Xoreşî xelal — Festive Stew with Slivered Almonds, Barberries and Saffron

⏱ 145 min · 🍽️ 4 Servings · 🧂 15 Ingredients

Ingredients

  • 100 g slivered almonds (Khalal-e Badam at Persian grocers)
  • cold water for soaking, as needed
  • 600 g boneless lamb shoulder
  • 2 piece onions
  • 3 tbsp neutral vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp turmeric (ground)
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 600 ml hot water
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 0.5 tsp black pepper (ground)
  • 1 pinch saffron threads (about 0.1 g)
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 3 tbsp boiling water for the saffron
  • 3 tbsp barberries (dried)
  • 0.5 piece lemon (juice)

Instructions

  1. Cover the slivered almonds generously with cold water in a bowl and soak them until soft and pale; if you like, soak them overnight, covered, in the fridge.
  2. Pat the lamb dry, trim off any thick fat and cut the meat into small cubes of about 1.5 cm, as is customary in Kermanshah. Peel and finely dice the onions.
  3. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a heavy pot and fry the onions, stirring, until soft and golden.
  4. Add the lamb cubes and brown them all over until they have taken on colour. Stir in the turmeric and tomato paste and toast briefly, stirring, until the paste darkens.
  5. Add the hot water, salt and pepper and bring to the boil. Put the lid on and braise the lamb over a low heat.
  6. Meanwhile, grind the saffron threads finely in a mortar with a pinch of the sugar, pour over the boiling water and leave to steep. Pick over the barberries, removing any small stalks and bits of grit, rinse them briefly in a sieve under cold water and drain.
  7. Drain the slivered almonds, stir them into the pot and continue braising everything, covered, until the lamb is almost tender and the almonds are soft.
  8. Warm the remaining oil in a small frying pan, add the barberries with 1 tsp of the sugar and toss them over a low heat until they plump up slightly and glisten; they burn quickly and then turn bitter.
  9. Stir the saffron water, lemon juice, remaining sugar and half the barberries into the stew and simmer everything uncovered until the sauce is reduced and glossy.
  10. Cut open a piece of lamb: it must be tender and cooked through. Season with salt and lemon juice, transfer to a bowl and scatter the remaining barberries on top.
  11. Tip: Serve with fluffy white long-grain rice (basmati), ideally with a crust from the bottom of the pot. Some families add a tablespoon of rose water to the stew at the end, and beef shoulder can be used instead of lamb; it needs to braise about 20 minutes longer. The stew keeps covered in the fridge for two days; 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 xelal — Festive Stew with Slivered Almonds, Barberries and Saffron – Recipe and image AI-created, editorially reviewed
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Xoreşî xelal — Festive Stew with Slivered Almonds, Barberries and Saffron

A Kurdish classic from Kermanshah and Ilam in western Iran: Xoreşî xelal is the festive stew of Kermanshah that is served at weddings and large dinners for guests. In Persian it is called Khoresh-e Khalal, after the fine slivered almonds, which are soaked beforehand and turn soft and succulent in the stew. Small cubes of lamb braise in a golden-red sauce with saffron, ruby-red barberries and a little lemon give it a delicate tang, and a spoonful of sugar rounds it off.

⏱

Cook time

145 min

🍽️

Servings

4

🧂

Ingredients

15

View Original ↗

Nutrition

per serving

653 kcal

Calories

32 g

Protein

52 g

Fat

12 g

Carbs

Ingredients

For 4 servings

Estimated cost~€2.05 · ~€0.50/serving
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Instructions

  1. 1

    Cover the slivered almonds generously with cold water in a bowl and soak them until soft and pale; if you like, soak them overnight, covered, in the fridge.

  2. 2

    Pat the lamb dry, trim off any thick fat and cut the meat into small cubes of about 1.5 cm, as is customary in Kermanshah. Peel and finely dice the onions.

  3. 3

    Heat 2 tbsp oil in a heavy pot and fry the onions, stirring, until soft and golden.

  4. 4

    Add the lamb cubes and brown them all over until they have taken on colour. Stir in the turmeric and tomato paste and toast briefly, stirring, until the paste darkens.

  5. 5

    Add the hot water, salt and pepper and bring to the boil. Put the lid on and braise the lamb over a low heat.

  6. 6

    Meanwhile, grind the saffron threads finely in a mortar with a pinch of the sugar, pour over the boiling water and leave to steep. Pick over the barberries, removing any small stalks and bits of grit, rinse them briefly in a sieve under cold water and drain.

  7. 7

    Drain the slivered almonds, stir them into the pot and continue braising everything, covered, until the lamb is almost tender and the almonds are soft.

  8. 8

    Warm the remaining oil in a small frying pan, add the barberries with 1 tsp of the sugar and toss them over a low heat until they plump up slightly and glisten; they burn quickly and then turn bitter.

  9. 9

    Stir the saffron water, lemon juice, remaining sugar and half the barberries into the stew and simmer everything uncovered until the sauce is reduced and glossy.

  10. 10

    Cut open a piece of lamb: it must be tender and cooked through. Season with salt and lemon juice, transfer to a bowl and scatter the remaining barberries on top.

  11. 11

    Tip: Serve with fluffy white long-grain rice (basmati), ideally with a crust from the bottom of the pot. Some families add a tablespoon of rose water to the stew at the end, and beef shoulder can be used instead of lamb; it needs to braise about 20 minutes longer. The stew keeps covered in the fridge for two days; 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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