Khoresh Rivas - Persian Rhubarb Stew

It's been a very hot summer so far, the kind where you don't feel like cooking and heating up the oven or turning on the stove. However, I was so excited to have finally found a bunch of fresh rhubarb stalks in a supermarket the other day that it no longer mattered how hot the weather was. I had to cook this savory dish. I adore rhubarbs for they are nutritious and very tasty. I loved rhubarb stew as a kid and I still enjoy its well-balanced tart and sweet taste, served over warm and aromatic rice. I cherished the opportunity to make this delicious sweet and sour lamb stew with fruity flavored rhubarb simmered to perfection in a green sauce filled with chopped parsley and mint. This is a delightful dish that will please your taste buds and is worth the time and the effort that goes into making it.

خورش ریواس - Khoresh rivas - Rhubarb stew is pretty much prepared the same way as celery stew (khoresh karafs). The main difference is that in celery stew you add lemon/lime juice to bring out the flavors and make it tastier whereas in preparing rhubarb stew there's no need to add more acidity to the dish. In order to balance the tart taste of rhubarb, sugar is added to a bring about a perfect sweet and sour consistency.

Khoresh Rivas - Persian Rhubarb Stew

Ingredients:
Serves 4-6

5 stalks of rhubarb--washed, dried and cut into small bite-sized pieces
1-1/2 pounds of meat (lamb, beef or chicken), washed and cubed
1 large onion-- peeled, finely chopped
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
1 bunch of parsley-- remove the thick stems, wash and chop (makes about 2 cups, packed)
1 bunch of mint, leaves only, wash and chop (makes about 1 cup, packed)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon, liquid saffron
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon sugar or to taste *optional
Vegetable oil/olive oil
Water

Method:

1. In a pan, heat 2-3 tablespoons of oil, saute chopped onions until translucent. Add garlic and turmeric, stir, add the meat and brown on all sides. Add salt, pepper and saffron. Pour enough water to cover the meat by couple of inches. Cover and cook for an hour on medium to low heat.
2.  In a medium-sized frying pan, saute the chopped parsley and mint together in 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Combine the parsley and mint mixture with the meat sauce half way through the cooking. Add water if necessary.
3. Lightly saute sliced rhubarbs in 2 tablespoons of olive oil for 2-3 minutes on medium heat. Add the rhubarb to the pot, lower the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for about 10 minutes.
4. Taste and add a tablespoon of sugar or to taste, gently stir and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Serve warm with basmati rice.

Enjoy!