Khoresh Karafs
Persia's celery stew: lamb simmered with celery, parsley and mint until the pot is herb-bright, then finished with saffron and lemon.
Overview
Lamb shoulder is browned in oil; sliced onion is softened to gold; turmeric and a pinch of cinnamon toast briefly; water covers; the pot simmers for 1 hour 15 minutes until tender. Meanwhile, lots of celery is sliced into 2 cm-long pieces and sautéed with parsley and mint over medium heat 8-10 minutes until fragrant and just softened. The celery-and-herb mix goes into the pot for the last 25 minutes. Saffron-water and lemon juice at the end. Salt to taste.
Ingredients
Lamb base
- 600 g lamb shoulder (cut into 3 cm cubes)
- 3 tablespoons sunflower oil
- 2 onions (large, sliced)
- 4 garlic cloves (sliced)
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 700 ml water
Celery and herbs (the karafs)
- 1 large head celery (8-10 stalks, leaves reserved - about 500 g)
- 3 tablespoons sunflower oil
- 1 large bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley (chopped - about 50 g)
- 1 small bunch fresh mint (chopped - about 25 g, or 2 tablespoons dried mint)
- A handful of celery leaves (chopped - they go in for extra flavour)
To finish
- 1 large pinch saffron threads (soaked in 3 tablespoons hot water)
- 2 lemons (about 4 tablespoons, or 3 tablespoons verjuice, juice)
- 1 teaspoon salt (to taste)
To serve
- Persian chelo rice with tahdig
Method
Stage 1 - Brown the lamb
- Heat 3 tablespoons sunflower oil in a wide heavy lidded pot over medium-high.
- Add lamb; brown 6 minutes on all sides. Lift to a plate.
Stage 2 - Soften the onion
- Reduce heat to medium.
- Add onion; cook 10 minutes until deep gold.
- Add garlic; cook 1 minute.
Stage 3 - Spice
- Add turmeric, cinnamon, salt and pepper; cook 30 seconds.
Stage 4 - Simmer
- Return lamb to the pot; toss to coat in the spice.
- Pour in 700 ml water.
- Bring to a simmer; cover; reduce heat.
- Cook 1 hour 15 minutes until tender.
Stage 5 - Sauté celery and herbs
- While the lamb simmers, slice celery stalks into 2 cm pieces.
- Heat 3 tablespoons sunflower oil in a wide pan over medium heat.
- Add celery; sauté 6-7 minutes until just softened and slightly golden at the edges (the bright green colour intensifies).
- Add chopped parsley, mint and celery leaves; cook 2 minutes - the herbs darken slightly but should stay vibrant green.
- Off heat.
Stage 6 - Combine
- Tip the sautéed celery-and-herbs into the lamb pot.
- Stir gently.
- Cover; simmer 25 minutes - the celery softens further; the herb flavour permeates the lamb.
Stage 7 - Finish
- Off heat (or very low).
- Stir in saffron-water and lemon juice.
- Taste; adjust salt and acidity.
Stage 8 - Rest and serve
- Rest covered 10 minutes.
- Serve over chelo rice with tahdig alongside.
Notes
- Heaps of herbs: Persian khoresh karafs is not "stew with a sprig of parsley" - it's stew thick with herbs. A whole bunch of parsley per 4 people is correct.
- Sauté the celery before adding: Raw celery added directly to the pot would water down the stew and stay grassy. Sautéing draws out water and builds flavour.
- Lemon at the end: Lemon juice added at the start dulls the herbs. At the end it brightens everything.
Storage
- Refrigerate 3 days; reheats well.
- Freezes 3 months; the herbs lose some vibrancy on thaw but the flavour holds.
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