Khoresht Karafs Recipe

Khoresht Karafs or Persian celery stew is a dish made with celery as the main ingredient. Loaded with tender beef, perfectly cooked celery pieces, and fragrant herbs. It is usually served with rice and can be enjoyed as a main course.

About This Recipe

Khoresht Karafs is a Persian stew that is cooked with celery stalks and herbs such as mint and parsley. This stew is usually cooked with beef or lamb, but the vegan version of this stew is also very tasty. Celery stew usually has a slightly sour taste, but you can adjust the sourness to your own preference. A good celery stew needs time to simmer in order to allow all of the flavors to blend together.

Why You Will Love Khoresh Karafs

• Uses pantry ingredients: This stew is one of our favorite family meals! An easy stew made with basic pantry ingredients. Packed with nutrients with a straightforward recipe.
• Easy to make: You don’t need to have a lot of experience in Persian cuisine to cook a delicious celery stew. By following the recipe step by step, you will definitely get amazing results and surprise everyone at the table.
• Delicious: When cooked in a stew, celery adds a unique, earthy flavor that enhances the overall taste of the dish. It can provide a unique and mild taste that pairs well with rice.

Khoresht Karafs Ingredients

• Herbs:  The blend of herbs for celery stew consists of chopped celery leaves, mint, and parsley, which can be adjusted according to personal preference. I find a good ratio between mint to parsley is 1:2 or even 1:3. Adding more mint could potentially result in a bitter flavor in your stew.
• Celery stalks: Look for celery with fresh leaves, crisp stalks, and bright green colors. Wash celery stalks and leaves under running water. cut celery stalks into 1-inch pieces. Finely chop small and bright green celery leaves. Do not use large and dark green colored leaves. Celery stalks and leaves should be lightly sauteed in oil before being added to the stew. You can prepare celery stalks and herbs in advance and keep them in the freezer.
• Beef or lamb: In this stew, like most Iranian stews, lamb or beef is used. Lamb makes this stew more delicious, but if you do not like the taste of lamb, you can use beef. Cut lamb or beef into small cubes.
• Onion: Use yellow onion.
• Ab-Ghooreh (unripe or ‘sour’ grape juice): Most people like this stew to have a sour taste, so they add ab-Ghooreh or one or two dried limes(Limoo Amani).

How to Make Khoresht Karafs (Step-By-Step)

• To clean celery, cut off the base and leaves. Rinse the celery stalks thoroughly under cold, running water and dry them with a clean kitchen cloth.
• Then cut the celery stalks into 1-inch pieces. Chop the celery leaves, parsley, and mint.
• To achieve the best results, begin by sautéing the chopped celery leaves, mint, and parsley with oil. Then proceed to sauté the chopped celery stalks separately, as the former fresh herb mix requires less cooking time. Set the sauteed herbs and celery stalks aside.
• Cut the onions thoroughly. Then sauté with oil to make it soft and golden. Chop the lamb or beef into small cubes. Add meat, turmeric, and pepper to the onion. When the beef is slightly browned from the frying, add sauteed chopped celery stalks, then pour 3-4 cups of boiling water and let it cook and soften with low heat.
• When the meat is soft, you can add sauteed herbs. With gentle heat, let it simmer and cook well in order to bring out the flavors for 1 hour, or until the stew is thickened.
• Add unripe or ‘sour’ grape juice(Ab-Ghooreh in Persian) to the stew toward the end of cooking to brighten the entire dish.

Variations

• This is a classic celery stew recipe, but some people like to prepare this dish in other ways. In some variations of this stew, instead of mint and parsley, the Ghormeh herb mix is used.
• In some recipes, only celery and its leaves are used.
• Classic celery stew does not have tomato paste, but in some recipes, a spoonful of tomato paste is added to thicken the stew.
• In some recipes, pinto beans are also added to the stew. The celery adds texture and subtle flavor to the stew, while the pinto beans provide a good source of protein and fiber.

Vegetarian Khoresht Karafs

To create a vegan celery stew, simply remove the meat from this recipe. Feel free to add pinto beans, chickpeas, or kidney beans to the stew. You can also swap vegetable broth for water for an extra boost of nutrients.

Expert Tips

• Depending on the taste, you can use dried limes instead of 2 tablespoons of lemon juice or Ab Ghooreh(unripe or ‘sour’ grape juice). Khoreshte Karafs has a great flavor with Ab Ghooreh. We suggest you try it.
• If you do not have mint and parsley, you can use celery leaves. If you wish, instead of red meat (beef and lamb) you can also use white meat (chicken and turkey).
• Of course, in some cases, like Ghormeh sabzi stew, white beans or red beans are used in Khoresht Karafs stew.
• Replace water with chicken or beef broth for a richer stew.

Serving Suggestions

• Serve celery stew with fluffy saffron rice and a bowl of salad Shirazi.
• A bowl of plain yogurt or yogurt mixed with dried mint and diced cucumber can be a great option.

FAQs

What Is Khoresh Karafs Made Of?

Khoresh Karafs or Persian celery stew is made of small chunks of beef or lamb cooked with celery stalks, chopped mint, parsley, and onion. The flavorings are best suited to the stew: just a bit of sour grape juice, salt, turmeric, and pepper is enough to bring it up another level.

How to Cut Celery? 

Rinse the celery stalk under cold water to remove any dirt or debris. Using a sharp knife trim off the root of the celery stalk, as it tends to be tough. Separate the leaves from the celery stalks and chop them into small pieces. Remove the outer strings of stalks by either peeling them off with a vegetable peeler or pulling them away with your fingers. Cut the celery stalks into 1-inch or bite-sized pieces.

Did you like the Khoresht Karafs recipe? Try my Kookoo Sabzi recipe as well! Leave your comment below and If you make this recipe, be sure to tag your photos #yummynotes 

Looking for More Persian Recipes?

• Mirza Ghasemi Recipe
• Albaloo Polo Recipe
• Sosis Bandari Recipe
• Estamboli polo Recipe

Khoresht Karafs Recipe

Serves: 4 Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cooking Time: 180 Minutes 180 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 4.9/5

( 18 voted )

Pin

Print

Ingredients

• 400gr celery stalks and leaves, chopped
• 50gr fresh mint, chopped
• 150gr fresh parsley, chopped
• 150gr celery leaves, chopped
• 1 large onion
• 300gr beef or lamb
• 3-4 cups boiling water
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons Ab-Ghooreh (Persian sour grape juice)
• Vegetable oil, for the pan

Instructions

Step 1

To clean celery, cut off the base and leaves. Rinse the celery stalks thoroughly under cold, running water and dry them with a clean kitchen cloth.

Step 2

Then cut the celery stalks into 1-inch pieces. Chop the celery leaves, parsley, and mint.

Step 3

To achieve the best results, begin by sautéing the chopped celery leaves, mint, and parsley with oil. Then proceed to sauté the chopped celery stalks separately, as the former fresh herb mix requires less cooking time. Set the sauteed herbs and celery stalks aside.

Step 4

Cut the onions thoroughly. Then sauté with oil to make it soft and golden. Chop the lamb or beef into small cubes. Add meat, turmeric, and pepper to the onion. When the beef is slightly browned from the frying, add sauteed chopped celery stalks, then pour 3-4 cups of boiling water and let it cook and soften with low heat.

Step 5

When the meat is soft, you can add sauteed herbs. With gentle heat, let it simmer and cook well in order to bring out the flavors for 1 hour, or until the stew is thickened.

Step 6

Add unripe or 'sour' grape juice(Ab-Ghooreh in Persian) to the stew toward the end of cooking to brighten the entire dish.