Crafting an Ancient Blessing: The Art of Ghorme Sabzi

Ghorme Sabzi is very popular among Iranians, and it is perhaps one of the most well-known dishes in Iranian cuisine. It is also considered a national dish because every city in Iran has its own twist on it rather than originating from a specific region.
It is estimated that Ghorme Sabzi has been around for 2,000-5,000 years! Yes, Iranians have been cooking this dish for quite some time; no wonder they are so passionate about it. The dish itself has evolved significantly over the years, and now each city has its own unique way of preparing it.

Personal Emotions and Experiences
In Iran, food means everything to us. Usually, every household has its own way of cooking stews that has been passed down through multiple generations. But in my family my granparents couldn’t cook; so, it all started when my mom cooked Ghorme Sabzi for the first time 30 years ago. “I didn’t have any recipes passed down to me, so I used to look through magazines to find recipes to follow. When the internet and social media became popular, I started learning tips and tricks about cooking from others,” said my mother.
My mother mentioned how cooking Ghorme Sabzi makes her emotional; it reminds her of the time when all of our family lived together. I also haven’t eaten Ghorme Sabzi since I’ve been living alone. I miss my mother’s Ghorme Sabzi, and that’s why I wanted to write more about this flavorful dish.
 

 

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(Photo by Nastaran Erfan)

Orignal vs. Current version

The Original Ghorme Sabzi
The “Standard” Ghorme Sabzi consists of the following ingredients:
This dish is defined by the herbs used in it, and it’s the thing that varies the most from region to region. However, the herbs that are used more frequently for the creation of this masterpiece are parsley, cilantro, and fenugreek leaves.
The first thing you’d notice when looking at the dish is that it has a bunch of kidney beans in it. But in some regions, they use other varieties of beans. Some even skip the beans entirely.
Like your average Iranian stew, this dish has mutton or beef cubes in it. However, if you ask us how we usually prefer it, it's with mutton. Another common ingredient is Dried Persian Limes; slightly bitter, but they give the dish a tart flavor. The rest of the ingredients include onions, oil or butter, turmeric, salt, and pepper.
The key to cooking the perfect Ghorme Sabzi is the ratio of each of the ingredients and how they’re prepared.
The beans are left to soak in water for a few hours, then the water is discarded. This allows the beans to cook better. The fresh herbs are finely chopped and sautéed before being added to the stew, which is simmered for several hours to develop deep, rich flavors.
Some people also add dried herb mixes. The dried limes are punctured and added whole. The onions are fried in oil. Now all of the ingredients can be added to a pot and left to simmer on low heat overnight. The next day you’ll have the most delicious Iranian dish ever.
Since this dish has evolved differently in every region of Iran, I would like to explain the one I am familiar with because of my northern Iranian heritage.

The “Gilaki” Ghorme Sabzi
The herbs used in the Gilan province are unique to them. For example, they use peppermint and blue eryngo leaves alongside the common Ghorme Sabzi herbs. Most of the dishes from Gilan have eggplants and tomatoes in them, so of course they have to add them to this one too!

As for beans, they either add cowpeas, kidney beans or serve it without beans. They don’t always use red meat. Sometimes they cook their Ghorme Sabzi with chicken instead. One thing I’ve seen most northern Iranians add is verjuice; it adds a bit more flavor to the dish. They also add dried Persian limes, onions, oil or butter, turmeric, salt, and pepper, just like the original.

In the Gilaki version, there are only a few extra steps, which involve adding the eggplants and tomatoes an hour or so before serving the dish.

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​(Photo by Nastaran Erfan)