Khoresh-e esfenaj-o alu: Persian stew of chicken, spinach and golden plums

(from simsyobby’s recipe box)

Source: Najimieh Batmanglij's New Food of Life

Categories: Chicken

Ingredients

  • 3 large onions, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1 kg chicken legs, cut up, or 500 g stew meat, cut into 2 cm cubes
  • 1/3 cup oil
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric
  • 1 kg fresh spinach
  • 3 cups golden plums (alu zard), or pitted prunes
  • 1 tbsp sugar (optional)
  • 1/4 cup fresh orange juice and 2 tbsp fresh lime juice [S: this is in lieu of Seville orange juice]

Directions

  1. 1 In a large pot or pressure cooker, brown 2 of the onions and meat or chicken in 3 tbsp oil. Add salt, pepper and turmeric. Pour in water – 1 1/2 cups for chicken, or 2 1/2 cups for meat. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes for chicken or 45 minutes for meat over low heat.

  2. 2 Steam the spinach in a steamer for 10 to 15 min. (I also add a bag of frozen turnip greens)

  3. 3 In a skillet, brown the remaining onion, then add the spinach and saute for another 2 minutes.

  4. 4 Add the spinach and onion mixture, golden plums, sugar and orange and lime juices to the pot. Cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours longer over low heat.

  5. 5 Check that the meat is cooked. Taste the stew and adjust seasoning.

  6. 6 Serve hot with chelow, saffron-steamed rice.

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