Khoresh Aloo Esfenaj
Spinach and golden plum stew with lamb
Ingredients
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced
- 4 tablespoons ghee or olive oil, divided
- 1 lb lamb, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, ground
- 1 1/2 cups water, adjust as needed
- 1 teaspoon salt, adjust to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, ground
- 1 cup Aloo Zard, Persian golden plums
- 4 tablespoons Ab Ghooreh (unripe sour grape juice), or lemon juice, adjust to your taste
- 4 bunches spinach, roughly chopped
Instructions
- In a large frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons of ghee and saute the onions on medium heat for about 10 minutes before adding the lamb and turmeric. Continue to saute for another 5 minutes. The lamb and onions should have turned a beautiful golden color and become aromatic.
- Add water, salt, pepper, cover, and cook for 60 minutes on low heat or until the meat is fully cooked and tender.
- In the meantime, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of ghee and saute the spinach over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes until the spinach has fully wilted and most of the liquid has evaporated.
- Once the meat has been cooked, add the Aloo Zard and Ab Ghooreh and increase the temperature a bit so to remove most (but not all) of the remaining liquid. The stew should not be overly watery.
- Add the previously sauteed spinach to the meat mixture, lower the flame, cover and cook for another 10 minutes.
- Serve the Khoresh with Persian steamed basmati rice with a side of yogurt.
Notes
This dish can also be prepared with beef or chicken. Adjust cooking time accordingly.
The meat can be eliminated, and the cooking time and liquid reduced to create a simple spinach and plum side dish. Alternatively, chickpeas or cannellini beans would make good plant-based alternatives to the meat.
Depending on the age of your Aloo Zard, you may need first to soak it in water for an hour.
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