. Check white rice after ~20 min; brown at ~45 min. Rice is done when it's absorbed all the water. If it's not done, leave the cover on until all water has been absorbed. Take cover off to release steam and fluff with a wooden spoon after 5 minutes. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)

  2. Onions - Dice onions. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)

  3. Lamb - Trim and chop into bite-sized pieces. Toss with turmeric, salt, and pepper. (Can be done up to 1 day ahead)

  4. Pomegranate seeds (for stew and salad) - Remove seeds from shells (if not already removed).

  5. Cucumbers / Limes / Cilantro / Parsley - Prep as directed. Store cucumbers and limes in their own separate containers. Combine cilantro and parsley in another container.

  6. Make salad - Toss pomegranate seeds (portion for salad) and cucumbers with olive oil, lime juice, and honey. Season with some salt and pepper.

  7. Beans - Drain and rinse.

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Make

  1. Heat a Dutch oven with first portion of cooking oil over medium heat. Add lamb and sear on all sides until golden brown, 10 to 14 minutes. When lamb is lightly browned on the outside, move it to the sides and add onions to the middle of the pan and saute together until onions are softened, 6 to 8 minutes.

  2. Slowly pour stock over lamb, vigorously scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. (Note: This recipe was written for slow cooker or Instant Pot, so we recommend doubling the amount of liquid used to account for evaporation on the stovetop.)

  3. When soup is simmering, cover with a lid and simmer until lamb is very tender and shreds easily, about 90 minutes. (Adjust heat as needed to maintain a low simmer. Check the stew towards the end of cooking and add some water if the lamb looks very dry before turning tender.)

  4. When stew is nearly finished cooking, heat a skillet with second portion of cooking oil over medium heat. Add cilantro and parsley. Add fenugreek, crushing it between your fingers to help release the flavors. Cook everything together, stirring often, until fragrant and wilted, 6 to 7 minutes.

  5. Stir herb mixture into warm stew. Add in beans. Simmer on low, uncovered, stirring frequently for 6 to 8 minutes to let flavors blend.

  6. Squeeze about a quarter of the lime wedges into the stew. Taste and season with some more lime juice and / or some salt and pepper.

  7. If rice was made ahead, reheat in the microwave. (Reserve half if doubled.)

  8. Serve stew over rice with pomegranate seeds (portion for stew) over top and extra lime wedges. Enjoy cucumber salad on the side.

Prep

  1. ​​Rice - (Double if making Wednesday's meal.) For white rice, rinse until clear. Fill a saucepan or Dutch oven (or rice cooker) with rice, water (use 2:1 ratio for water to rice), and some salt. Cover with lid and bring to a boil. Once water boils, stir, lower heat to a low-medium, and cover. Check white rice after ~20 min; brown at ~45 min. Rice is done when it's absorbed all the water. If it's not done, leave the cover on until all water has been absorbed. Take cover off to release steam and fluff with a wooden spoon after 5 minutes. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)

  2. Onions - Dice onions. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)

  3. Lamb - Trim and chop into bite-sized pieces. Toss with turmeric, salt, and pepper. (Can be done up to 1 day ahead)

  4. Pomegranate seeds (for stew and salad) - Remove seeds from shells (if not already removed).

  5. Cucumbers / Limes / Cilantro / Parsley - Prep as directed. Store cucumbers and limes in their own separate containers. Combine cilantro and parsley in another container.

  6. Make salad - Toss pomegranate seeds (portion for salad) and cucumbers with olive oil, lime juice, and honey. Season with some salt and pepper.

  7. Beans - Drain and rinse.

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Make

  1. Using the saute function of an Instant Pot add first portion of cooking oil and then sear lamb on all sides until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add onions and continue to saute the lamb and onions together until onions are softened, 4 to 5 minutes.

  2. Slowly pour stock over lamb, vigorously scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot (getting all of those browned bits up is the key to avoiding the burn error).

  3. Close and lock the lid. Set the pressure valve to 'Sealing'. Cook on manual / high pressure for 50 minutes. Let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes and then manually release any remaining pressure.

  4. When stew is nearly finished cooking, heat a skillet with second portion of cooking oil over medium heat. Add cilantro and parsley. Add fenugreek, crushing it between your fingers to help release the flavors. Cook everything together, stirring often, until fragrant and wilted, 6 to 7 minutes.

  5. Stir herb mixture into warm stew. Add in beans. Turn on saute function and cook everything together, stirring frequently for 6 to 8 minutes to let flavors blend.

  6. Squeeze about a quarter of the lime wedges into the stew. Taste and season with some more lime juice and / or some salt and pepper.

  7. If rice was made ahead, reheat in the microwave. (Reserve half if doubled.)

  8. Serve stew over rice with pomegranate seeds (portion for stew) over top and extra lime wedges. Enjoy cucumber salad on the side.


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