September 11, 2013

Khoresh-e Loobia Sabz - Persian Green Bean Stew with Chicken


Khoresh Loobia Sabz

 خورش لوبیا سبز - Khoresh-e loobia sabz is a delicious stew cooked slowly in layers of sautéed onion, garlic, meat, tender green beans, spices and freshly-squeezed lime juice in a tomato sauce served over saffron rice. Green bean stew is one of my all-time favorite summer recipes and I was planning to blog about it early in the summer but I simply did not get around to it till now. However, it makes a great end-of-summer meal that is light, nutritious, and tasty.

Khoresh-e Loobia Sabz

The traditional Persian khoresh-e loobia sabz is usually made with lamb. You can substitute the chicken with lamb or beef cubes if you like. And for the vegetarians, just skip the meat part altogether. The vegetarian green bean stew is equally delicious. There are many different varieties of green beans. I like the slender and flavorful French green beans that are string-less and all you have to do is cut or snap off the ends. For those who would prefer using both a spoon and a fork, as is customary in Iran, then I would cut the beans into smaller bite-size pieces to make it easier to scoop up some fluffy rice along with the tender chicken and green beans.


On a different note, in collaboration with the lovely and talented Sanam joon, the author of My Persian Kitchen, we have decided to come together and address the unauthorized use of copyrighted materials from our blogs which have affected us both repeatedly throughout the years. It's very disappointing and disheartening to see our recipes and photos across Facebook fan pages, on the menu of some catering chef's restaurant in California, used to sell Etsy products, or on an Instagram page that has used many of my photos to promote Persian food. I have been trying to deal with this ongoing problem by contacting each of these people. However, it is time-consuming and unfortunately, not everyone is kind enough to respond or act cooperatively. I love sharing my recipes for everyone to use and to share with others as well. I love to inspire others to cook as I have been inspired by my mother and am continually inspired each day by so many talented food bloggers out there. The concept of intellectual property and copyright laws on the internet may not be clearly defined and easy to reinforce. However, the common etiquette for using copyrighted material on the internet is to ask for permission first, give credit where credit is due and link back to the author's original post.

Lastly, some great ancient Persian words of wisdom, a mantra to consider and live by each day:
پندار نیک، گفتار نیک ، کردار نیک - Good thoughts, Good words, Good deeds.



Khoresh-e Loobia Sabz - Green Bean Stew

Ingredients:
Serves 6

2 pounds chicken breast or lamb, cut into cubes
2 pounds green beans, ends removed, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 can (15-ounce) tomato sauce
1 large ripe red tomato, peeled, seeded, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/4 teaspoon cumin powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon red pepper 
2 tablespoons lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil (extra virgin) or vegetable oil

Method:

  1. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, add the chopped onion, saute until soft.
  2. Add the minced garlic and saute for another 2-3 minutes. Add turmeric, stir well.
  3. Add the chicken pieces, salt, pepper, cumin, and crushed red pepper, cook until the chicken is no longer pink.
  4. Add the chopped tomatoes and the tomato sauce, mix well. Add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil for a few minutes. Reduce heat, cover, and cook on low heat for 45-50 minutes.
  5. In the meantime in a large frying pan saute the green beans lightly for a couple of minutes in 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat.
  6. Add the beans to the pan, add cinnamon, pour in the lime juice, add additional hot water if necessary, taste, and adjust the seasoning. Cover and cook for another 15-20 minutes on low heat until the chicken pieces and green beans are tender, most water evaporated and the tomato sauce thickened.

Enjoy!

24 comments:

  1. one of my favorites! have never had it with chicken (we always use beef shank or lamb) so i will have to try that!

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  2. Oh my, that looks like such a hearty and comforting dish. Those beans look so fresh and beautiful :). cant wait to give it a try

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  3. Azita joon, your stew looks delicious!!! I so love khoresh lubia sabz. And the copyright portion is so beautifully and eloquently written. xoxo, Sanam

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    1. Sanam joon, thank you so much for your support, encouragement and kind words. I truly appreciate it.xx

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    2. Just made this tonight. I substituted lamb as that was the fresh meat to go with the fresh string beans we had on hand. It was wonderful! I love your blog and thank you so much for sharing this marvelous cuisine. (My fiance is Greek, and I have been introducing her to Persian cuisine both cooking from your recipes and taking her to a local restaurant. Needless to say she loves it all).

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  4. I`ve tried some of your dishes over the past weeks and loved every one of them,my family did too. I will love this one for sure when I prepare it this week. Thank you much

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  5. Azita, another beautiful recipe. Thank you for sharing this one : )

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  6. salam Azita khanum this will probably be my first time making a real Persian khoresh since all the ingredients are easily available in my hometown...am so exited to give this a try and I can't wait to show u d results too!!!!! Thank u so much for sharing this hearty recipe...
    on a different note, if I happen to have unknowingly violated the copyrighted materials of your blog in some way or another, I am truly and deeply sorry from the bottom of my heart...with regards to this, I do have a question, though: by copying the URL of any of your recipes and pasting it onto a Facebook status without ever claiming them as my own, is it considered a form of copyright violation, even when a direct link to your blog is listed? Do forgive my ignorance where online intellectual property rights are concerned, because my knowledge of it is close to zero... :(
    nevertheless, thank u in advance n I hope that you will continue to inspire many of us out there in our respective culinary journeys...khoda hafez :)

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    1. Gaby jan, I'm so glad you like this recipe. It's alright to copy the URL and paste it onto your facebook status and thank you for asking.
      Khoda hafez.xx

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  7. G'day! Stunning dish and photograph too!
    I might have to put this now on my list to do! Cheers! Joanne
    @mickeydownunder

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  8. I like so many things about this post. For one thing your khoresh looks so invitingly good looking and delicious. I also really love that Zoroastrian ancient Persian mantra - I try to keep that in mind - thank you for sharing. And I'm crazy about the purslane plant. SO CUTE! Look at those cute leaves. The copyright portion had me vexed and flummoxed as I totally feel the pain and have experienced versions of it, although to spare myself and my own feelings I actually don't even bother to see if any of my work is being used without permission. In any event, I had no idea it could so widespread and also comprehensive to even include lifting work to use on Instagram; or so bold as to be used to promote others Persian food. Talk about rude! Anyhow, I support and applaud your and Sanam's mission and if there's anything I can do to help, please just let me know.

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    1. Azita joon, thank you so much for your kind words and support.xx

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  9. doroud bar Azita khanum...I just made this khoresh along with polow for dinner tonight, and though I honestly don't want to brag, it was actually rather tasty :D ...this is also my first time making polow, and the tahdig was quite good for a novice like me, but then again, I will leave that to u to evaluate as u are a higher authority on the subject :D for that to happen, is it possible to show u some pics of my khoresh n polow here in the comments section?
    thanks
    Gaby

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    1. Gaby jan, I love to see your pictures but I'm not really sure you can paste them here in the comment section. You can try it and if that doesn't work, try my Facebook fan page. Thank you!

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    2. I think the Facebook option sounds better. Will update u there soon...take care! :)

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  10. Wow! I just found your blog and LOVE it! My boyfriend is from Iran and he claims there are no vegetarian dishes in the Persian kitchen. You have surely proved him wrong! I will cook some of your recipes and surprise him. I browsed through your history and fell for the Jeweled Rice and Carrot Halva. Yum! Greetings from Sweden

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  11. Beautiful food, exciting recipes I can't wait to try! I'm Armenian so some of this is familiar, both dishes and names, but Persian cuisine is more exotic to me. I knew a lot of Persians in college and have always respected your culture and history. I hope a day comes soon when I can travel to Iran and our countries are allies. The US has done so much damage to the relationship. Do you have any recipes for breads? I'm especially interested in what looked like flaky lavash that was pictured with one of the Tahdig dishes.

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  12. Hi Azita, thank you for this lovely recipe. Please can explain what type of red pepper you use?

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  13. Azita, I just love your blog! I just wish you would make some videos of your recipes

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  14. Love your blog...I have been making Persian foods for over 30 years, but was taught by my husband. He did a good job with substitutions (and the actual cooking), but I knew that so many of the "real" ingredients weren't available in those days. I also knew he was guessing as to the actual procedure, but he did really well. I love knowing what the actual recipes are and truly enjoy the outcomes. Thank you.

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  15. This is one of my favorite ever Persian recipes - we used to get it all the time at a great Persian restaurant near where I grew up. On a recent trip back to visit my family, we went and it was just as divine as I remember. Thanks to this recipe I can make it at home, now. Thanks!

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  16. Hi, Azita. My family has made your gorgeous recipe many times, using myriad varieties of meats. This is a keeper! Thank you for sharing such beautiful Persian food with my kids, husband and me. As for the intellectual property issues you are facing: that is a shame. Stealing is stealing. I am sorry to hear such devastating news. Best wishes, Shanna

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  17. پندار نیک، گفتار نیک ، کردار نیک - Good thoughts, Good words, Good deeds.
    Azizam - as a Zarathosti and Persian, your recipes warm my heart and these words even more so. These are the tenets of our religion, that of the ancient Persian culture and civilization. Keep up the good work!!

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