Iraqi Spinach Stew
Spinach, fresh herbs and bone-in lamb in tomato-paste broth.
Preparation: 15 min · Cooking: 1 hr 10 min · Total: 1 hr 30 min · 2 servings
Ingredients
- 250 g Fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
- 3 cloves Garlic, crushed
- 360 ml Initial hot stew water
- 200 g Raw bone-in lamb pieces, weight includes bone
- 120 ml Fresh coriander, chopped
- 1 tbsp Fresh food-grade fenugreek leaves
- 2 tbsp Tomato paste
- 1 tbsp Ghee
- Salt, to taste
- Additional boiling water, only if needed; measure additions (optional)
Instructions
Wash greens safely
Wash spinach, coriander and food-grade fresh fenugreek under running water, then drain. Use separate clean utensils for raw lamb and ready-to-eat ingredients.
Prepare greens and garlic
Chop the washed greens and crush the garlic. The base lamb quantity is 200 g including bone, not 200 g boneless meat.
Brown the lamb
Melt the measured ghee over medium-high heat in a heavy pot. Brown lamb, turning carefully and checking from about 5 minutes. Continue cooking directly after browning.
Brown the lamb: 300 seconds
Soften aromatic herbs
Add garlic, coriander and fenugreek. Stir over medium heat from about 5 minutes until fragrant and softened, not nearly black.
Soften aromatic herbs: 300 seconds
Wilt the spinach
Add spinach and stir over medium heat from about 3 minutes until wilted. A floating green oil layer is not a readiness test.
Wilt the spinach: 180 seconds
Combine paste and water
Combine the measured 2 tbsp tomato paste with the 360 ml initial hot water for the base two servings. Half batch uses 1 tbsp paste and 180 ml water. No extra passata is included.
Add tomato liquid
Pour this tomato liquid into the pot and bring to a boil. Season with salt to taste.
Simmer and monitor liquid
Cover with the normal lid and simmer gently, beginning checks around 50 minutes. Maintain liquid with separately measured boiling-water additions only if needed; do not store partly cooked lamb for later finishing.
Simmer and monitor liquid: 3000 seconds
Check lamb tenderness and heat
Check lamb temperature away from bone: whole lamb guidance is 63°C plus 3 minutes rest. Continue until properly tender and vegetables are cooked through; neither elapsed time nor colour alone proves readiness.
Serve hot
Serve the fully cooked stew hot. No canned chickpeas, bulb onion, lemon or olive oil from the former draft is included.
Store safely
Cool promptly in shallow portions and refrigerate, aiming within 1 hour, at 4°C or colder. Use within 24 hours. This is a selected conservative household limit, not a validated shelf life.
Tips
- Ingredient quantities scale exactly; instruction amounts describe the base 2 servings. Cup = 240 ml, tbsp = 15 ml and tsp = 5 ml. Times are first checks, not readiness guarantees; use manageable batches and suitable vessels.
Common mistakes
- Keep raw meat and raw flour dough separate from ready-to-eat food. Do not taste raw dough, grain shells or meat. Distinguish initial liquid, discarded process water, derived broth and conditional additions.
Substitutions
- Only alternatives explicitly listed in this ingredient formula are included; do not restore ingredients from an older draft.
Storage
Cool promptly in shallow portions and refrigerate, aiming within 1 hour, at 4°C or colder. Use within 24 hours. This is a selected conservative household limit, not a validated shelf life.
Reheating
Reheat only the portion needed, at most once, to 74°C throughout. Check meat, filling and any soaked bread centres; rice leftovers must have been cooled quickly and used within 24 hours.
About this recipe
Iraqi Spinach Stew is presented as the owner's Iraqi household version. Specific ancient origins, health benefits and exclusive regional claims have not been independently authenticated.
Editorial approval does not establish independent kitchen testing. Check allergens and follow safe food handling.