Ghormeh sabzi

Ghormeh sabzi

Ghormeh Sabzi (Persian: قورمه‌سبزی, Azeri: Səbzi qovurma) is a Persian herb stew. It is a popular dish in Iran, Iraq and Azerbaijan, and often said to be the Iranian national dish.

"Ghormeh" means fried and Sabzi means greens. The main ingredients are a mixture of sauteed herbs, consisting mainly of parsley, leek or green onions, cilantro, spinach and seasoned with the key spice of "shambalileh" (dried fenugreek) leaves. The herb mixture has many variations; any dark bitter green on hand can be used successfully (kale, mustard greens, turnip greens, etc all work, although none are part of the original recipe.) This mixture is cooked with kidney beans or black eyed peas, yellow or red onions, pierced dried limu-omani Persian_Lime, and turmeric seasoned lamb or beef. In recent times, some people replace beans with potatoes, which is also not part of the original recipe. The dish is then served with polo (Persian rice) or over "tahdig" (bottom-of-the-pot), the crisp, caramelized layer of the twice-cooked rice.

The history of Ghormeh Sabzi goes back to at least 500-1000 years.

Fundamental recipe (meat, vegetable and bean types vary by region):

1. Sautee the meat and onions until brown with tumeric and black pepper.

2. Satuee all greens until wilted.

3. Cover with water, add soaked or canned beans, pierced dried limo-omani (they are quite hard, perforate thoroughly with a fork) shambalileh and salt to taste. Simmer for at least 3 hours, up to all day (slow cookers are ideal for this.)

It is important to add enough limo-omani and to simmer it long enough to cut the bitterness of the greens. In the abscence of dried limo-omani (it can be obtained online if a specialty store is not accessable) a VERY large quanity of lemon or lime juice can be used. Complete gormeh sabzi should be tangy, citrusy, and savory. Inadequate simmer time will not allow the dried limo-omani to soften and will leave it tasting like bitter boiled greens.

See also

• Persian cuisine
• Mesopotamian cuisine

External links

• Ghormeh Sabzi recipe and picture
• Ghorme Sabzi (Ghormeh Sabzi ) Recipe
• Ghorme Sabzi recipe
• Iranian Stews (Khoresh)
• Extremely Easy to Follow Qormeh Sabzi Recipe
• Persian Cooking Finds a Home in Los Angeles

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