Khoresh Aloo Esfenaj

Lamb, spinach and pitted-prune stew finished with lime and saffron.

Preparation: 20 min · Cooking: 1 hr 45 min · Total: 2 hr 5 min · 2 servings

Ingredients

• 250 g Raw boneless lamb cubes
• 300 g Fresh trimmed spinach, chopped
• Ready-to-use pitted prunes — 10
• Small raw onion, chopped — 1
• 0.25 tsp Ground turmeric
• 1 tbsp Vegetable oil for lamb and onion
• 1 tbsp Vegetable oil reserved for spinach
• 720 ml Initial retained braising water
• 1 tbsp Fresh lime juice
• 0.125 tsp Dry saffron threads, lightly crushed
• 30 ml Hot water for saffron infusion, separate allowance
• 240 ml Cold prune-soaking water, discarded
• Salt, to taste
• Ground black pepper, to taste
• Conditional extra hot water, measure only if needed

Instructions

1. Infuse saffron

   Infuse the lightly crushed dry threads in all 30 ml hot infusion water for about 10 minutes. This is separate from cooking/process water; use the whole infusion at the stated finishing stage.

   Infuse saffron: 600 seconds

2. Start lamb base

   Heat only the lamb/onion oil over controlled medium heat. Sauté onion from 5 minutes until softened, then add raw lamb and turmeric and brown without burning. Do not wash raw lamb or reuse raw-contact tools for serving.

   Start lamb base: 300 seconds

3. Braise toward tenderness

   Add initial 720 ml retained water and a normal fitted lid. Simmer gently over medium-low heat from 60 minutes until approaching fork tenderness; continue longer if needed, measuring any extra hot water separately. Browning or an exact hour is not a safety/tenderness guarantee.

   Braise toward tenderness: 3600 seconds

4. Wilt spinach separately

   Wash trimmed spinach with potable water, drain and chop. Sauté in only its reserved 1 tbsp oil over controlled medium-low heat from 5 minutes until wilted, stirring against scorching. This is an oiled pan, not contradictory dry-frying with unlisted fat.

   Wilt spinach separately: 300 seconds

5. Soak pitted prunes briefly

   Cover the measured 10 already-pitted prunes with the separate 240 ml cold water and refrigerate at 4°C or colder from 15 minutes while preparing the finishing phase. Pitted count is not a fixed gram yield.

   Soak pitted prunes briefly: 900 seconds

6. Drain prunes

   Drain the softened pitted prunes and discard soak water; do not silently add that extra 240 ml to the retained stew liquid. Keep ready for immediate finishing.

7. Simmer final phase

   Add wilted spinach and drained prunes to the nearly tender lamb. Simmer gently from another 30 minutes until lamb is fork-tender and prunes soft, stirring without crushing fruit or scorching the base. Measure hot-water additions only if needed.

   Simmer final phase: 1800 seconds

8. Finish with lime and saffron

   Stir in all measured fresh LIME juice and the whole 30 ml saffron infusion during finishing. Reduce gently to the desired sauce consistency without scorching; no final broth volume or compulsory dark colour is promised. No extra sugar is added.

9. Check and serve

   Confirm fork-tender lamb, soft pitted prunes and cooked spinach; season with listed salt and pepper and serve promptly. Whole-cut guidance 63°C plus 3-minute rest is a minimum, not a braising texture target; continue for stew tenderness. Chill leftovers rapidly for selected 2 days at 4°C or colder.

Tips

• Base batch: quantities are for 2 catalogue servings (minimum 1, maximum 8). Cup = 240 ml; tbsp = 15 ml; tsp = 5 ml. Scale ingredients, not temperatures or automatically the cooking times. Wash produce with potable water and keep raw meat/tools away from ready-to-eat food.
• Timers mark first checks, not guaranteed doneness. Keep water/fat allocations separate, use appropriate cookware and manageable batches, normal fitted lids and no towel seals or blocked vents. Conditional top-ups are measured, never guaranteed final yields.

Common mistakes

• Do not mistake browning or elapsed time for cooked-through food, omit named process inputs, add unlisted garnish fats or leave perishable food waiting warm.

Substitutions

• Use the specified foods, quantities and dry/cooked preparation states. No unmeasured ingredient swap is approved for this master; separate accompaniments do not replace its measured ingredients.

Storage

Chill promptly in shallow portions within 2 hours (1 hour in hot conditions), at 4°C or colder; selected household limit 2 days, or any shorter label/use-by limit. Cool rice ideally within 1 hour and use within 24 hours. Keep bread/garnishes separate. This is not a validated shelf life; reheating cannot rescue mishandling.

Reheating

Reheat only once to 74°C throughout, steaming hot, checking several places. Reheat only the needed portion and add only a measured amount of water if necessary. Add separate ready-to-eat garnishes with clean tools.

About this recipe

An owner-selected Iranian household version with explicitly measured ingredients and practical home-kitchen steps. Historical exclusivity, medical benefits and exact traditional-origin claims have not been independently verified.

Editorial approval does not establish independent kitchen testing. Check allergens and follow safe food handling.