Abgoosht

The story

Abgoosht is a Iranian main with a clear sense of place. Abgoosht, also called dizi when cooked or served in the traditional vessel, is an old Persian one-pot meal based on meat, pulses, potato and broth. The recipe below keeps the defining ingredients and technique intact while giving practical metric quantities and enough detail for a home cook to judge texture, seasoning and doneness rather than simply follow a timer.

Ingredients

• 900 g lamb shoulder or neckbone-in pieces
• 180 g chickpeassoaked overnight
• 180 g white beanssoaked overnight
• 220 g onionquartered
• 350 g tomatoesquartered
• 500 g potatoeswhole or halved
• 2 piece dried Persian limespierced
• 1.5 tsp ground turmeric
• 35 g tomato paste
• 2200 ml water
• 2 tsp fine salt
• 0.5 tsp black pepper

Method

1. Put lamb, drained chickpeas and beans, onion,

   Put lamb, drained chickpeas and beans, onion, turmeric and water in a heavy pot. Bring to a boil, skim thoroughly and lower to a very gentle simmer.

   Tip: Cook until every pulse is truly tender; this dish is not the place for firm al dente chickpeas. Avoid: Salting dried pulses too aggressively at the start can slow softening, and undercooked beans make the mash unpleasantly grainy.

2. Cook covered for 75 minutes, then add

   Cook covered for 75 minutes, then add tomatoes, tomato paste and pierced dried limes. Continue simmering 40 minutes.

3. Add potatoes and cook another 30–40 minutes

   Add potatoes and cook another 30–40 minutes until meat, beans and potatoes are all completely tender. Season with salt near the end.

   Look for: meat, beans and potatoes are all completely tender

4. Traditionally, strain some of the clear broth

   Traditionally, strain some of the clear broth into bowls and serve it first with torn bread. Keep the meat and solids in the pot.

5. Remove bones and dried limes

   Remove bones and dried limes. Mash meat, beans, chickpeas, potato and onion together into a coarse paste called goosht koobideh, adding a little broth as needed.

6. Serve the mash separately with flatbread, herbs,

   Serve the mash separately with flatbread, herbs, raw onion and pickles, allowing diners to experience the dish in two stages.

   Look for: Lamb leaves the bone easily and beans mash without resistance between fingers.

Nutrition

per serving

Estimated from the listed ingredients and default serving size. Actual values vary with brands, trimming, absorption and cooking losses.