Nilou Ghalchi was born in Tehran, but in the 1970s, she had to leave with her family to the United States overnight due to the Iranian Revolution.
Now, in her sun-filled home in Brooklyn, she prepares Karafs Khoresht with her daughter Chantal. Rich and tart, this traditional Persian stew features finely chopped celery and heaps of fresh herbs, which simmer with chunks of beef and whole dried limes until the stew is thick and the meat tender. “The longer the stew is simmering, the better,” says Nilou Ghalchi. “And you can’t have khoresht without tahdig — it’s illegal!”
Read more about Nilou Ghalchi’s family in the Jewish Food Society.
Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ lbs. beef stew meat
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
½ teaspoon turmeric
2 stalks celery, diced into ½” pieces, celery leaves chopped
2 bunches parsley, very finely chopped
1 bunch mint, very finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Preparation
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Season the beef stew meat with the salt and pepper and add to the pot. Let brown on all sides, 6-7 minutes. Remove the beef from the pot and set aside.
- Add the onion to the pot and saute until fragrant and golden, 4-5 minutes. Add the browned meat back to the pot. Add the turmeric, then cover with 8 cups of water, stirring to combine.
- Bring the stew to a gentle simmer, cover, and let cook for 35-40 minutes, until the beef is cooked through. Meanwhile, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet and add the celery and celery leaves to the skillet, frying until golden, 2-3 minutes. Add the parsley and mint to the skillet and fry for another minute.
- Add the celery and herbs to the stew and let simmer for another 30 minutes, still covered. Finally, add the dried lemons, ground dried lemon, and lemon juice to the pot, and cook for 2 hours on a low flame. The stew should be thickened and dark green, and the meat will be fork tender.
- Remove the dried lemons from the pot and discard. Serve the stew hot with rice.
