Persian Ghormeh Sabzi
A mountain of herbs cooks down until dark and concentrated, then simmers with lamb, beans and dried lime.
About this dish
Ghormeh sabzi is a Persian herb stew built around a large quantity of parsley, cilantro, scallion and fenugreek cooked until deeply aromatic, then combined with meat, beans and dried limes. The finished stew should be dark green-brown, tangy and spoon-coating.
Why this dish matters
Ghormeh sabzi is a deeply familiar Iranian home dish with substantial household variation in herbs, beans and meat. Dried lime supplies a characteristic tart-bitter note that fresh citrus cannot fully copy.
Herb ratios vary. This version uses kidney beans and lamb with dried limes.
Preparation notes
Wet herbs steam instead of fry.
The herb mixture should darken without burning.
This lets flavor enter gradually.
Ingredients & detailed method
Ingredients
- 1 lb lamb stew meat
- 1 cup cooked kidney beans
- 2 cups parsley
- 1 cup cilantro
- 1 cup scallions
- 1/3 cup fenugreek leaves
- 1 onion
- 3 dried Persian limes
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 4 cups water
- Salt
- 3 tbsp oil
Method
- 1.Finely chop herbs and fry in 2 tbsp oil until darkened and fragrant.
- 2.Brown onion and lamb in remaining oil with turmeric.
- 3.Add herbs, water and pierced dried limes.
- 4.Simmer 90 minutes.
- 5.Add beans and continue 30–45 minutes.
- 6.Checkpoint: lamb should be tender and stew thick, dark and aromatic.
- 7.Adjust salt and lime intensity; serve with rice.
Worth finding before you cook
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