Khoresht Gheimeh – Lamb, Split Pea and Dried Lime Stew

Khoresht Gheimeh

Khoresht or Khoresh (depending on who you speak to, I believe Khoresh is actually correct, but everyone says Khoresht) is the national food of Iran. Most people incorrectly label kabobs as the national food of Iran. While that may be the stereotype most people associate with Iranian food, Khoresht is the food Iranians eat typically year round.

So what is it? It’s basically a stew. It usually has two kinds of bases. It either is a tomato based stew or an herb based stew. From there you can either add chicken, beef, or lamb. After that you decide on which vegetable you want to be in the stew. Traditionally,  Iranian Khoreshts have legume component (either red beans or split peas) and a veggie or fruit component (celery, fresh herbs, tomatoes, eggplant, prunes, apricots, or apples). This combination of protein and veggies makes Khoresht one of the healthiest dishes you can prepare for your family. You then typically add a few dried limes to give the stew the perfect blend of citrus and savory. You cook it over several hours so all the meat and veggies can be broken apart with a fork.

Khoresht is always served with basmati rice, you can eat it by itself and it’s far healthier to do so, but it’s never as satisfying.

Growing up, I was never as enthused about the vegetables in the Khoreshts, I would always pick out the meat to eat it with the rice and my Mommon Joon would call me a “fox” because I would just cherry pick the meat out of the stew. But as I’ve matured, I’ve grown to appreciate the subtleties that the veggies and legumes bring to the dish.

So what is this dish? It is one of the most popular Khoreshts out there. It’s called Khoresht-e-Gheimeh (Pronounced GHAY-MEH with an emphasis on the gheh, not gay-meh) , it is a split pea stew with dried lime and lamb/or beef.( I recommend buying Sadaf Dried Lime)

*Sidenote*

What is Dried Lime? Dried Lime or Limoo Amani in Farsi are dried Persian limes. They look completely unappetizing and are purely for flavor purposes. Sometimes if you aren’t careful you can mistake it for a piece of meat in the stew and you will be quite disappointed. (Somehow though, some people do in fact like eating these.) You add a few of these to your stew and it adds a great flavor to your dish. Your dish is not a Persian Khoresht without these, plain and simple. The only thing that can be substituted is fresh lime, but even then you’re pushing it. They look like brown balls, they keep well in the pantry.

It’s a tomato based khoresht with yellow split peas and cubed lamb or beef. This is a protein packed dish that scores high on all the good categories (high in fiber, high in protein, and low in bad fats).  You can find this dish anywhere in Iran or on any dinner table in a Iranian household anywhere in the world. Typically it’s served with rice, or you can get it as an appetizer in Persian restaurants where they serve it on top of Tahdig. I’ve shown both here.  Many will also fry some potatoes and serve them on top of the dish.

I hope you enjoy!

Recipe

Ingredients

1 Cup Yellow Split Peas

2 lbs. of Cubed Beef (chuck roast is good) or Lamb
1 Large Onion, diced
2-3 Tbsp. Tomato Paste
3 Dried limes (limoo amani) may be purchased from an Iranian/Persian grocery stores. Soak them in water for 5 minutes and then pierce them in a few places with a dinner fork.
1/2 Tsp. Turmeric
2 Tsp. Cumin
1/2 Tsp. Cinnamon
Salt and pepper to taste
3 Tbsp. Peanut Oil
3 Cups Chicken Broth or Lamb Broth ( I actually had frozen the lamb juices from my lamb tongue tacos)

Method

Saute the onions in the  hot peanut oil, add your cumin and turmeric, once the onions are sauteed add the meat and brown on all sides. Then add your tomato paste and broth.

Now add your yellow split peas and cook slowly for 2-3 hours. Near hour 2 add your dried limes.  The dish will be ready once the split peas are completely soft (i.e. you can easily break it with your fork) and when the beef is tender enough that it can be broken up with a fork.

Serve over rice or tahdig.

Enjoy!