Delicious Persian Celery Stew Recipe - Khoresht Karafs
Khoreshteh karafs is a bright and herbaceous Persian celery stew made with sautéed celery, fresh parsley, mint, and slow-cooked meat.
Ingredients
For the Meat
- 1 onion large, thinly sliced
- 1 ½ lbs protein (lamb, beef or tofu) cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2-3 teaspoon soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
- ½ teaspoon pepper (adjust to taste)
- 1 ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 32 oz carton of broth (added gradually, may not use all)
- 4 tablespoon cooking oil more if needed
For the Celery and Herbs
- 1 large head of celery (or 2 small heads) cut into 1 ½ inch segments (reserve leaves)
- 2 large bunches of parsley (or 3 small)
- 1 large bunch of mint
- 1 tablespoon dried mint (heaping)
- 1 ½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1-2 teaspoon sugar
- ¾ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 1 teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
- extra cooking oil as needed
Instructions
Step 1: Sauté the Onion and Protein
- Heat a generous amount of oil in a large skillet. Add the sliced onion and sauté until translucent.
- Add your protein (lamb) and sauté until golden brown.
- Stir in the soy sauce and continue sautéing until the lamb chunks absorb all the juices.
- Add the salt, pepper, tomato paste and turmeric (in that order) and stir for about 2 minutes.
Step 2: Simmer the Protein in Broth
- Transfer the protein into a heavy bottomed pot and pour the broth in enough to cover the meat by about 2 inches.
- Cover and bring to a simmer.
- Cook until the protein is 50-75% cooked (approximately 30 minutes for cubed lamb). The level of the broth should now be about ½ an inch above the meat.
Step 3: Prepare the Celery
- While the lamb is cooking, wash and cut the celery into 1 or 1.5-inch segments.
- Reserve the celery leaves to be used with the parsley and mint.
- In a large skillet, heat oil and add the celery. Sauté until softened, about 15 minutes or more, stirring frequently.
- Add salt, pepper, sugar, and apple cider vinegar. Stir and cook until the vinegar has evaporated, about 2 minutes.
Step 4: Sauté the Herbs and Celery Leaves
- Chop the parsley, mint, and reserved celery leaves finely (a food processor can be used).
- Add the herbs to the pan with the celery, adding extra oil if the pan is completely dry.
- Sauté and continuously stir over medium heat until the herbs darken, but do not burn.
- Stir in the dried mint and remove from heat.
Step 5: Combine and Finish the Stew
- When the lamb is 75% cooked, add the celery herb mixture to the pot. You may need to add more broth at this point. It should be about 1 inch over the solid mixture.
- Cover the pot wit the lid and cook on low-medium heat until the meat is fully cooked and the celery is tender but not mushy.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper as needed. If the flavor is flat, add a squeeze of lemon juice.
- Serve with fresh basmati rice and enjoy.