Lamb, Fenugreek, Herb, Dried Lime Stew with Kidney Beans (Khores

Updated at: Mon, 25 Dec 2023 07:44:01 GMT

Step 1

Preheat a large saucepan over a medium heat, drizzle in a generous amount of oil and fry the onion until softened. Add the lamb and seal it, then add the turmeric, season well with pepper and stir well. Add the dried fenugreek leaves and coat the lamb well in it, adding a little more oil if needed. Next, add the fresh herbs and stir fry them until completely wilted so they have turned from a bright vibrant green to a dark and thoroughly wilted almost-forest green, although without letting them burn. It is so important to wilt the herbs down properly as this is what will enable the sauce of the stew to have the right consistency, so ignore everything you know about keeping things green and vibrant, this is the Middle East and we do things differently.

Step 2

Then, season the whole stew generously with Maldon sea salt (you should check seasoning again about an hour into cooking time) and then prick the dried limes and add them to the pan (if using preserved lemons, add them in just 30 minutes before you serve) and cover the contents with just enough boiling water to barely cover the meat and reduce heat to a low-medium heat and cook for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. I like to check in on the stew after 20 minutes to ensure its not on too high a heat, before leaving it for the remaining cooking time. Do not be tempted to add more water, a slightly thicker herb sauce is what you want to achieve. If your sauce looks like its drying out, reduce the heat (especially if using gas) but also remember that placing a lid on top of the pan will ensure you preserve/increase liquid volume inside the pan.

Step 3

Once done, gently squeeze the softened limes using a wooden spoon to allow for some of their sour juice to acidulate the stew (Iranians would squeeze extra lemon juice into the stew), stir and then add the kidney beans, stir and cook for another 30 minutes or so and serve with Persian-method basmati rice, for which there is an authentic recipe in my first book Persiana.

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