Cooking the Stew

1. If using fresh herbs: Wash and sprig herbs; spin to dry; Finely chop all herbs. Saute in
   hot oil until it goes dark green (20-30) – ensure it does not brown (burn)
2. Chop onions and fry in oil until translucent;
3. Add meat or meat alternative and toss until brown
4. Add spices (turmeric, pepper, salt) and fry for a minute or two
5. Add in sauteed herbs or open ready can
6. Add in dried limes
7. Add in boiling water to cover and allow to simmer until meat is well cooked
8. Once the meat has cooked, add in the cooked kidney beans and simmer for another 10-15 min and finish by adding in the brewed saffron. Turn the heat off and let sit.
9. Make rice

Cooking the Rice

1. Rinse rice with cold water, repeat 3 times. Soak rice in cold water for 2-6 hours.
2. Bring 4 cups of water & 1/8 cup of salt, to a boil. Drain the soaking rice and add to the boiling pot. Bring back to a gentle boil, & cook rice until al-dente (5-10min) depending on the quality of the rice. Drain the rice in a colander and rinse quickly under cold water.
3. Place a wide Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid over medium heat. Add 3 tbsp. melted butter, swirling it around to cover the bottom of the pot and up sides.
4. Spread the pita or potatoes evenly across the bottom of the pot. This will be the tahdig (crispy rice) layer. Spoon in the remaining rice over the tahdig layer. Drizzle butter-hot water mixture over rice.
5. Set the pot lid on a large clean kitchen towel, fold the edges of the towel up over the lid, and cover the pot with the lid. Cook over low -medium heat and cook until the rice is tender and the tahdig is golden and crisp (45-60 minutes.)
6. If using a non-stick pot, you can flip the rice over a platter that fits 1 inch larger to the opening of the pot – otherwise using a big flat spoon gently serve the rice onto a platter – once you get to the bottom, gently lift out tahdig, break it into pieces, and place it around the edges of the rice.

Notes

• Ghormeh sabzi originated in Iran and dates back as far as 2500- 5000 years. Ghormeh Sabzi translates into “Fried pieces of meat and Herbs”. However, to allow everyone to enjoy one can simply omit the meat or use meat alternatives.
• Different regions in Iran have slight modifications to the recipe. For example, you can include spinach as part of the herbs – about 1/4 cup or the red kidney beans can be replaced with black-eyed beans.
• Traditional cooking of the stew is a day-long process – However, if you have ready-made herbs then it is about 60 minutes of cook time – 30 minute settle.
• *Blooming the Saffron: use 1/4tspoon of ground saffron threads, put in a cup, and add either 1 ice cube to melt or 30ml of hot water