← Nouns Cooking · Lebanese & Turkish

Ingredients

• 5 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 700 g lamb shoulder or beef chuck, cut into 3 cm cubes
• 1 tsp Ground turmeric
• 1 l Water
• 200 g Parsley, leaves and tender stems, finely chopped (about 4 bunches)
• 100 g Coriander (cilantro), finely chopped (about 2 bunches)
• 5 spring onions (green parts) or a bunch of chives, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp Dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi), crumbled
• 4 Persian dried limes (limoo amani), pierced a few times with a knife
• 1 can kidney beans (400 g can), drained and rinsed
• 1 lemon or lime, juiced
• 1½ tsp Salt
• ½ tsp Black pepper

Method

1. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat and fry the onion for 8–10 min until golden. Add the meat and turmeric and brown on all sides for 5 min.
2. Pour in the water, bring to the boil, then cover and simmer gently for 1 hour.
3. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 3 tbsp oil in a wide frying pan over medium heat. Add the parsley, coriander and spring onions and fry, stirring often, for 15–20 min until they shrink, turn deep dark green and smell toasty. Stir in the fenugreek for the last 1 minute.
4. Tip the herbs into the stew with the dried limes and kidney beans. Cover and simmer for 1 hour more, stirring now and then, until the meat is very tender and a slick of green oil rises to the top.
5. Press the limes against the side of the pot to release their juice. Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice; it should taste rich, herby and pleasantly sour.
6. Serve with fluffy Persian rice and tahdig.

Tips

• Go easy on fenugreek and never let it scorch, or the stew turns bitter.
• Dried limes (limoo amani) are sold in Middle Eastern shops; if you cannot find them, add extra lemon juice at the end.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Cooking with Ayeh Unicorns in the Kitchen The Mediterranean Dish