Gheimeh

Ingredients

Meat

• 600 glamb or beef, in small cubes
• 2onions, finely chopped
• 3 tbspoil or ghee

Split peas

• 200 gyellow split peas, soaked 1 hr

Seasoning

• 2 tbsptomato paste
• 1 tspturmeric
• 1 tspcinnamon, optional
• 4to 6 limoo omani, dried limes
• ½ tspsaffron, ground and steeped in hot water
• salt and black pepper

To finish

• 3potatoes, cut into thin chips
• oil for frying

To serve

• chelo, steamed Persian rice
• torshi, pickles
• sabzi khordan, fresh herbs
• yoghurt

Directions

1. Pierce each one two or three times with a knife or fork before it goes into the pot. Many cooks add the limes only for the last half hour, or remove them once the flavour is right.
2. Soak them for an hour and drain them. Now parboil them separately in plain water for ten to fifteen minutes, then drain. Add them to the stew only for the last twenty to thirty minutes for that reason. Fry the onions in oil over a medium heat for ten to fifteen minutes until deep golden.
3. Cook the onions slowly and properly, since they are the foundation of every Persian khoresh and rushing them leaves the stew thin. Add the turmeric and cook it for a minute, then add the meat and brown it. Now add the tomato paste and fry it for three or four minutes until it darkens. Add water to cover, bring it to a simmer and cook, covered, for about an hour until the meat is tender.
4. Simmer for a further twenty-five minutes until the peas are soft and the stew has thickened. Gheimeh should be thick enough to sit on rice without running across the plate, but still loose rather than stodgy.
5. Add the saffron water in the last ten minutes. Taste and season, and add a squeeze of lime if it needs more sourness. Cut the potatoes into thin chips and fry them until golden and crisp.
6. Fry them separately and never in the stew, since potatoes cooked in the sauce go soft and the crispness is the entire point. Some households stir them in and others pile them on top, and both are done.
7. Add them at the last possible moment before serving. Serve it over chelo, the steamed Persian rice, with the tahdig if you have made it. It is better the day after, though the potatoes must be fried fresh each time.

Technique

• Dried limes give a sourness that fresh lime does not replicate.
• Split peas are parboiled separately and added late so they stay whole.
• The potatoes are fried separately and added at the last moment.

Substitutions

• Beef in place of lamb, which is common.
• Aubergine in place of potato, as gheimeh bademjan.

Variations

• Gheimeh bademjan, topped with fried aubergine.
• Gheimeh Nesar from Qazvin, with almonds, pistachio and barberries.
• Made without potato, served plain.

Frequently asked questions

What is Gheimeh?

Gheimeh is a soup & stew from Iran: split-pea and lamb stew with dried lime, crowned with fries.

How long does Gheimeh take to make?

Gheimeh takes 25 min plus soaking of preparation and 1 hr 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Gheimeh?

Yes, within limits. Beef in place of lamb, which is common. Aubergine in place of potato, as gheimeh bademjan.

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

Simmer for a further twenty-five minutes until the peas are soft and the stew has thickened. Gheimeh should be thick enough to sit on rice without running across the plate, but still loose rather than stodgy.