Xoreşî terê — Leek and Lamb Stew with Split Peas

⏱ 135 min · 🍽️ 4 Servings · 🧂 12 Ingredients

Ingredients

  • 100 g yellow split peas
  • water for soaking, as needed
  • 600 g boneless lamb shoulder
  • 2 piece onions
  • 600 g leeks
  • 1 bunch chives
  • 4 tbsp neutral vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp turmeric (ground)
  • 800 ml hot water
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 0.5 tsp black pepper (ground)
  • 2 piece dried limes (Limu Omani)

Instructions

  1. Pick over the split peas, wash them in a sieve until the water runs clear and soak them in a bowl, covered with cold water.
  2. Meanwhile, pat the lamb dry and cut it into cubes of about 3 cm. Peel and finely dice the onions. Trim the leeks, halve them lengthways, wash them thoroughly between the layers so that no soil is left behind and cut them into thin strips; finely snip the chives.
  3. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a heavy pot and brown the lamb well all over, in two batches if space is tight.
  4. Add the onions and fry, stirring, until soft and golden. Stir in the turmeric and toast briefly.
  5. Drain the split peas and add them to the pot with the hot water, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, skim off the foam and braise everything, covered, over a low heat.
  6. Meanwhile, pierce the dried limes three or four times with a fork. Heat the remaining oil in a large frying pan and fry the leeks, turning, until they collapse and soften; add the chives at the end and fry them briefly.
  7. Stir the leeks and dried limes into the pot and continue braising everything, covered, until the lamb is tender and the split peas are soft but not falling apart.
  8. Remove the lid, press the limes lightly against the side of the pot and let the stew reduce uncovered until the sauce is thick and velvety.
  9. Cut open a piece of lamb: it must be tender and cooked through. Season with salt and pepper; the limes stay in the pot but are not eaten, because their skin is bitter.
  10. Tip: Serve with fluffy white long-grain rice (basmati). If you like it more sour, add a squeeze of lemon juice at the end, and beef shoulder can be used instead of lamb; it needs to braise about 20 minutes longer. Cool leftover rice quickly, put it in the fridge within two hours at the latest and eat it within a day.
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Xoreşî terê — Leek and Lamb Stew with Split Peas – Recipe and image AI-created, editorially reviewed
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Xoreşî terê — Leek and Lamb Stew with Split Peas

A Kurdish classic from Kermanshah and Ilam in western Iran: Xoreşî terê is cooked in spring with the wild mountain leek that grows on the slopes at that time of year; at home, leeks and chives take over its role. In Persian it is called Khoresh-e Tareh. Cubes of lamb and yellow split peas braise with turmeric and dried lime in a green-gold sauce, which the braised leek makes mild and sweetish and the lime makes tart and tangy.

⏱

Cook time

135 min

🍽️

Servings

4

🧂

Ingredients

12

View Original ↗

Nutrition

per serving

632 kcal

Calories

35 g

Protein

43 g

Fat

24 g

Carbs

Ingredients

For 4 servings

  • 🛒
  • 🛒

Instructions

  1. 1

    Pick over the split peas, wash them in a sieve until the water runs clear and soak them in a bowl, covered with cold water.

  2. 2

    Meanwhile, pat the lamb dry and cut it into cubes of about 3 cm. Peel and finely dice the onions. Trim the leeks, halve them lengthways, wash them thoroughly between the layers so that no soil is left behind and cut them into thin strips; finely snip the chives.

  3. 3

    Heat 2 tbsp oil in a heavy pot and brown the lamb well all over, in two batches if space is tight.

  4. 4

    Add the onions and fry, stirring, until soft and golden. Stir in the turmeric and toast briefly.

  5. 5

    Drain the split peas and add them to the pot with the hot water, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, skim off the foam and braise everything, covered, over a low heat.

  6. 6

    Meanwhile, pierce the dried limes three or four times with a fork. Heat the remaining oil in a large frying pan and fry the leeks, turning, until they collapse and soften; add the chives at the end and fry them briefly.

  7. 7

    Stir the leeks and dried limes into the pot and continue braising everything, covered, until the lamb is tender and the split peas are soft but not falling apart.

  8. 8

    Remove the lid, press the limes lightly against the side of the pot and let the stew reduce uncovered until the sauce is thick and velvety.

  9. 9

    Cut open a piece of lamb: it must be tender and cooked through. Season with salt and pepper; the limes stay in the pot but are not eaten, because their skin is bitter.

  10. 10

    Tip: Serve with fluffy white long-grain rice (basmati). If you like it more sour, add a squeeze of lemon juice at the end, and beef shoulder can be used instead of lamb; it needs to braise about 20 minutes longer. Cool leftover rice quickly, put it in the fridge within two hours at the latest and eat it within a day.

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