Persian lamb stew, a.k.a. ahb goosht, is a working man’s meal in Iran. It’s hearty, nourishing and tasty! To incorporate my Texan palate, I add jalapeno and serve with flour tortillas. Ancient Persian flavors with a Tex-Mex twist, y’all!
Serve any type of bread with this stew. I recommend flour tortillas, lavash or a crusty French loaf.
This recipe makes about 8 servings. Cook the full recipe for leftovers later in the week.
Dried lemons can be found at most Middle Eastern and Indian markets, or order online from Whole Spice or World Spice.
This recipe has been shared with us from the Austin Food Blogger Alliance Cookbook, which can be purchased here.
Created by: Michelle Nezamabadi of Beyond Picket Fences
Tags: Meat, Main Dish, Beans & Legumes, Dinner Party, Plan Ahead
Ingredients
- Jalapeños
2 - Potatoes, Large, Russet Or Yukon
3 - Tomatoes, Small-Medium
2 - Lamb Shank
1 (2 1/2 Pounds each) - Dried Lemons
3 - Dry Garbanzo Beans
1 Cup - Dry White Beans
1 1/2 Cups - Tomato Sauce, Canned
1 (8 Ounces each) - Black Pepper
1 Teaspoon - Kosher Salt
2 Teaspoons - Turmeric
2 Tablespoons - Water
10 Cups
Kitchen Equipment
- 1 Stove Top
- Can Opener
- Colander
- 1 Ladle
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Peeler
- 1 Pot, Large (4-6 QT)
Prep Steps
- Thoroughly wash the beans and soak them for 30 minutes.
Cook Steps
- In a large, deep stew pot, place the whole lamb shank, beans, 1-2 jalapenos, whole tomatoes and dried lemons. Fill the pot with water, approximately 8-10 cups. Add the spices, mix and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, reduce the heat, cover and let simmer for 2 hours. Add water as needed to maintain level.
- Peel the potatoes.
- After simmering for two hours, the beans should be soft and the lamb falling off the bone. Add the potatoes and tomato sauce. Taste the broth and add salt if needed. Let simmer for 1 hour until the potatoes are soft and starting to fall apart.
- Once the potatoes are cooked through, drain the broth into a serving bowl and keep all the solid ingredients in the pot. Pull all the lamb bones out, as well as the tomato skins and jalapeno stems.
- Mash the solid ingredients with a wooden mallet, potato masher or immersion blender, or put into a food processor and mix until mostly smooth but slightly chunky. If the mash seems a bit dry, add a few ladles of the broth to it and mix in.
- There’s no special way to eat the Persian lamb stew. You can spread the mash on a piece of warm pita bread and roll and dip it into a bowl of the broth. You can eat the soup and the mash with fresh onion or pickles, or you can wrap the mash in tortillas and make Persian soft tacos. Whatever tastes good to you is the best way to eat it!