Khoresht Khalal
Iranian cuisine Persian food

Khoresht-e Khalal, an Iranian Food

Khoresht-e Khalal Badam or Silver Almond Stew is a delicious and fragrant Iranian food that originates from Kermanshah province, west of Iran. It is usually prepared in formal ceremonies, but you can easily order it in some restaurants too. So, if a Kermanshahi invited you to Khorest-e Khalal for lunch or dinner, be aware that you have been their VIP! Let’s learn how to make this mouthwatering Persian food.

A stew of flaked and crushed almonds
A dish from the Kermanshah region

Ingredients:

(For 5 to 6 people)

  • 1 large onion or 2 small
  • 1kg of braising beef cut in pieces (150 g per person)
  • 100 g of crushed almonds soaked overnight in rose water
  • 1 pinch of saffron steeped in water with an ice cube (about 5 cl of water)
  • 100 g of barberries steeped for a few minutes in cold water
  • 1 tablespoon of tomato concentrate
  • 5 cardamom pods
  • 1 tablespoon of dried crushed rose buds
  • 6 dried lemons steeped in cold water for a few minutes
  • 2 tablespoons of sesame oil with a little water

 

How to make it:

Peel and chop finely the onions.
Put them into a heavy skillet with the cold sesame oil and water. Cook gently until soft.
Add the pieces of meat, the drained barberries, the almonds with the rose water, the cardamom, the rose buds, and 20 cl of water.

Cover with water.

Add the tomato concentrate and 3 tablespoons for the saffron-water mixture.

Cook gently for 4 hours or 1h30 in a pressure cooker.

Add salt and cook for another 15 minutes

Serve with rice cooked in the Iranian style.

 

* You can also make this tasty bright-color stew with poultry such as chicken according to your taste. If you are vegetarian, you can make it meatless too. It would still be as delicious as the original recipe.

**You can also add some pistachio if you wish.

Persian Food

 

Top Ten Persian Cookbooks

Contact us if you wish to have a memorable experience on the Iran Cooking Tour.