Turnip, Cilantro + Lamb Braise

Name: Turnip, Cilantro + Lamb Braise (Khoresh-e Shalqam-o Gishniz-e Khorramshahr)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 2 h
Total time: 2 h 30 min
Yield: Serves: 4 to 6
Cuisine: Iranian
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons dried fenugreek leaves, soaked in ¼ cup/60 ml water for 10 minutes; ¼ teaspoon ground saffron dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot water (optional); 6 cloves garlic, peeled and grated; 3 cups/255 g chopped fresh cilantro, (leaves and stems); 1½ lb/675 g turnips, peeled and cut into 1in/2.5cm cubes or thinly sliced; 3 tablespoons ready-made tamarind paste; 2 teaspoons ground cumin; 2 teaspoons fine sea salt; 1 lb/450 g boneless leg of lamb or skinless, boneless, chicken thighs cut into 3 in/7.5 cm strips, 1½ lb/675 g lamb shanks or chicken thighs, on the bone and skin removed; 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional); ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper; 1 teaspoon turmeric; 2 teaspoons ground coriander; 1 teaspoon date molasses; 2 medium onions, peeled and thinly sliced; 1 teaspoon dried Persian lime powder; 2 tablespoons oil

Khoresh-e Shalqam-o Gishniz-e Khorramshahr

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 recipe from one by Shari Lak, who told me this was her favorite dish when she was growing up in Khorramshahr. Shohreh Moosavi who lives in Khorramshahr, gave me a similar, contemporary version of the recipe that replaces the tamarind with tomato and the cilantro with spinach (see variation). Traces of this dish referred to as "Elamite" (present-day Khuzestan) go back 4,000 years. They were found on Babylonian clay tablets (above) at

Ingredients

Asia
Iran
Khorramshahr
Main course
Gluten-free

Ingredients

Method