Carrots Stew; Original Dish from Iran’s Azarbaijan Province

Ingredients:

1 kg of grated or chopped carrots

500 grams of beef or chicken meat (optional)

1 medium-size onion

1-2 tbsp. of tomato paste

3 dried lemons or plums

Salt, pepper, turmeric

Saffron

Lemon juice or verjuice

 

Directions:

First wash the carrots and chop them in a same size and then fry. Chop the onion finely and fry with meat (or chicken). Add salt, turmeric, and pepper to the meat and onions and pour some water on them to cook. When the meat or chicken is cooked well, add a little water. Then, add the dried lemons and plums. Finally, pour some steamed saffron into the stew and then add the carrot, tomato paste and salt to it. Put the lid of the pot and let it cook on a low heat for 10 minutes. If you want, add some lemon juice or verjuice at the end. This is something optional. You can decorate this stew with some barberry and pistachio slices and serve along with rice.

 

Notes:

Carrot stew is made with chopped carrots. So do not grate them. Do not boil carrots instead of frying, because the taste of the food will be changed and gets slightly sweet. The main seasoning of the stew is saffron, lemon juice or verjuice. If you are a fan of sweet foods, you can add 1 or 2 tablespoons of sugar at the end.