Khoresh Karafs: Persian Celery and Herb Stew

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Celery is not a vegetable most cooks get excited about. Khoresh karafs might change that. Slow-cooked with lamb, a heap of fried parsley and mint and a squeeze of lemon, it turns soft and sour, and deeply savoury.

It is a weeknight stew in most Iranian homes, the kind of thing that bubbles away while everyone gets on with their day. Serve it with plain rice and a pile of fresh herbs on the side.

At a glance: serves four. About two and a half hours, most of it simmering. Easy.

Ingredients

• 500g lamb or beef shoulder, cut into 3cm cubes
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 head of celery (about 500g), cut into 3cm pieces
• 1 large bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 1 small bunch fresh mint, finely chopped, or 2 tbsp dried mint
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 3 to 4 tbsp lemon juice or verjuice (ab ghooreh)
• A pinch of saffron, bloomed in 2 tbsp hot water (optional)
• Vegetable oil, salt and black pepper

Method

1. Fry the onion in a little oil until golden. Stir in the turmeric, then add the meat and brown it on all sides.
2. Pour in about three cups of hot water, season, cover and simmer gently for about an hour and a half, until the meat is nearly tender.
3. Meanwhile fry the celery in a separate pan for about ten minutes, until it softens and catches a little colour. Add it to the stew.
4. In the same pan, fry the parsley and mint slowly until they darken and smell rich. Stir them into the stew.
5. Simmer for another 45 minutes to an hour. Add the lemon juice and saffron for the last 15 minutes, then taste for salt and sourness.

Fry the herbs properly. The herbs should go dark green and fragrant before they join the stew. Rushing this step leaves the khoresh tasting grassy.

Vegetarian version. Leave out the meat and add a tin of drained chickpeas or white beans for the final hour.

Where to buy the ingredients. Outside Iran, you can order saffron, verjuice, dried mint, a Persian rice cooker and turmeric online.

Serve with plain rice, ideally with a crisp layer of tahdig underneath. Like most khoresh, it tastes even better the next day and keeps for three days in the fridge.