Khoresht Aloo Esfenaj Recipe; Persian Spinach and Prune Stew

Khoresht Aloo Esfenaj is one of the delicious Persian stews, which is mainly prepared at parties and family gatherings. This stew is very healthy and valuable for the body due to the use of spinach in it. Spinach is rich in vitamins and nutrients that are useful for strengthening the immune system, preventing cancer, healthy skin and hair, and strong bones. The most common meat used in cooking this stew is beef or mutton. Of course, turkey meat can also be used in this dish. Join Cooking County with the recipe of Khoresht Aloo Esfenaj.

Read more: How to Cook Persian Plum Stew | Khoresht Aloo Recipe

How to Make Khoresht Aloo Esfenaj?

Ingredients

• 400 grams mutton 
• 800 grams spinach 
• 12 prune
• 2 onions 
• Orange juice or orange paste as needed 
• Salt and black pepper as needed
• Cinnamon and oil as needed

Directions

Step One

To prepare Khoresht Aloo Esfenaj, peel the onion, wash it and cut it into pieces. Next, we put a suitable pot on low heat and add some oil.

Step Two 

Now fry the onion well until it becomes light and golden. Next, chop the mutton and add it to the pot; cook for 15 minutes until the color of the meat changes.

Step Three

In this step, we add pepper, turmeric, and some cinnamon to the meat; then, we continue to cook so that the spices’ flavor is released. Add 4 glasses of water to the pot and let the meat cook for 2 to 3 hours.

Step Four

While the meat is cooking, wash the spinach, then put it in a colander to drain the excess water. Chop the spinach finely, then put a suitable pan on low heat and add it to the pan. 

Step Five 

At this stage, fry the spinach until the interstitial water evaporates completely. Add some oil and continue frying until the spinach is completely fried. Next, remove the spinach from the heat and set it aside.

Step Six 

Now, we clean the pan with a towel, add some oil to it, add prunes, and fry well until it is lightly fried. 

Note: Frying prune prevents it from being crushed in the stew.

Step Seven

After the meat is fully cooked, we add salt and fried spinach to the pot containing the meat, mix well, put the lid on the pot, and cook the stew for another hour.

Step Eight

Finally, in the last 10 minutes of cooking, we add prune to the stew along with orange juice or orange paste, then put the lid on the pot until the stew is entirely ready. 

Note: This stew is served with little water. 

Step Nine

Because this stew should be served with little water, we should allow the excess water to drain and let it cover with oil. 

How to Serve Khoresht Aloo Esfenaj?

Pour the stew into the desired dish and serve it with saffron rice. Enjoy your meal.

Key Points for Making Khoresht Aloo Esfenaj

• Suppose you don’t like red meat or have blood pressure problems. You can use white meat like chicken or turkey. It is enough to use 500 to 700 grams of chicken or turkey meat instead of mutton and follow the other steps mentioned above.
• The use of pomegranate paste in this dish is a matter of taste, but it is recommended to use walnuts. Due to its warm character, walnut is an excellent choice to balance the cold nature of this stew.
• If you are a vegetarian, you can avoid using meat, use the same raw materials and method of preparation, and remove the meat.
• To add unique flavor to Khoresht Aloo Esfenaj, add a tablespoon of infused saffron to the pot at the end of preparing the stew.
• This stew should not have too much water. 
• Add prunes at the end of cooking, so they are not crushed and do not cause the stew to be deformed. 
• Some people fry the spinach very little, which does not have a good taste, and the stew becomes green. But instead, it has more properties. Fry the spinach well, not so much that it turns black and bitter. 

Do not forget to make this recipe and share it with us. If you also have any questions about the Khoresht Aloo Esfenaj recipe, please do not hesitate to ask.