Khoresh Gheymeh Kadoo Sabz - Iranian Lamb and Yellow Split Pea Stew with Zucchini

Here's my favorite خورش قیمه کدو سبز (khoresh-e gheymeh kadoo sabz): a delicious fusion of two classic Persian stews, khoresh gheymeh and khoresh kadoo. 

I recently shared a photo of this dish on my Instagram, and so many of you asked for the recipe. So I made it again, this time actually measuring the ingredients instead of just eyeballing everything, and wrote a proper blog post! 

Traditionally, gheymeh is made with small bite-sized pieces of lamb, yellow split peas, limoo amani, fried onions, and tomato sauce, and it's topped with crispy fries. Khoresh kadoo sabz is cooked with cubed lamb, lightly fried kadoo (gray squash or zucchini), fried onions, tomato sauce, and limoo amani. 

Gray squash is paler in color and more round at the bottom than zucchini. For this recipe, you can use gray squash or zucchini, or baby zucchini; they all work beautifully. 

Baby Zucchini

It's worth noting that the word کدو (kadoo) in Persian refers to both summer and winter squash, including pumpkin, butternut squash, zucchini, or gray squash. سبز (Sabz) means "green" in Persian/Farsi.

  کدو حلوایی/ کدو تنبل Kadoo Tanbal/Kadoo Halvaie (Pumpkin & Butternut Squash), Kadoo Sabz (Gray Squash & Zucchini)

Gheymeh Kadoo Sabz - Yellow Split Pea Zucchini Stew

Ingredients
Serves 4-6

-1 pound boneless lamb or beef, trimmed and cut into small bite-sized cubes
-1 1/2 pounds regular zucchini, peeled and cut lengthwise into thick slices or whole baby zucchini
-1 cup yellow split peas
-1 large onion, peeled and diced or thinly sliced
-3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
-1 tablespoon tomato paste
-1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes or 4 small tomatoes, peeled and diced
-4-5 limoo amani (dried limes) make 2-3 little holes in each of the dried limes with a fork or a knife
-1 cinnamon stick (small)
-1 teaspoon turmeric
-Salt and pepper
-Pinch of red pepper 
-Juice of 1 lemon 
-Vegetable oil or olive oil

Method:

1. Rinse the yellow split peas and place them in a pot with 3 cups of water and a small stick of cinnamon. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low nd cook for 30 minutes, or until tender. Skimming off any foam that forms. and remove foam. Set aside. Remove the cinnamon stick and set aside..
2. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Fry the zucchini until golden brown, then remove from the pan and set aside.
3. In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Add the sliced onion and sauté until soft and translucent. Add a pinch of salt and the turmeric powder, stirring well. Then add the minced garlic and saute for another couple of minutes.
4. Add the meat and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper. Brown the meat on all sides.
5. Push the mat to the sides of the pot and spoon the tomato paste to the center. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the paste changes color.
6. Add the diced tomatoes, cooked yellow split peas, limoo amani, 1 teaspoon salt, a pinch of red pepper, and enough water to cover the stew by a couple of inches. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. 
7. Arrange the fried zucchini slices (or whole baby zucchini) on top of the gheymeh. Add a little more water if needed. Cover and cook over low heat for another 30 minutes, until the meat and the peas are tender and flavors have blended beautifully. 
8. Taste and adjust the seasoning. If you like, stir in a splash of fresh lime or lemon juice.

Serve warm with rice, mast o khiar, salad shirazi, and sabzi khordan.

Enjoy!