Persian Recipe-Ghormeh Sabzi (Green Herb Stew)
Even though I have Persian ancestry, I didn’t learn to cook Persian food until I got married. Growing up, whenever my mother made the same dish it tasted different every time as she enjoyed experimenting with her culinary creations. As I wanted to learn traditional Persian recipes, I asked my Iranian friends for tips and looked online for Persian dishes. One of my favorite Iranian recipes is called Ghormeh Sabzi (Persian Green Herb Stew). Ingredients and directions are below:
Ghormeh Sabzi
1 large onion 1 ½ pound beef/lamb or chicken cut into ½ to ¾ inch cubes (2-3 chicken breasts)
2 bunches scallions (or green onions) chopped
1 bunch coriander (or parsley) chopped
1 bunch spinach (1 cup)
½ cup fresh fenugreek chopped (or 2 T dried)
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 cup cooked kidney beans
1 ½ cups water
2 T dried lemon or 2 whole dried limes 3 T lemon juice
- Saute onion in butter on medium heat for about 3-4 mins.
- Add chicken and brown with turmeric, salt/pepper
- Add kidney beans and dried limes (pierced so juice can be released).
- Add 1 ½ cups water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and cover. Simmer over medium heat for 30 mins.
- Meanwhile fry scallions, parsley, spinach and fenugreek for about 15 mins or until you can smell the herbs on medium heat while constantly stirring being careful not to burn the herbs.
- Add herbs to chicken mixture.
- Add lemon juice. Cover pot and cook on low heat for another 40 mins.
- Enjoy with Persian rice and yoghurt.
8 Comments
Thank you for sharing!!! I’ve been meaning to make it for weeks! Now feeling more inspired to do it!!!
Fabulous! Thank you for sharing! 🙂
Thanks you two! I’m going to be making this one more often from now on!
I am so making it atm. Just replaced fresh coriander with celery and instead of fenugreek I am using dry dill and dry parsley. Also I added coriander powder, nutmeg and black pepper. I was meaning to make it for a long long time but you gave me the final push, thanks again!!!
I wish I could have a taste of yours! I’ve never made it without fenugreek so I’m curious to know what it tastes like. It’s hard to find fenugreek here so I like your creative thinking. 🙂
I have had this and LOVE it- my favorite part is the salty yogurt at the end, and the combination of all of the herbs. Thank you so much for posting your recipe an inspiring me/reminding me about this delicious soup!!!
It actually tastes quite nice! I also used real lemon, not dried one. Dry one gives a slight bitter taste (which is great, by the way).
Hope there comes a time when we are in the same room to cook and compare our recipes! 😀
Hi Becky, I think the dish you are referring to is the Persian ash which has the lovely yoghurt you mentioned. After looking at the photo I took, it does look like a soup!
Varyajoon, that would be lovely!