Khoresh-e Kadoo Sabz - Persian Lamb Stew With Zucchini (Courgette)
Khoresh-e Kadoo Sabz is a delicious Persian lamb stew with courgette/zucchini, sour grapes, and tomatoes. This tasty red stew is very popular with European and American friends.
I remember when Maman was making this yummy stew, my sister and me grabbed some fried slices of zucchini and put them in a sandwich - very simple, yet tasty!
Tip: You can make a vegan version of it by using yellow split peas and cooking them in the stew together with the onions and garlic, instead of the meat. Adjust the amount of water you are adding according to the amount of split peas. If in doubt use less. You can always add more hot water during the cooking process. Also, cut down on the cooking time. You can add the fried zucchini and tomatoes once the split peas are cooked, after about 30 minutes. Let everything simmer together until you have a thick, flavourful stew.
Serve this mouthwatering lamb stew with aromatic Persian saffron rice.
Cook the most popular Persian dishes at home with the help of my e-book.
Time
Prep: 10 min
Cook: 2 h
Total: 2 h 10 min
Ingredients (serving 4)
500g / 1.10lbs lamb leg or shoulder + bone marrow (optional)
1kg / 2.20lbs courgette
1 onion
250g / 0.5lbs cherry vine tomatoes
3 cloves garlic
5 tbsp tomato paste
8 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp black pepper
Salt to taste
100g / 0.2lbs yellow split peas (for the vegan option)
Method for cooking Khoresh-e Kadoo
Prep the ingredients
Cut the meat into 2.5cm / 1 inch small cubes.
Finely chop the onion and garlic.
Cut the zucchini in half. Cut the sides with the skin on very thinly. This will help them brown more easily.
Frying the zucchini
If you are going to use only one pan for frying and simmering, select a pan that is large enough to fry the zucchini and also has a lid.
Heat 4 tbsp of vegetable oil and fry the zucchini slices on both sides until golden brown. Remove them from the pan and set them aside.
Searing the meat
Sear the lamb pieces over high heat in 4 tbsp vegetable oil until golden brown on each side. Remove the meat from the pan.
Caramelising onion and garlic
Gently caramelise the onion over low to medium heat in the same oil you seared the meat in. After about 15 minutes add the garlic and fry them together for a few more minutes.
Get the stew cooking
Keep the heat on low.
Add the yellow split peas (for the vegan option only).
Return the meat to the pan with the caramelised onion and garlic, add the tomato paste, turmeric and black pepper. Combine everything well.
Add 2 cups of freshly boiled water. Season with salt and let the stew simmer for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Add more boiled water if needed at any time.
Add courgettes, tomatoes and sour grapes
Add the sour grapes and courgettes to the stew, followed by vine tomatoes on top and let it simmer for another 15 minutes until the meat is tender and courgettes are nice and soft.
Add salt if needed.
Serve your delicious Khoresh-e Kadoo Sabz
Serve your Khoresh with plain Persian style Abkesh rice. Enjoy!
I hope you enjoyed this recipe. I’d love to see your Khoresh-e Kadoo! Feel free to tag me with @igotitfrommymaman on Facebook or Insta so I can take a look and give you a thumbs up!
If you have any questions please let me know in the comments, I’m always happy to help. Let’s stay in touch via Instagram, Facebook or Pinterest.