Ingredients

• 4 tbsp olive oil divided
• 7-8 celery stalks chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 cup fresh mint finely chopped*
• 1 1/2 cup fresh parsley finely chopped
• 1 large yellow onion finely diced
• 1 lb lamb stew meat cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 4 cups water
• 4 Persian dried limes
• 1 tsp salt

Directions

• Heat  2 tbsp olive oil in a pan over medium heat.
• Add celery, mint, parsley and saute until herbs start getting dark and release their aroma. Set aside.
• In a large pot, heat 2 tbsp olive oil.
• Saute onion until golden.
• Add in lamb meat stew with turmeric and black pepper. Saute until lamb is brown.
• Add in sauteed celery and herbs to the lamb and onion mixture.
• Cook for about a minute. Add in water and bring to simmer.
• Cover and cook for about 45 minutes to and hour until the lamb is fully cooked and tender.
• Pierce the dried Persian limes with a fork and add them to the stew. Cook for about 10-20 minutes until they soften. Press against the pot so they release their sour juice.
• Season with salt.
• Serve warm with Persian style white rice or saffron rice.

Notes

• 7-16-25 1/2 Recipe
• I substituted Persian dried limes with Lime juice
• I served with long grain white rice
• *Too much mint makes the stew bitter, so don’t overuse it.
• To make this stew vegetarian, use kidney beans or pinto beans instead of lamb. If using canned red kidney beans, rinse them.
• If you cannot find dried lime, feel free to use lemon/lime juice.

Photos