This wonderful member of the Persian stew family is filled with fall flavors and aroma thanks to the quince and cinnamon stick.
Fresh quince is available during the fall at Middle Eastern and Asian supermarkets.
Persian quince, prune and beef stew (khoresh e beh)
Course: Main course, Persian, Rosh Hashanah, SukkotDifficulty: MediumServings
6
servingsPrep time
25
minutesCooking time
2
hours30
minutesTotal time
2
hours55
minutesINGREDIENTS
2 lb. beef chuck in 2 inch cubes
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper
2 tablespoons canola or olive oil
1 yellow onion, halved and sliced
¼ cup tomato paste
cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon turmeric
4-5 golden potato, peeled and quartered
2 quince
10 prunes
Pinch saffron, diluted in 2 tablespoons warm water
plain cooked rice, for serving
DIRECTIONS
- Put beef cubes on a tray, pat dry with paper towel, salt and pepper generously.
- Put a Dutch oven on medium-high heat. Add oil and brown beef on all sides. Transfer beef back to tray.
- Add onion to pot and sauté until transparent. Add tomato paste and cook for a couple of minutes longer, stirring occasionally.
- Add beef back to pot, cover with water (about 3-4 cups), add cinnamon stick and turmeric, bring to boil, then cover with lid, reduce heat to low and cook for 1½ hours.
- Add 1-2 teaspoons salt (or to taste) to pot and mix, add potato to pot, cover and continue to cook for another 30 minutes.
- Now peel quince and cut to 1 inch cubes. Add quince, prune and saffron water to pot, mix gently, cover and cook for another 30 minutes, until beef is very tender and potato and quince are tender too. Remove from heat.
- Let rest for 10 minutes before serving with rice.
