Iranian Stew | Healthy Vegan Recipes
This is my Iranian stew, made with lentils and inspired by persian flavours – it’s a great way to boost your intake of plant based protein. This Iranian inspired stew is hearty and delicious, plus it can all be made in just one pan using very simple and cheap ingredients.
I was inspired by TheIranianVegan for this dish, so check out her blog for authentic iranian recipes!
Ingredients
The ingredient list for this iranian stew is pretty short – it’s mainly made from potato and brown lentils, and gets its delicious flavour from the tamarind paste, vegetable stock, lemon juice, cinnamon and turmeric. Coconut cream adds a richness that really makes the dish extra satisfying and tasty.
Substitutions
You can substitute the brown lentils for green, the cooking process would be a little bit shorter for french green lentils as they’re a bit smaller.
Potato can be substituted for other starchy vegetables like carrot, or sweet potato but be mindful that this will change the flavour overall to be a little sweeter.
Making the Iranian Stew
Prepare the ingredients – the garlic should be grated or minced finely. The potato should also be diced, to around 1cm cubes. If they are cut too large they will take a long time to cook.
To start cooking, heat the olive oil in a large heavy bottomed pan before adding the diced onion. Sautee for 5 minutes until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and sautee for another few minutes until the garlic is fragrant but careful not to burn it.
You can now add the dried spices turmeric and cinnamon along with the tomato puree. Fry for another 3-5 minutes until the spices have become fragrant and the tomato has slightly darkened in colour. Make sure you move the ingredients around in the pan during this process to prevent burning.
Add in the dry lentils and diced potato, and stir well to combine.
Add the vegetable stock, tamarind paste and lemon juice. Stir well to combine.
Reduce the heat to low and let everything simmer for around 45 minutes, until all of the water has been absorbed and the potato is tender but not mushy.
Before serving, stir through most of the coconut cream, reserving some for garnishing.
Serve immediately, add an extra spoonful of coconut cream and top with either green chilli, fresh parsley or fresh chives, or a combination!
The stew can be saved in the fridge for 3-5 days in an air-tight container.
It’ll keep in the freezer for a month in an air-tight container.
For more dinner recipes, click here
Iranian Stew
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 medium Onion
- 4 cloves Garlic
- 2 tsp Turmeric
- 2 tsp Cinnamon
- 2 tbsp Tomato Puree
- 2 Large (around 400g) Potato
- 200 g (1 cup) Brown Lentils
- 1 L (4 cups) Vegetable stock I used 4 oxo cubes in 1L water
- 1 tbsp Tamarind
- Juice Half a Lemon
- 250 mL Coconut Cream
- Optional garnish – chives, chilli.
Instructions
Prep the Ingredients
- Peel and dice the potato in 1 cm cubes.
- Mince the garlic
Make the Stew
- Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan.
- Add the onion and sautee for 5 minutes until translucent.
- Add the minced garlic and sautee for another few minutes until fragrant.
- Add the turmeric, cinnamon and tomato puree and sautee for another 5 minutes. Move the ingredients around in the pan continuously to ensure the spices don't burn.
- Add the diced potato and dry lentils. Stir well to combine.
- Add the vegetable stock, tamarind and lemon juice. Stir well.
- Reduce the heat and let simmer for around 45 minutes until the water has absorbed and the potatoes are tender but not mushy.
- Add in the coconut cream, reserving some for garnishing. Stir well.
- Serve immediately, spoon on some extra coconut cream and add fresh chillis if you like a kick, or fresh chives for a more mild flavour.