Khoresh Beh

Golden quince, fried in butter and sugar, is simmered with beef in a sweet-sour saffron sauce, a prized autumn dish.

TIME BREAKDOWN
Prep: 35 min
Cook: 2h 30m
Total: 3 hours 5 minutes
Vegetarian
❌
Nuts
❌
Serves
6 people
Difficulty
Medium

Ingredients

  • 600g stewing beef, cut into 3cm cubes
  • 2 onions, finely chopped
  • 3 tbsp sunflower oil
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 2 tbsp tomato purée
  • 2 large quinces (about 700g), peeled, cored and cut into 8 wedges
  • 40g unsalted butter
  • 2 tbsp caster sugar
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 tbsp lime or lemon juice
  • ¼ tsp saffron threads, ground and steeped in 2 tbsp hot water
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper

Method

  1. Heat the oil in a large pot and fry the onions for 12 minutes until golden. Stir in the turmeric, add the beef and brown for 8-10 minutes. Stir in the tomato purée for 2 minutes.

  2. Add 600ml hot water, the salt and pepper, cover and simmer gently for 1 hour 15 minutes until nearly tender.

  3. Melt the butter in a wide pan and fry the quince wedges over a medium heat for 8-10 minutes, turning, until golden. Sprinkle with the sugar and cook for 2 minutes until lightly caramelised.

  4. Add the quince to the stew with the cinnamon, lime juice and saffron water. Cover and simmer very gently for 35-40 minutes until the quince is tender but still holds its shape and the sauce is thick.

  5. Taste and add a little more sugar or lime juice for balance. Serve with chelo.