Tas Kabab - Persian Lamb and Vegetable Stew

Tas Kabab is a traditional Persian winter dish that hails from Iranian cuisine. It is a flavorful stew made with a combination of meat and vegetables. The inclusion of carrots, quince, onions, and potatoes adds a variety of textures and flavours to the dish. Stews like this are common in many cuisines and are often enjoyed for their hearty and comforting qualities.

As a child, I didn’t like this dish for two reasons! First, the Tas! Tas means bald in Farsi and since I loved my hair I didn’t like the word. Second, Kabab! Tas Kabab! Maman you told me we’ll have Kabab for dinner! This doesn’t look like Kabab to me! Ungrateful child! Nowadays, I’d die for it.

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 / 1.1 lbs lamb leg or shoulder + bone marrow (optional), Cut into 3 cm / 1.2 inches small cubes.

3 medium carrots, skinned off and cut into discs.

3 medium potatoes, skinned off and sliced into 1 cm thick slices. Keep them in a bowl filled with cold water.

2 onions, skinned off and cut into rings.

1 quince (depending on the size you could use two), Cut the quince in half. Slice it lengthwise and remove the firm core. Keep it in the water bowl with the potatoes until it’s time to get the stew cooking.

10 Aloo Bokhara / golden sour prunes

2 tbsp tomato paste

2 tbsp butter

1 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp black pepper

Salt to taste

Method for cooking Tas Kabab

Get the stew cooking

Heat 2 tbsp butter in a small pan. Once melted, add the tomato paste followed by turmeric and black pepper. Let them get to know each other for 3 minutes, then add 2 cups of freshly boiled water. Add salt, stir and turn the heat off.

Transfer the meat and vegetables in a large stewpot and layer them in this order: onion rings, lamb pieces, and bone marrow (if using), carrot discs, quince slices, and potato slices.

Place the golden sour prunes on top, followed by the cinnamon stick.

Add the sauce you made earlier to the pot.

Bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat, put the lid on and let it simmer for 1.5 to 2 hours.

Serve your delicious Tas Kabab

Serving Tas Kabab is a bit tricky as everything is cooked perfectly and the ingredients are very soft. Start by taking out the potato slices with care, then the rest. Serve it with rice or Barbari, Sangak, Lavash, or your favorite bread.

Serve your Khoresh with plain Persian-style Abkesh rice. Enjoy!

I hope you enjoyed this recipe. I’d love to see your Tas Kabab! Feel free to tag me with @igotitfrommymaman on Facebook or Instagram 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.