This is an unusual stew from the Northeast of Iran near Mashhad that borders on Turkmenistan. It uses that Central Asian wonder – rhubarb – as a souring agent to complement the earthy lamb, much as sour plums or sour cherries are used. Like many other Central Asian dishes, it also relies on herbs rather than spices for much of its flavor. It’s a great example of the foods that came flooding west from the various Persian conquests of the territories to its north and east. Since rhubarb is being rediscovered as a vegetable, it is often available beyond its traditional short “season” which allows this recipe to be made almost any time of the year.
Ingredients
3/4 pound lamb cut into cubes
2 tablespoons light sesame or peanut oil
1 large onion, peeled, sliced and separated into crescents
3 teaspoons garlic, peeled and diced
4 hot, dried, red chili peppers
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup water
1 cup beef or chicken stock (or a mixture of both)
1/2 -1 corm nutmeg, grated
1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped (more to taste)
1 medium bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
11/2 tablespoons sugar (more to taste)
3 cups fresh rhubarb, cleaned and cut into 1-inch slices
Directions
Heat oil in a medium saucepan and when hot, sear lamb cubes over high heat until golden brown around the edges – stirring constantly. When meat is done, remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Lower heat to medium and add the onions, sautéing until they start to soften and color. Then add garlic, chili peppers, salt and pepper and stir until the garlic starts to swell and color. When garlic is done, add water and beef or chicken stock and cook to heat. When hot, add lamb back into the pot, grate half of the corm of nutmeg into the stew. Cover and cook over medium-low or low for 1 hour – stirring occasionally – until lamb becomes tender.
When lamb is nearly done, add the chopped mint and stir well. Then add the cilantro and sugar and stir in as well. Cook for another 3-5 minutes and then add the rhubarb and cook another 3-5 minutes or until the rhubarb softens, but is still firm (not soggy). Remove from heat, grate the remainder of the nutmeg in and serve.
Hi there! I’ve enjoyed poring over your book for years, so was very excited to discover this most excellent website…anticipating many hours of fascination and kitchen exploration! It’s a pleasure to come across this recipe in particular, as a printing error in SRG duplicated the preceding recipe and left the workings of Lamb and Rhubarb Khoresh a tantalising mystery, now solved 😋
Hi Helen:
Thanks for the kind words! I love that recipe because of the savory use of rhubarb which has all but disappeared in the US and Europe where we treat it as a carrying substance for cups of sugar and neglect its natural flavor. To a lesser extent, cinnamon is also treated like this.
And yeah, sorry about the printing error – will correct that in future editions. Other great recipes on site from what I hope will be future volumes of the book, so explore and enjoy! Laura