This dish is from southern Iran, particularly from Province and city of Boushehr by the Persian Gulf. This stew is also made with fish instead of shrimp, the fish stew has no potato in it, no other differences apart of that. I have so many childhood memories in this city, every time I cook a dish from this region the whole house smells like I’m back in time and it brings back all those memories. The food from southern Iran has a lot in common with the Indian/Pakistani food, it’s spicy, has lots of cilantro, fenugreek, garlic and chili in it.
This stew has a lovely taste, it’s a bit tangy because of the tamarind in it, its usually spicy but if you don’t like it spicy just don’t put chili in it. In Iran stews are usually served with plane rice. No matter how much I talk about how delicious this stew is, you won’t believe it unless you try it. 😉 It’s a pretty easy and quick stew to make for a Wednesday night dinner.
Ingredients
- 20 large shrimps (uncooked)
- 1 cup finely chopped cilantro
- 1 medium onion minced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1-2 red chili minced (optional)
- 1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves
- 1/3 cup dry tamarind
- 8 young potatoes
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 3 cup hot boiling water
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place the tamarind in a large bowl pour the hot boiling water over it, cover the bowl and let it stand for 20 minutes. Use a sieve pour the tamarind and its water in it, use a spoon and try to push the tamarind down and get as much as possible of it through the sieve. (you can also use your hand and squeeze the tamarind through the sieve) Cover and reserve.
- Clean, shell and remove front and back veins of the shrimp, wash and pat dry with paper towel.
- Wash and finely chop cilantro, mince onion, garlic, and chili. Wash potatoes.
- Place a large pot over medium high heat, place the chopped cilantro and with continues stirring roast for 5 minutes, pour half of the oil and continue stirring and frying until the color of the cilantro changes to a very dark green.
- Push the fried cilantro to one side of the pot, add rest of oil, add onions and saute for 2 minutes, add garlic, chili, and fenugreek, saute 1 minute, add shrimps and fry for 2 minutes. Increase heat to high, add potatoes and the tamarind water, season, bring to boil, Reduce heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes or until potatoes are fully cooked.
Notes
** This stew can be made with fish fillet too. ** The dry Fenugreek leaves are available in Persian supermarkets or might also be found in Indian markets. If you couldn't find it you can substitute it with 1/2 teaspoon ground fenugreek seeds.
Bon Appetite
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