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Bozghormeh
Pounded lamb and chickpeas with kashk
Bozghormeh (بزقورمه): Kerman's pounded lamb and chickpeas with kashk and fried garlic
Bozghormeh is a dish of Kerman, the desert city in south-east Iran, cooked on winter weekends and for family gatherings. Lamb and chickpeas are simmered with turmeric until soft, then pounded together and finished with kashk (salty fermented whey), lots of fried onion and garlic and a dusting of dried mint; it is scooped up with flatbread rather than eaten with rice. The result is creamy, tangy and deeply savoury. A common mistake is boiling after the kashk goes in; it turns grainy, so add it at the end over a low heat. Chef's tip: if you can't find kashk, mix thick Greek yogurt with a pinch of salt and a squeeze of lemon; it's milder but close.
- Total time
- 150 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 1 ⅓ lb boneless lamb shoulderin 4 cm pieces
- 5 ½ oz dried chickpeassoaked overnight
- 1 onionquartered
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 6 ¼ cups water
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¾ cup liquid kashk
For the topping
- 5 tbsp sunflower oil
- 2 onionsthinly sliced
- 8 cloves garlicthinly sliced
- 2 tbsp dried mint
- 1 ⅜ oz walnuts (optional)chopped
- 4 pieces flatbread
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Put 1 ⅓ lb boneless lamb shoulder, drained 5 ½ oz dried chickpeas, 1 onion, 1 tsp ground turmeric and 6 ¼ cups water in a heavy pot. Bring to the boil, skim, cover and simmer for 2 hours until the lamb falls apart and the chickpeas crush easily.
120 minStep 2: Meanwhile, fry 2 onions in 5 tbsp sunflower oil over a medium heat for 20 minutes until deep golden and crisp. Lift out half. Add 8 cloves garlic to the pan and fry for 2 minutes until pale gold, then stir in 2 tbsp dried mint for 10 seconds and take off the heat.
22 minStep 3: Lift out the meat, chickpeas and onion, keeping the broth. Pound or pulse them to a coarse, sticky paste, adding a ladle of broth to loosen it.
10 minStep 4: Return the paste to the pot with the plain fried onions, 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper and stir over a low heat for 5 minutes, adding broth until it is thick like hummus.
5 minStep 5: Stir in most of the ¾ cup liquid kashk and warm through for 2 minutes without boiling.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 640 kcal
- Protein
- 45 g
- Carbs
- 34 g
- Fat
- 36 g
- Fibre
- 8 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bozghormeh take?
- About 150 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 130 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of dried chickpeas?
- Cannellini or butter beans, same amount.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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