A dark green stew of slow-fried herbs, lamb, kidney beans and dried limes. Sour, deep and unlike anything else. Naturally gluten free.
Prep
30 mins
Cook
2h 30m
Servings
6
Per serving
£2.17
Difficulty
medium
Everything about this dish comes from frying an enormous quantity of chopped herbs until they darken almost to black. It takes patience and it looks wrong halfway through. Dried limes provide the sourness, and they need piercing so they can release it into the stew.
Heat 4 tbsp of the oil in a large frying pan over a medium-low heat. Add all the chopped parsley, coriander and spring onions. They will fill the pan enormously.
Fry the herbs for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring regularly, until they have shrunk to a fraction of their volume and turned very dark green, almost black, and smell nutty rather than fresh.
This is the entire dish. If you stop at fifteen minutes you get a bright green stew that tastes of raw parsley.
Crush the dried fenugreek leaves between your palms into the herbs and cook for a final 2 minutes. Set aside.
In a large casserole, heat the remaining 2 tbsp oil and cook the chopped onions for 12 minutes until golden. Stir in the turmeric and black pepper for 30 seconds.
Add the lamb and turn it in the onions over a high heat for 6 to 8 minutes until it loses its raw colour and takes on some browning.
Add the fried herbs, the pierced dried limes, 2 tsp of the salt and 900ml water. Bring to the boil, then reduce to the lowest simmer.
Cover and cook for 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes. Press the dried limes against the side of the pot occasionally to release their sourness.
Add the kidney beans and the remaining salt and simmer uncovered for a final 20 to 25 minutes until the stew is dark, thick and a layer of oil has risen to the surface.
Stir in the lemon juice, taste and adjust for salt and sourness. Fish out the dried limes if you prefer, and serve with plain rice.