If you love your greens and meat together then this simple Persian preparation is just the thing you need. Gently spiced and flavorful it goes well with rice or bread.
Ingredients
Greens
1 cup chopped parsley
1 cup fenugreek leaves (chopped)
1 cup spinach (chopped)
1 cup chives (chopped)
Rest of the Ingredients
250 grams mutton (minced)
250 grams lima beans (soaked overnight or soak two hours before on the day if you don’t like them very soft)
1 onion (grated/finely diced)
2 tbsps oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Seasoning
1 tsp dried mango powder
12 tsp turmeric
Method
Usually Iranians fry their greens in oil and keep aside but a healthier way of making the dish is to cook them without frying them.
Add salt, pepper and onion to the mince and mix well. Make small balls and fry in the oils until golden brown. Don’t make the balls very big as cooking them is easier when kept medium (lemon sized).
Remove and keep aside.
In the same oil add the greens, beans, turmeric and dried mango powder with salt to taste. After two minutes add the meat balls and allow to cook, covered and on medium heat until the water dries up and a gravy like consistency is obtained.
Aash Reshteh
This is a lovely soupy concoction which is great on a rainy day or a cold wintry day. Wholesome and tasy it is a meal in itself!
Ingredients
1 can nokhod (chickpeas) or 1 cup dry nokhod (chickpeas/garbanzo)
1 cup adas (lentils)
1 cup lobiya ghermez (red beans or red kidney beans)
1/4 cup navy beans (optional)
1 pack of Reshteh (noodle)
1 medium Onion - chopped
Kashk
chopped garlic
dry mint
salt/pepper
turmeric (optional)
2 table spoons flour (optional as a thickening agent)
Sabzi (greens) for the Aash (soup) include: parsley, cilantro, spinach, green onions, shevid (dill) Combine in the ratio (3 parsley: 2cilantro: 2 green onions: 1 spinach)
Shevid (dry dill) - approximately 4 spoonfuls
Method
Most people soak their red beans and lentils the night before but soaking them on the day of cooking, instead of overnight works best as they don’t overcook and soften. While your beans are soaking, clean and chop parsley, cilantro, spinach, and green onions. Do not over chop the greens.
Cook the aash in a very large pot. Place some water in the pot and bring it to a boil. Drain the beans (the nokhod, red beans, navy beans, and lentils) and boil in the water for about 10 - 15 minutes. Once again drain the beans and add a small amount of chopped onions (with some oil) in the pot. Add the beans back into the pot after the onions are sautéed a bit.
At this point add some turmeric powder to the beans. Next add all the fresh greens and dried shevid (dill) and some more water. Stir constantly to ensure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pot and everything cooks evenly. Next add some sautéed mint with lightly browned onions and garlic to the aash reshteh. Add a little cold water to the flour and mix it into a paste. This is an optional step. Then add some kashk into the pot and stir. Now let this pot cook for 3-4 hours, stirring occasionally.
The last thing to add is the reshteh. When you serve the aash, decorate with sautéed mint, onions, and garlic and some kashk.
Mariam Noronha
© Iranvisitor.com
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