Ghormeh Sabzi: A Taste of Persian Tradition

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Updated November 2026 We have rewritten this recipe with the full ingredient list, including the dried limes missing from the old version, and a longer, slower cook for a deeper flavour.

Ghormeh sabzi is a slow-cooked stew of fried herbs, lamb or beef, kidney beans and dried limes, and many Iranians would name it as their national dish. Its flavour is like nothing else: deep, green, earthy and sour, with the bitter edge of fenugreek. In Tehran it is the dish of family lunches on Fridays, of weddings and of mothers’ kitchens, and the smell of herbs frying in oil drifts out of apartment blocks all over the city. This recipe serves four to six.

The name comes from qormeh, an old method of preserving meat by cooking it slowly in fat, and sabzi, meaning herbs or greens. The secret of a good ghormeh sabzi is in the herbs: plenty of them, chopped finely and fried patiently until they turn very dark.

At a glance

• Serves: 4 to 6
• Preparation: about 30 minutes, plus overnight soaking if using dried beans
• Cooking: about 3 hours, mostly unattended
• Difficulty: medium

Ingredients

• 700 g boneless lamb shoulder or stewing beef, cut into 3 cm cubes
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 150 g dried red kidney beans, soaked overnight (or 2 x 400 g tins, drained)
• 4 to 5 dried limes (limoo amani)
• About 400 g fresh herbs, weighed after trimming: 2 large bunches flat-leaf parsley, 1 bunch coriander, and 1 bunch chives or the green part of a leek
• 2 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves (or a small bunch of fresh fenugreek)
• 6 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 to 2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper
• Juice of 1 lemon or lime, to taste

Method

1. Brown the meat. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a heavy casserole over a medium heat and fry the onion for 8 to 10 minutes until golden. Stir in the turmeric, then add the meat and turn it until browned on all sides.
2. Start the stew. If using dried beans, drain and add them now. Pour in enough water to cover by about 3 cm (roughly 1 litre), bring to the boil, skim, then cover and simmer gently for 1 hour.
3. Fry the herbs. While the meat cooks, wash the herbs well and dry them thoroughly, then chop very finely. Heat the remaining 4 tbsp oil in a large frying pan and fry the herbs over a medium-low heat for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring often, until they have darkened to a deep green and smell rich and toasty. Add the fenugreek for the last 2 to 3 minutes; it burns easily and turns bitter.
4. Prepare the limes. Pierce each dried lime two or three times with a knife so the liquid can get in. Some cooks soak them in hot water for 15 minutes first.
5. Combine and simmer. Stir the fried herbs and limes into the meat, add salt and pepper, and add canned beans now if using them. Cover and simmer on a low heat for another 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the meat is very tender and a layer of oil rises to the surface. Add a splash of water if it gets too thick.
6. Taste and adjust. Press the limes against the side of the pot to release more sourness, then add lemon or lime juice and salt to taste. Ghormeh sabzi should be distinctly tangy.

Tips

• Do not rush the herbs. Pale, under-fried herbs give a flat, grassy stew. The colour should be close to dark olive.
• Go easy on fenugreek. A little gives the classic aroma; too much makes the stew bitter.
• Make it a day ahead. Like most stews, ghormeh sabzi tastes even better the next day.
• Short of time? Iranian shops sell ready-chopped and even ready-fried ghormeh sabzi herbs, fresh or frozen, which many Tehran households use.
• Dried limes can taste bitter if left in too long or broken up. Some cooks remove the seeds first.

How to serve ghormeh sabzi

Serve it with fluffy saffron-topped chelow rice and, if you can manage it, a crisp tahdig. On the side, Iranians put out mast-o khiar (yoghurt with cucumber), a Shirazi salad of diced cucumber, tomato and onion, fresh herbs and pickles. If you enjoy this, try adas polo, rice with lentils, or the herb frittata kuku sabzi, and browse our other Persian recipes.

Learn the Persian: Find the names of herbs, spices and dishes in Persia Learning’s food and drink vocabulary, with flashcards to practise. Try the first lesson free →

Where to buy the ingredients. Outside Iran, you will find the specialist ingredients for this recipe at Persian and Middle Eastern grocers, or you can order them online: saffron, dried limes, dried fenugreek, turmeric and dried herbs. For more, see our guide to the Persian pantry.