Persian Khoresh Gheymeh Recipe

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If you ask Persians about their favorite dish, you will undoubtedly hear gheymeh among the answers several times! This Beef and Split Pea Stew is one of the most popular Persian foods and has been a traditional meal since hundreds of years ago.

The word “gheymeh” represents the way meat is cut into small pieces for this stew, despite other kinds of Persian stews like ghormeh sabzi with larger pieces of meat.

Khoresh gheymeh is widely served in the Islamic holy months, especially Ramadan and Muharram. These kinds of foods are called “Nazri” (meaning free food) and are usually so flavorful and popular.

I cannot wait to cook this amazing stew! So let’s see what we need in Khoresht Gheymeh Recipe.

Gheymeh Khoresht Ingredients

The centerpieces of Persian gheymeh are split peas, meat, dried limes, and potato. So before diving into precise amounts of ingredients, it would be great to read a little bit about them.

Split peas (Lapeh)

The split peas used in Iranian gheymeh recipe are called “Lapeh” in Persian. They should not be overcooked so they can hold their shape during the cooking process. They are also used in Afghan Ashak. You can find these kinds of split peas in Middle Eastern markets.

Limou Amani (Persian dried lime)

Dried lime is an essential ingredient to create a fantastic taste for gheymeh stew. It gives a little bit of sourness to the food, and you will definitely love it! persians use them in another foods like Abghoosht too. Dried limes can be found in the Middle Eastern markets too. But if you cannot find them, fresh lime juice can be a great substitution for Limou Amani.

Potato or eggplant

Although potato is not one of the ingredients of Persian gheymeh, Persians serve this stew with fried potato slices, and this combination literally tastes like heaven. You can also replace potato with fried eggplants and cook the mouthwatering gheymeh Bademjan (eggplant).

Now let’s take a look at gheymeh ingredients.

400 gr lamb leg, cubed
250 gr yellow split peas
2 medium-sized onions, diced
5 dried limes
2 large-sized potatoes, sliced
1 cup vegetable oil
4 tbsp. tomato paste
1 tbsp. Bloomed saffron
2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp black pepper
Salt to taste

Khoresh Gheymeh Recipe

Step one

First of all, wash split peas thoroughly and soak them in cold water for 2 hours. Remember to change the water every 30 minutes.

Step two

Heat the oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the diced onions, cubed lamb, turmeric powder, and salt. Saute them until the meat gets brown.

Step three

Then add split peas to the pot and saute them until their colors start to change.

Step four

Now it is time for tomato paste. Add tomato paste and black pepper, and roast them until the paste is not raw anymore.

Step five

Add 3 cups of water, cover the pot, reduce the heat and let it cook for 1 hour.

Step six

Meanwhile, make some holes in the dried limes using a fork or knife. Put them in a bowl of water for 1 hour. This can help limes not to taste bitter in khoresh-e gheymeh.

Step seven

After 1 hour, add dried limes to the stew and let them cook for 30 minutes. Finally, add bloomed saffron. It gives a great taste, smell, and color to our gheymeh stew.

Step eight

When the khoresht geimeh is cooking, peel and slice the potatoes. Place them in a colander and rinse under cold water. Dry them with a paper towel before frying.

Step nine

Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add salt to the oil. Then gently add the potatoes and fry them in a single layer for 15-20 minutes. Do not forget to stir and turn them so they will not burn and will become tender and golden. When you are done with frying, transfer the fried potatoes to a platter covered with a paper towel to absorb the excess oil.

Step ten

At this time, the stew is also ready, and you can enjoy this hearty dish of gheymeh!

How to Serve Gheymeh Stew?

Typically, gheymeh is served with rice, and these two are an exemplary couple! Especially when the rice is in the form of Tahchin. So remember to cook rice while your khoresh gheymeh is cooking.

Pour the stew into a serving dish and put potato/eggplant slices beside it. Place the rice in another plater. Then you can mix the rice and stew in your plate and enjoy this fantastic Persian dish. We call this combination “gheymeh polo” which means gheymeh with rice.

Bon appetite!

I recommend you to try khoresht gheymeh at home and inform me about how it felt to you.

If you are interested in Persian stews, do not miss Fensenjan stew and celery stew in cooking county.

FAQs on Khoresh Gheymeh Recipe

How much time is needed to prepare gheymeh?

After bringing to a boil, lower the heat so that it simmers. After 30 minutes of cooking with a lid on, add the split peas. Return to a low simmer and cook, covered, for a further hour or so, or until the beef and peas are cooked. After adding the cinnamon, taste and add salt as needed.

What is the calorie count of Khoresh Gheymeh?

Khoresht Gheymeh, or split yellow pea stew, is a tasty and high-protein stew. A fantastic source of both protein and fiber are yellow split peas. There are 225 calories in 4 ounces (115 grams) of khoresht gheymeh.

How should the split peas be prepared?

To shorten the cooking time and increase digestibility, rinse the split peas and soak them for at least an hour before cooking.

Persian Khoresh Gheymeh recipe

Recipe by FerdosCourse: Main coursesCuisine: Persian foodDifficulty: Medium

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

hour

minutes

Calories

150

kcal

gheymeh stew is one of the most popular persian foood. it is widely cook in Iranian households. follow this recipe to cook the tasty gheymeh.

Ingredients

400 gr lamb leg, cubed
250 gr yellow split peas
2 medium-sized onions, diced
5 dried limes
2 large-sized potatoes, sliced
1 cup vegetable oil
4 tbsp. tomato paste
1 tbsp. Bloomed saffron
2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp black pepper
Salt to taste

Directions

First of all, wash split peas thoroughly and soak them in cold water for 2 hours. Remember to change the water every 30 minutes.
Heat the oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the diced onions, cubed lamb, turmeric powder, and salt. Saute them until the meat gets brown.
Then add split peas to the pot and saute them until their colors start to change.
Now it is time for tomato paste. Add tomato paste and black pepper, and roast them until the paste is not raw anymore.
Add 3 cups of water, cover the pot, reduce the heat and let it cook for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, make some holes in the dried limes using a fork or knife. Put them in a bowl of water for 1 hour. This can help limes not to taste bitter in gheymeh.
After 1 hour, add dried limes to the stew and let them cook for 30 minutes. Finally, add bloomed saffron. It gives a great taste, smell, and color to our gheymeh stew.
When the stew is cooking, peel and slice the potatoes. Place them in a colander and rinse under cold water. Dry them with a paper towel before frying.
Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add salt to the oil. Then gently add the potatoes and fry them in a single layer for 15-20 minutes. Do not forget to stir and turn them so they will not burn and will become tender and golden. When you are done with frying, transfer the fried potatoes to a platter covered with a paper towel to absorb the excess oil.