Name: Sour Cherry Braise (Khoresh-e Albalu-ye Gorgani)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h 45 min
Total time: 2 h 15 min
Yield: Serves: 4 to 6
Cuisine: Iranian
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons oil or ghee; 3 tablespoons oil; 1 lb/450 g fresh or frozen pitted cherries, or 2 cups/300 g dried tart cherries soaked in 1 cup/240 ml water; ¼ cup/60 ml grape molasses or ¼ cup/50 g brown sugar; 1 small onion, peeled, grated, and juice squeezed out; ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper; 1 teaspoon fine sea salt; ½ teaspoon turmeric; ½ teaspoon ground cardamom; ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1 lb/450 g ground chicken or turkey thigh meat, or ground lamb; ½ teaspoon ground saffron threads dissolved in 2 tablespoons rose water; 2 tablespoons rice or chickpea flour; 2 tablespoons dried rose petals, crushed (optional); 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice; ½ teaspoon cayenne; ½ cup/60 g slivered pistachios; ½ cup/60 g slivered almonds or chopped walnuts; 1 medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced

Preparation info

Serves:
4 to 6

Difficulty
Easy
Ready in
2 hr 30

Appears in

Cooking in Iran

By Najmieh Batmanglij

Published 2020

About

I adapted this earthy, tangy caramelized sour cherry braise with tiny meatballs/kufteh-ye kaleh gonshiki from a recipe by Khanum-e Farideh Gorgani.

Ingredients

Meatballs

1 lb/450 g ground chicken or turkey thigh meat, or ground lamb
1

Method

For the meatballs: Place all the ingredients for the meatballs except the oil in a mixing bowl. Knead lightly, cover, and allow to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Pour 3 tablespoons oil into a wide skillet. Shape the paste into hazelnut-sized meatballs and place them in the skillet. Sauté the meatballs over high heat, undisturbed, for 2 minutes, then