Ghormeh sabzi is a traditional Persian herb stew that includes fenugreek, parsley, and leeks or chives, as well as other vegetables, beans, and meat. Omani lemons and olive oil add flavor, and there are ways to speed up preparation using dried, frozen, or canned versions of the herbs.
Ghormeh sabzi is a traditional Persian dish, a type of herb stew in which fresh green herbs and leafy greens are fried in oil until dry and browned. The stew always includes fenugreek and parsley and leeks or chives, but many other types of vegetables can also be included. Other traditional ingredients include Omani lemons, olive oil, beans, and chicken, lamb or beef. Cooking ghormeh sabzi can be time-consuming, but there are dried, frozen, and canned versions of the herb available to shorten the cooking process.
The preparation begins with cleaning, drying and cutting the green ingredients. In addition to fenugreek, parsley and leeks, common choices for greens include spinach, cilantro, green onion and dill. After thorough drying, they are finely chopped. The chopped vegetables cook in a dry skillet over high heat until the moisture has completely evaporated, then are sautéed in hot oil until browned.
Beans are the usual choice for legumes, although other dried beans or black-eyed peas are sometimes used. Cooked dry beans or canned beans are suitable. Although the olive oil flavored the dish, some recipes call for the vegetables to be fried in a more neutral-tasting oil.
Dried lemons, called Omani lemons, are an important ingredient in Iranian cuisine and Middle Eastern cuisine in general. Despite the name, they are actually limes and are sometimes called black limes. The ripe fruits are boiled in salted water and then dried in the sun until they are stiff and black. They are used whole or crushed in soups and stews and add a tart, stale flavor to any dish. Lemon juice is used in ghormeh sabzi recipes which do not include Omani lemons.
Ghormeh sabzi usually includes meat. Common choices include lamb, beef, or chicken, although veal is sometimes used. Vegetarian versions of the dish can be made with tofu, or the meat can simply be omitted and the potatoes added to the dish for texture, as the flavor depends more on the herbs and green vegetables than the meat. Some recipes also include carrots, celery and even turnips.
There are many ways to speed up the preparation of ghormeh sabzi. Green Mix is available as dehydrated mixes, frozen mixes, and canned mixes. The dehydrated vegetables are soaked in water and then fried; frozen mixes are already fried. Canned goods include not only fried vegetables but everything else except meat.
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