Quince is the autumn fruit Persians wait all year for. Raw, it's hard as a stone and almost impossible to eat — but give it a little butter, sugar and heat and it turns golden, fragrant and soft. In Khoresh-e Beh it's slow-cooked with tender lamb, sour golden prunes and yellow split peas in a rich tomato sauce. The quince brings the sweetness, the prunes and lemon bring the sour, and the whole pot lands right in the middle — exactly where a good Persian khoresh should be.
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Time
Prep: 25 min
Cook: 2 h
Total: 2 h 25 min
Ingredients (serving 4)
500g / 1.1lbs lamb leg or shoulder, cut into 3cm (just over 1 inch) cubes
1 piece of bone marrow (optional)
2 quinces (approx. 500g / 1.1lbs)
1/4 cup yellow split peas (80g)
8 Aloo Bokhara / golden sour prunes
1 large onion, finely chopped
400g / 14oz ripe plum tomatoes, skinned and chopped (or good organic plum tomatoes)
1/4 cup tomato paste (60g)
3–4 tbsp vegetable oil
40g / 3 tbsp butter (or 3 tbsp olive oil)
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 tsp sugar (or to taste)
2 to 3 tbsp lemon juice (or to taste)
1 cinnamon stick
Approx. 500ml / 2 cups freshly boiled water
Salt to taste
Fresh parsley, to garnish
Method
Prepare the quince
Wash the quinces and cut them into wedges or chunks, leaving the skin on. Carefully cut out the hard core and seeds. Quince is very firm, so use a sharp knife and take your time.
Put the cut pieces straight into a bowl of cold water with a squeeze of lemon juice to stop them turning brown. Drain and pat them completely dry before sautéing, to prevent hot oil spitting.
Sear the lamb
Heat the vegetable oil in a large, heavy-based pan over medium-high heat. Sear the lamb on all sides until golden brown, about 10 minutes. If your pan is too small to fit all the meat, sear it in two batches. You want it to brown on the outside, not to steam. Remove the lamb and set aside.
Fry the onion
Add the onion to the same pan, with the oil and all the flavour the lamb has left behind. Fry gently over medium heat for 10–15 minutes, until golden.
Get the stew cooking
Return the lamb to the pan, together with the bone marrow if using. If your pan has no lid, transfer everything to a pot that does. Add the golden sour prunes, chopped plum tomatoes, tomato paste and cinnamon stick, and season with turmeric, black pepper and salt. Go easy on the salt; you can always add more later.
If you have Iranian or Middle Eastern yellow split peas, add them now. They take much longer to cook than the ones found in UK supermarkets. If you’re using supermarket split peas, cook them separately in salted boiling water until just tender, drain, and set aside. You’ll add them at the end.
Pour in about 500ml / 2 cups of freshly boiled water and stir gently. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low. Put the lid on and simmer for about 1 hour 30 minutes, until the lamb is tender. Check now and then and add a splash of boiling water only if needed. You want a rich, slightly thickened sauce, not a watery one.
Sauté the quince
Towards the end of the lamb’s cooking time, melt the butter (or warm the olive oil) in a frying pan over medium heat and add the sugar. Add the dried quince pieces and sauté, turning occasionally, until lightly golden on all sides, including the skin side. Don’t cook them through, because they’ll finish in the stew. Sautéing them this way gives them colour and flavour and helps them hold their shape.
Finishing touches
About 20 minutes before the end, add the sautéed quince to the stew, along with the pre-cooked split peas if you boiled them separately. Add lemon juice to taste, balance with a little more sugar if you like, and check the salt. Cover and simmer for another 20 minutes, until the quince is as soft as you like it, slightly firm or completely tender.
Some golden sour prunes still have their stones in, so let everyone know before they tuck in.
Garnish with chopped parsley and serve your Khoresh-e Beh with aromatic Persian rice, and crispy tahdig if you’re doing it properly. Nooshe jan!
I’d love to see your Khoresh-e Beh! Feel free to tag me with @igotitfrommymaman on Facebook or Insta so I can take a look and give you a thumbs up!
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