Abgoosht

Ingredients

The pot

• 300 gdried chickpeas and white beans, soaked overnight together
• 700 glamb shank or neck on the bone, in 4 pieces
• 2 tbsplamb tail fat or 2 tbsp oil
• 1large onion, quartered
• 1 tspground turmeric
• 2 litreswater

Added later

• 3medium potatoes, peeled and halved
• 2large tomatoes, quartered, or 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 4dried Persian limes (limoo omani), pierced twice each
• 1½ tsp salt
• ½ tspblack pepper

To serve

• sangak or barbari bread
• raw onion, fresh herbs and torshi pickles

Directions

1. Drain the soaked pulses. Brown the lamb and the quartered onion in the fat in a heavy pot over medium-high heat for 8 minutes, then stir in the turmeric and let it bloom for 30 seconds.
2. Add the drained pulses and the water, bring to a boil and skim the grey foam carefully — this is what keeps the broth clear. Cover and simmer gently for 1 hr 30 min.
3. Add the potatoes, tomatoes, dried limes, salt and pepper. Press the limes under the surface so they soften and release their sourness. Simmer another 1 hr, until the lamb slides from the bone and the pulses crush easily.
4. Rest 10 minutes, then strain the broth off into a tureen. This liquid is the ab, and it is served first, poured over torn bread in a bowl.
5. Lift out the dried limes and squeeze them into the solids, then discard the skins. Pull the meat from the bones and discard them.
6. Pound the meat, pulses, potatoes and tomatoes to a coarse paste with a wooden masher (gusht-koobideh), adding a ladleful of broth if it seizes. It should hold together but still show texture.
7. Serve the goosht mounded on a plate with bread, raw onion, herbs and pickles, and the broth alongside. Eat the broth first, then the paste.

Technique

• Skimming in step 2 is the whole difference between a clear amber broth and a cloudy one; do it patiently for the first ten minutes.
• The dried limes carry the dish. Pierce them so the liquid gets inside, and remove them before pounding or the paste turns bitter.
• Do not blend the solids. A blender gives a smooth purée; abgoosht should be mashed, with the pulses still recognisable.

Substitutions

• Beef shin works in place of lamb, with 45 minutes more simmering.
• Two tablespoons of lime juice plus a strip of zest stand in for dried limes, added in the last 20 minutes.

Variations

• Dizi, the same dish cooked and served in individual stone crocks.
• A version with quince or dried apricot added with the potatoes, common in the north-west.

History

Lamb, chickpea and potato stew served in two parts: the broth first, then the solids pounded to a paste.

Frequently asked questions

What is Abgoosht?

Abgoosht is a soup & stew from Iran: lamb-chickpea broth drunk with bread, solids mashed and eaten separately. Lamb, chickpea and potato stew served in two parts: the broth first, then the solids pounded to a paste.

How long does Abgoosht take to make?

Abgoosht takes 20 min plus overnight soaking of preparation and 3 hr of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Abgoosht?

Yes, within limits. Beef shin works in place of lamb, with 45 minutes more simmering. Two tablespoons of lime juice plus a strip of zest stand in for dried limes, added in the last 20 minutes.

What is the most important thing to get right in Abgoosht?

Skimming in step 2 is the whole difference between a clear amber broth and a cloudy one; do it patiently for the first ten minutes.