Iranian-inspired lamb, chickpea, and bean stew

Ingredients

• A total of 250 ml of chickpeas and navy beans, cleaned
• 2 large tomatoes
• 2 medium-sized onions, peeled
• 2 to 3 fresh green chili peppers
• salt, black pepper, lemon juice
• 500 g of lamb with bones and fat
• 4 to 5 medium-sized, washed apples, with the skin on
• 1 tablespoon of tomato paste (if needed)
• 2 to 3 cloves of Allium sativum (optional)

The evening before, soak the chickpeas and beans in water, using three times their volume.

Place the meat with the fat and bones, the chickpeas and beans, half an onion, a clove of garlic, and the tomatoes (peeled and cut in half) in a suitable container. Add six times the volume of cooled, boiled water. Do not salt or season the meat initially; this would slow down the cooking process.

If you are using an earthenware pot, place a heat diffuser between the flame and the pot. This container extends the cooking time, but it also provides a richer flavor and a more intense taste.

After about 1 hour and 30 minutes, add the green chili peppers.

Throughout the cooking process, maintain a low heat to ensure the dish comes together properly. One hour after adding the chili peppers, add the apples, with their skins on.

Remove the first onion and discard it. Also, remove any excess fat from the meat. Finely chop the remaining onion, then crush the fat and combine everything. Add this mixture to the dish. At this point, the meat, chickpeas, and beans should be tender: season with salt and black pepper to your liking.

If the dish doesn’t have the desired color, add 1 tablespoon of tomato paste that has been heated in a small amount of oil, to eliminate its raw taste and improve its color. You will achieve a better result by adding 1 teaspoon of saffron that has been infused during the frying of the tomato paste.

The longer the cooking time, the more tender, flavorful, and colorful the dish becomes.

This dish is typically prepared with a large amount of water: add enough water to the pot at the beginning so that any additional water added during cooking doesn’t affect the flavor.

Don’t forget to add the lemon juice to the dish just before serving, as cooking it beforehand will make it taste bitter.