Abgousht Bozbash - Persian Lamb Stew with Black-Eyed Peas and Herbs

It's been very cold lately and the temperature continues to fluctuate between cold and bone-chilling cold. It's this type of weather that makes me crave hot and hearty soups. آبگوشت بزباش - Abgousht bozbash is one of those soups that will warm you up and lift your spirit - especially if you grew up eating abgousht/abgoosht in Iran. Bozbash is a cross between a dizi/abgoosht (lamb soup) and ghormeh sabzi (lamb stew with herbs). This abgousht is made with a generous handful of parsley and chives and some fenugreek. It's as if a culinary genius had decided some ages ago to turn ghormeh sabzi into a soup and serve it without any rice or had decided to make a more flavorful refreshing abgoosht with plenty of vegetables! The combination of these two classic and popular dishes works well and makes this a tasty and aromatic rich soup.

Like many other recipes, the ingredients may vary from region to region. According to my sister-in-law in Tehran, bozbash is made with red beans while on the other hand, a friend of mine from Isfahan makes it with white beans. Knowing that bozbash is also made with black-eyed peas, I chose to use the latter. I wanted bozbash to be its own dish and not so much like one or the other, an offspring with its own identity! Also, loobia cheshm-boboli (black-eyed peas) are the prettiest beans with the cutest Persian name out there!  چشم- cheshm means the eyes, بلبل-bolbol means nightingale and لوبیا- loobia means beans. Therefore, لوبیا چشم بلبلی- loobia chesm-bolboli  translates to "nightingale-eyes beans." To Persian poets bolbol - the nightingale is a bird that sings to its beloved flower, the rose.

A collection of some of Hafez's poems about bolbol. 

It's important to remember that Persian cooking is about taking your time, cooking most dishes low and slow to achieve the best taste, and enjoy sharing it with others. Savor these moments in the kitchen cooking or baking for yourself or your family rather than focusing on how time-consuming or labor-intensive cooking is!

A note about the herbs used in this soup: use fresh parsley and chives if possible. I used dried fenugreek since I didn't have any fresh fenugreek at home and I used chives instead of the Iranian tareh which I cannot find here. You can also use scallions/ leeks (green parts only). To serve abgousht-e bozbash you can either serve the soup with all the meat, beans and potatoes or strain the soup using a colander or scoop out what you want for your گوشت کوبیده - goosht koobideh - mashed meat using a large slotted spoon. You can serve the broth with some beans, meat, and potato and mash the strained ingredients and serve on the side.

Abgousht Bozbash

Ingredients:
Serves 6

2 pounds lamb shanks
1 1/2 cups black-eyed peas
1 large bunch of parsley
1 large bunch of chives
2 tablespoons dried fenugreek
2-3 medium onions, peeled and quartered
5 small potatoes
5 limoo amani (dried limes)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
A pinch of cinnamon
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. In a large soup pot place the shanks, add 8 cups of water, bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Skim foam as they come to the surface.
2. Add turmeric, onions, beans, dried limes, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook on medium heat for an hour.
3. Add the herbs and potatoes. Add a little water if needed. Cover and continue cooking for another 30-40 minutes or until the meat is fully cooked. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
4. Remove the pot from the heat. Drain the soup through a large sieve. Remove the bones and mash the ingredients that are left in the sieve using a masher. 
5. Ladle the broth into a servings bowl and put the گوشت کوبیده - mashed meat onto a platter.

Serve hot with warm bread, sabzi khordan, and torshi.

Enjoy!

Dizi - Traditional Iranian Lamb Chickpea Soup

دیزی Dizi, also known as abgousht, is a popular highlight of Persian cuisine. Traditionally, it was cooked in small stone crocks or metal pots. The history of abgoosht (or abgousht) dates back centuries, when it was made simply with lamb and chickpeas. With the introduction of New World ingredients such as potatoes and tomatoes, this modest meat-and-chickpea soup evolved into a more substantial and more flavorful meal. 

Cooking in clay/stone cookware is one of the oldest culinary methods in Iran, where the clay pot is placed over indirect heat or a slow fire for hours, allowing the ingredients to meld together. Because of its long cooking time and the need for a very hot stove, dizi was often purchased from specialty shops rather than prepared at home. In modern kitchens, the clay pot is now used mostly for serving rather than cooking. Still, this slow-simmered, humble, and deeply satisfying dish continues to nourish the body and soul.

Traditionally, it's served in two parts. First, the flavorful broth is strained into a large bowl or individual bowls and served. Then the remaining ingredients, lamb, potatoes, tomatoes, chickpeas, and beans are all mashed together using a goosht-koob (a traditional meat masher). This mixture is served on the side with raw onions, torshi (pickles),  sabzi khordan (fresh herbs), and plain yogurt. Noon sangak is an excellent choice of bread for this dish. Baked in a tanoor (tandoor) over a bed of hot pebbles, sangak's toasty flavor makes it a star of the meal as the stew itself. 

Savoring dizi is an experience of togetherness, bonding, and sharing. Whether you are sitting cross-legged on the floor in comfortable clothing around a sofreh (traditional tablecloth) or gathered at a dining table dressed in designer attire, the joy remains the same: indulging in a warm, comforting blend of flavors while enjoying conversation and creating memories. Every time I prepare abgoosht, I remember the scene from Ganj-e Gharoon, an old Iranian film forever etched in my mind. In it, Fardin and Zohouri mash the meat, tap the marrow from the bones, pound a raw onion by hand, and eat abgoosht as they sing and tease Arman! There are many variations of abgoushts, each with its own regional and family traditions. This recipe was passed down from my mother, which I still treasure and often use.

Dizi - Iranian Lamb & Chickpea Soup

Ingredients
Serves 4-6

-3 lamb shanks (about 3 pounds)
-1 cup chickpeas, rinsed, soaked overnight
-1 cup white beans, rinsed, soaked overnight
-2 large onions, peeled, quartered
-4 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and cut in half
-3 medium-sized tomatoes, peeled and cut in half
- 3 whole limoo amani (dried lemons) found in Persian grocery stores
-1/2 tablespoon turmeric
-A pinch of cinnamon
-1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
-2 tablespoons vegetable oil
-Salt and pepper to taste
-Water (8 cups)

Method:

1. In a large soup pot, place the lamb shanks and add eight cups of water. 
2. Bring to a boil over high heat, skimming off any foam that rises to the surface. 
3. Add the turmeric, cinnamon, limoo amani, onions, chickpeas, beans, salt, and pepper.  Cover and cook on medium heat for about 1 hour.
4. In a small skillet,  heat the oil over medium heat. Sauté the tomato paste briefly to mellow its raw taste.
5. Add the sauteed tomato paste, tomatoes, and potatoes to the pot, cover, and continue cooking for another 1 hour or until all ingredients are tender.
6. Taste and adjust seasoning. Remove from the heat. Drain the broth through a sieve, discard the bones, and mash the remaining ingredients using a masher until well blended.

To serve: Ladle the broth into a large serving bowl and spoon the meat and potato mixture onto a serving platter. Serve alongside warm bread, pickles, yogurt, and fresh herbs.

Enjoy!