122. Persian inspired chickpea herb stew with basmati rice

This recipe is on the table in 30 minutes. It is a beautiful, simple and complete meal, all made in one pan served with a side of rice and, ever so satisfying. This stew stands alone but, also easily serves as a special side with your favourite proteins such as steak or chicken.

Persian use of fresh herbs is nothing short of genius. For this dish, there is a simple preparation and cook that produces the most glorious complex flavour. This recipe requires three steps; chopping, making rice and assembly, all in one pan.

For those of you that have read my recent posts, I mentioned that my herb garden is still abundant and overflowing. So, as we close out summer and, head quickly into fall, I plan on using what is leftover to its fullest.

Persian recipes often use loads of herbs. With this recipe, I am going to show how we can use up large quantities of herbs preparing a gorgeous aromatic, herbal chickpea stew. The trick to the base flavour of this stew (and many Persian stews) is to have the same amount or quantity of each of the fresh herbs; in this case, cilantro, dill and parsley. The rest of the stew is a marriage of garlic, onion and spice (turmeric, saffron and some chilli flakes) that, get balanced out at the end with a bit of lemon juice and zest and, served with some yoghurt (which is totally optional and, often I serve it on the side as my household is mixed about using yoghurt on stews!) Feel free to experiment with add-in vegetables and choice of beans or legumes.

This recipe is a keeper!

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil

1 onion - finely diced

3-4 cloves garlic, minced or grated

1 pinch cayenne or red pepper flakes (optional)

2 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth to make it vegan)

2-3 cans (14.5 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 tsp turmeric

1/4 tsp ground saffron dissolved on 2 ice cubes* (see below for detailed instructions)

2 cups baby spinach, coarsely chopped

1 bunch of parsley, chopped - yield 1/2 - 1 cup

1 bunch cilantro, chopped - yield 1/2 -1 cup

1 bunch dill, chopped - yield 1/2 -1 cup

2 Tbsps chopped chives

basmati rice for serving (you will need 2 cups to serve 4 people 1/2 cup each); to prepare, follow the package directions

1/2 lemon zested - TIP: Zest the lemon before you cut it to squeeze the lemon juice

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped or whole leaf for garnish at time of serving

Optional add ins:

1 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped or whole leaf for garnish at time of serving

plain Greek yoghurt -dollop for serving

substitute spinach for kale if you like

serve with a slice of lemon for squeezing

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick saucepan over medium heat, add the onions and sauté until tender; 7-9 minutes.

2. Add the garlic and turmeric and cook until fragrant; roughly 1 minute.

3. Add the chickpeas, saffron (if using) and broth - simmer for 10-15 minutes.

4. Add the herb mixture of baby spinach, parsley, cilantro, dill, chives and and cook until the spinach wilts, about a minute. Simmer for 5 more minutes then, add the lemon juice and some zest.

5. Serve with cooked basmati rice. Garnish with fresh herbs and yoghurt (if using).

*Bloomed saffron preparation:

Never use the strands of saffron without grinding or pounding them into a powder. Not only is it more economical but, by blooming the powdered saffron you extract more flavour.

Take all the strands of saffron from the package and add them to a mortar (the bowl) and then, using a pestle (the rounded grinding club) with a small pinch of sugar and salt grind the strands. Store the unused saffron powder for future use in a small jar.

To bloom the saffron:

1/4 teaspoon ground powdered saffron dissolved on 2 ice cubes. Once the ice has melted add the saffron water to the stew with the broth and chickpeas.

Serve and enjoy!