Another very popular stew in the Persian food repertoire. With a slight hint of sour, the savoury taste and opinionated texture of this stew grabs attention.

This recipe is split into two parts (Part 1 and 2) which can be done simultaneously in separate pots. Gram split and meat have different cooking time and their respective textures affects the final outcome. Considering the inconsistency in the gram split cooking time relative to its origin, I have opted to cook gram split and meat in separate pots, and mixing them later to avoid inconsistent textures.

As with other stews in the list, variance and taste apply in the making of this stew.

Ingredients

Serving: 5

• 1 kg beef cut in small chunks (beef stew)
• 2 cups gram split¹
• 2 Tbsp Crushed tomatoes
• 4 cups water
• 2 medium white onions
• 5 Yellow dried limes²
• 1 Lemon
• 1/2 tsp Cinnamon powder
• 1 tsp Turmeric
• 1 tsp Black pepper
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 Tbsp Rose water
• 1/2 tsp saffron
• 4 Tbsp Vegetable oil
• 2 medium potatoes for garnish (to make french fries)³

Substitutions

• Tomato paste is traditionally used in this recipe, but I have found crushed tomatoes to add a touch more flavour.

Equipment

• 1 Large pot
• 1 Medium pot

Time

• Attended prep time: 1 hour
• Unattended prep time: 0
• Attended cook time: 0
• Unattended cook time: 2 hours

Preparation

1. Let gram split soak in water (leave 1 inch of water above) for 2 hours.
2. Coursely chop onions.
3. Poke holes in dried limes, size doesn't matter. This allows the flavour to more easily permeate the mixture.

Instructions

Part 1 (meat)

1. Fry the onions in a pot on medium heat.
2. Add 1/2 tsp turmeric and 1/2 tsp black pepper to the fried onions and let the mixture take color (becomes yellow and takes on the turmeric color), approximately 15 seconds.
3. Add meat and mix for a few minutes until slightly firm.
4. Add dried lime.
5. Let cook on low heat until meat is almost well done.

Part 2 (gram split)

1. Heat oil, add 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp black pepper, and 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder.
2. Add 2 Tbsp crushed tomatoes and mix until color is homogenous (the mixture should all be one color: red).
3. Add gram split and mix well until the corners are translucent.
4. Add water.
5. Let cook on low heat until gram split have semi soft core but are not mushy.

Part 3 (mix)

1. Pour the gram split pot contents into the meat pot.
2. Put on low heat and let simmer.
3. Take dried limes out of the pot, split and crush them, then put them back. in the pot. This helps the flavour seep into the rest of the ingredients.
4. Add 1 lemon's juice, 1 Tbsp salt, and 1 Tbsp black pepper (all are to taste).
5. Let simmer for about an hour. Revisit frequently to make sure the gram split are not mushy (The stew will turn into a soup otherwise).
6. Turn off the heat.
7. Add rose water and saffron and mix.

Serve

Garnish with french fries and serve with Rice.

Footnotes