Khoresh Karafs with Meat and Rice (Persian Celery Stew)

Instruction:

1. To make khoresht karafs, I use fresh celery and fresh herbs. So, first, I have to wash the celery and herbs and then chop them after they become dry. Be sure to pay attention to the amount of herbs, and do not use more than the mentioned amount of mint because mint makes the stew bitter.

You can chop the herbs with a knife or a food processor. If you chop them with a knife, make sure to chop finely. If you use a food processor to chop the herbs, I suggest that you use a few drops of oil inside the herbs so that they don’t drip when they are chopped.

2. Now, it’s the turn of the meat. I use mutton thigh. Because mutton is fattier and softer, it makes the stew tastier. It’s better not to chop the meat too finely because mutton becomes smaller when cooked.

3. In the meantime, I take the limoo amani and cut a few slices on them with a sharp knife. Then I fill a bowl with water, pour the limo Amani into it, and place a heavy object on it so that the lemons stay well in the water. For about 1 hour, let the lemons stay in the water to remove the bitterness.

4. Pour 4 to 5 spoons of oil into a frying pan, put the meats in it, and fry them to the extent that their color changes.

5. In another pan, I fry the herbs and celery. To do this, I first pour the herbs (mint and parsley) into the pan without oil and heat it until the water of the herbs steam, and then I pour oil and fry them.

You should not fry too much because it makes the herbs bitter. Note that herbs should be fried on a gentle heat and patiently.

6. After the herbs are fried, I do the same thing with the celery and celery leaves. After their juice steams, I pour oil and fry them. The celery leaves should be chopped, but not very small, like mint and parsley.

You can chop the celery leaves with mint and parsley and fry them together. This is completely tasteful.

7. Now it’s time to make the stew. I peel the onions, wash them, and chop them very finely on the kitchen board. I take a suitable pan and pour oil and onions into it. After the onions are fried, I add spices to them.

In the first step, I pour turmeric and fry it a little with the onion until its raw smell is removed. Then I add black pepper. I always add salt in the last step when the meat is cooked because the salt makes the meat hard and slow to cook.

8. Now, I add the meat that I fried before, along with the fried herbs and celery, to the onion. To season this stew, I use verjuice and unripe grapes so that it has a slightly sour taste. But this is completely a matter of taste, and you can use only limoo Amani for seasoning.

9. Then I add the soaked limo Amani to the rest of the ingredients and finally add boiling water to it. Put the lid on the pot and increase the heat until it boils.

The stew is cooked for up to 4 hours. Remember to add salt at the last stage.

10. After the stew is ready, I put it in the dish of my choice and eat it with my family and enjoy it.

What is served with khoresht karafs?

This excellent stew is served with Iranian rice along with various salads and desserts. One of these side dishes is zeytoon parvardeh and another one is torshi albaloo. Pickled cherries are very suitable for this dish because of its sour taste.
Among the Iranian pickles, we can also refer to torshi liteh, which is excellent and appropriate with the chopped pieces of various fruits and eggplants with vinegar. Also, pickles make food digest faster and make you feel light after eating.
You can also use dairy products and drinks with this stew. Dairy products such as Persian doogh, mast o khiar are also used with this dish on Iranian tables.

Nutritional value of Khoresh Karafs?

In general, the foods that are prepared with fresh vegetables are always full of vitamins and many properties. Considering that this stew is made from celery, it also contains the excellent properties of celery.
It has properties such as various vitamins, fiber, calcium, and magnesium.
Also, celery is an anti-cancer plant. A lot of fiber and water present in the stalk of celery can also cure constipation. In general, this food is recommended for all people from children to adults.

Notes for khoresh-e karafs recipe:

• To prepare this stew, choose crisp and fresh celery and avoid buying celery that has a dark green color.
  To prepare celery, take its thick leaves and clean and arrange the stem and small leaves.
   The amount of mint should be 1/4 of the amount of parsley so that the stew does not become bitter.
• To cook celery stew, use young and thin celery, and do not use green and hard celery for this purpose. If you are using lamb, you can fry the celery in the beginning with the lamb.
• But if you use veal, it is better to add chopped celery and herbs after an hour of cooking the meat to prevent them from being crushed.
• Be sure to pay attention to the fact that the vegetables used in the stew must be completely dried after washing and then chopped. Otherwise, they will be crushed during cooking.
• If you want to use the tomato paste in the celery stew, add it after the meat is fried.
• To make this stew more sour, you can use a little ghare ghoroot in this stew.
• Adding too much water to celery stew will make it not glazed enough.