Khoresh Gheymeh (Meat and Split Pea Stew)

Large pinch saffron threads

Sugar, if needed

4 limoo Ammani (dried limes; see Tip), rinsed and dried, or 3 to 4 tablespoons lime or lemon juice

Lime juice or lemon juice, as needed

Basmati rice or polo ba tahdig, for serving

For the Fried Potatoes (or use store-bought crunchy potato sticks; see Tip):

1 Large Yukon Gold potato (8 ounces), peeled, cut into matchsticks and soaked in cold water

2 cups vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric (optional, for color)

Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)

Preparation:

Start the stew: Place the lappeh or chana dal in a bowl and cover with 3 cups cold water.

While the lappeh soaks, in a kettle or a saucepan, bring 8 cups of water to a boil and keep at a lively simmer. In a large (5-quart) Dutch oven or similar pot, heat 1/4 cup of oil over medium. Add the onion, give a quick stir to coat, and cook without stirring until the onion starts to turn golden at the edges and decreases in volume, 6 to 8 minutes. Begin to stir frequently and keep cooking until mostly golden throughout, 4 to 6 minutes more.

Season the onion with a little salt, add the turmeric and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the meat, give a quick stir to coat in the onion mixture, spread evenly over the bottom of the pot and don’t touch for 1 minute. Then cook, stirring frequently, until the meat is no longer pink, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

Adjust heat to medium-low and add the tomato paste. Cook, stirring frequently, until the tomato paste releases its color into the oil, 2 to 3 minutes. (This step is very important for the final hue of the stew.) Add the cinnamon stick, give a quick stir and pour in enough boiling water to cover the meat. (You’ll use 2 1/2 to 3 cups water; reserve the rest for later.) Bring to a boil, stir, cover, adjust heat to low and gently simmer, stirring once in a while, for 1 hour, until the meat is tender.

While the meat simmers, prepare the saffron water: Using a mortar and pestle (or a spice grinder), grind the saffron to a fine powder (you will have a scant 1/4 teaspoon). If needed, add a small pinch of sugar to the threads to help with grinding. Add 2 tablespoons of the boiled water, gently stir, cover and let steep until ready to use. (If using a spice grinder, transfer the powdered saffron to a small glass to steep.)

Soak the limoo Ammani: Firmly hold one limoo Ammani at a time on a board and, with a fork or the tip of a paring knife, carefully puncture it a couple of times. Place in a small bowl, cover with boiled water and place another small bowl on top to submerge the limes. Let soak for 15 minutes to remove their bitterness. Drain and set aside until ready to use.

Par cook the lappeh: In a medium saucepan, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil over medium. Drain the lappeh, transfer to the saucepan and cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes (avoid overcooking, which would toughen the peas). Cover with 4 cups of the boiled water and add 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil over high, adjust to a simmer, partially cover and cook, stirring occasionally and skimming off any foam, until the peas are al dente, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water and set aside.

When the meat has simmered for 1 hour, add the par cooked lappeh, drained limoo Ammani and 1 tablespoon of the saffron water to the stew, adjust heat to medium and bring back to a rapid simmer. Cover, adjust heat to low and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, occasionally using the back of a wooden spoon to gently squeeze the limoo Ammani against the side of the pot, until the stew comes to life: The lappeh are tender but maintain their shape, the oils have risen to the surface and the flavors have come together. As the stew simmers, taste for salt and adjust as needed.

Remove the cinnamon stick, stir in the remaining saffron water and add lime juice to taste, 1 tablespoon at a time. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes more, until the consistency of the stew is not too thick and not too runny. (You should be able to spoon the sauce over rice.) Adjust as needed: Add just-boiled water to thin out a little, or simmer uncovered to thicken. (The stew will also thicken as it sits.)

While the stew simmers, prepare the fried potatoes (if using store-bought potato sticks, skip this step) so you can serve them hot when the stew is ready (or keep warm in a 250-degree oven). Drain the potatoes and thoroughly pat dry with a clean kitchen or paper towel. Place a wire rack over a sheet pan (or line sheet pan with paper towels). In a large (12-inch), high-sided pan, heat the oil over medium-high until hot, about 2 minutes. Add the potatoes and give a quick stir with a slotted spoon. Fry without stirring (so they don’t break) for 4 minutes. Sprinkle the turmeric (if using) into the pot and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the potatoes are golden and beginning to crisp, 3 to 5 minutes more. Transfer to the sheet pan and sprinkle with a little salt. Transfer the stew to a serving dish, scatter the fried potatoes on top and serve with rice.

Tips:

Lappeh, Iranian yellow split peas, can be found at Iranian and Middle Eastern markets, and online. Make sure to use the “slow cooking” kind. You can also use Indian chana dal or yellow split peas.

Lamb (such as boneless lamb shoulder or leg) and beef (chuck or eye of round) are good choices for the stewing meat.

Limoo Ammani, often called Omani, can be found at Middle Eastern markets and online. The dried limes are served with the stew but typically not eaten. Unless you’re a diehard fan, in which case you can include small pieces, avoiding the seeds which are very bitter, with your bites of stew.

Instead of frying your own potatoes, you can purchase crunchy potato sticks (also called shoestring potatoes) online and in Middle Eastern markets in the snack section to use as a topping.

Naz Deravian is a writer and actor born in Iran. She grew up in Italy and Canada and now lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two children. She is the award-winning voice behind the food blog Bottom of the Pot, which won the 2015 International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) Award for best narrative culinary blog. She has also been twice nominated is several categories for the SaveurFood Blog Awards. For her website and recipes, go to: https://bottomofthepot.com/home/

For her cookbook, go to: Bottom of the Pot Persian Recipes & Stories, go to:

https://bottomofthepot.com/

https://bottomofthepot.com/about-the-book/

Naz Deravian lays out the multi-hued canvas of a Persian meal, with 100+ recipes adapted to an American home kitchen and interspersed with Naz’s celebrated essays exploring the idea of home. At eight years old, Naz Deravian left Iran with her family during the height of the 1979 Iranian Revolution and hostage crisis. Over the following ten years, they emigrated from Iran to Rome to Vancouver, carrying with them books of Persian poetry, tiny jars of saffron threads, and, always, the knowledge that home can be found in a simple, perfect pot of rice. As they traverse the world in search of a place to land, Naz’s family finds comfort and familiarity in pots of hearty aash, steaming pomegranate and walnut chicken, and of course, tahdig: the crispy, golden jewels of rice that form a crust at the bottom of the pot. The best part saved for last.

In her debut cookbook in 2019, Bottom of the Pot, Naz, an award-winning writer and passionate home cook based in L.A., opens up to us a world of fragrant rose petals and tart dried limes, music and poetry, and the bittersweet twin pulls of assimilation and nostalgia. In over 100 recipes, Naz introduces us to Persian food made from a global perspective, at home in an American kitchen. Her work has also been featured in The New York Times, and Condé Nast Traveler, among others. Occasionally, she steps away from her cutting board and rice pot and works as an actress. In 2019 she was nominated for a James Beard Award and Bottom of the Pot was the recipient of The IACP Julia Child First Book Award. Bottom of the Pot was a Taste Canada Gold Award winner, as well as the 2018 Food52 Piglet Award winner. Naz was featured in Padma Lakshmi’s Hulu show, Taste the Nation.

For this recipe, go to: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1026340-khoresh-gheymeh-meat-and-split-pea-stew

For recipes in The New York Times Cooking: https://cooking.nytimes.com/author/naz-deravian

For recipes in Epicurious: https://www.epicurious.com/contributors/naz-deravian

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bottomofthepot

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Blog: https://bottomofthepot.com/blog/

For “Throw a Persian-Themed Dinner Party “ in Sunset Magazine, go to: https://www.sunset.com/food-wine/kitchen-assistant/persian-recipes#bringing-iran-to-la