This dish is well known in Persian Cuisine. The delicious aroma of the Ghormeh Sabzi Persian herb stew cooking will fill the street. Many times I've had guests for dinner and when greeting them at the door they comment on the wafting aromas as they walked down the street.
Too prepare the fresh herbs including the spinach, wash well, and chop finely. A food processor makes light work of this, processing in batches with the pulse setting. Being very careful not to over process.
In a heavy based large frying pan, heat the oil with the turmeric. Fry the diced lamb on a medium high heat until brown and the juices are sealed.
Add the prepared fresh, finely chopped fresh herbs and the dried fenugreek leaves, and lightly fry.
Lightly crush the dried Persian limes and add to the saucepan.
If using pre-soaked kidney beans add these now.
Add lemon juice and enough water to well cover the ingredients, at least 1 litre.
Bring to boil and then lightly simmer on a low heat for about 2-3 hours. Adding water as required.
About half way though the cooking time, add salt to taste.
If using canned kidney beans, add these about 30 minutes before the end of the cooking time.
Notes
Traditional Gorme Sabzi can be quite oily. I often miss out on the frying of the meat and finely chopped herbs and add the water directly to the uncooked meat and fresh herbs. This does result in a different taste to the dish, but is much healthier.Both dried and canned ghormeh sabzi persian herb herb mixtures are available in Persian grocers, making this a quick and easy dish.