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Halal-conscious recipe

Persian herb, red bean and lamb stew with Halal lamb

Leyli Homayoonfar's Persian-inspired stew: Halal lamb shanks braised with red kidney beans, turmeric and dried limes, then with fried coriander, parsley, chives, leek and fenugreek until falling off the bone.

  • Cuisine Persian
  • Meal Main
  • Difficulty Easy
  • Yield 4 portions
  • Time 4h
  • Last updated

Each method follows published technique for the dish, and every Halal substitution is checked against the ingredient pages we cite. Photographs come from our ingredient library rather than the finished dish.

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Irish stew with meat and vegetables
Photograph from our ingredient library: an Irish stew, not the finished dish from this recipe.

Why Halal checks matter here

The stew is made with 4 lamb shoulder shanks (about 900 g), which are Halal only from a Halal-slaughtered animal.

This is a slow-braised stew of lamb shanks with red kidney beans, turmeric and Persian dried limes. After the first hour, a big batch of coriander, parsley and chives, fried with leek and dried fenugreek until dark green, goes into the pot for two more hours. The source describes it as inspired by the Persian food Leyli Homayoonfar grew up with. The lamb is the only thing to check: it needs to come from a Halal butcher or a certified pack.

It follows her recipe for BBC Good Food, which serves four. Start soaking the beans an hour before you begin, and blitz the herbs in a food processor while the lamb has its first braise.

She likes the sauce almost broth-like, so loosen it with hot water to taste. Serve with sliced red onion and steamed rice.

Halal-critical ingredients

  • Lamb shanks Lamb is Halal only from a Halal-slaughtered animal, and lamb without a Halal mark doesn't say how the animal was slaughtered. Buy the shanks from a Halal butcher or in a certified pack. See Lamb.

Safe substitutes

  • Lamb shanks of unknown slaughter → Halal lamb shoulder shanks

Allergens

none

Ingredients

Stew

  • 100 g dried red kidney beans
  • 3 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 4 Halal lamb shoulder shanks (about 900 g)
  • 2 medium onions, chopped
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 6 Persian dried limes

Herbs

  • 100 g coriander
  • 400 g parsley
  • 1 leek, trimmed and finely chopped
  • 1½ tbsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
  • 100 g chives, finely sliced
  • squeeze lime juice, to taste (optional)

Method

  1. Soak the beans. Put the kidney beans in a heatproof bowl, cover with boiling water and leave to soak for 1 hour.
  2. Sear the lamb. Heat a flameproof casserole over a medium-low heat for a few minutes, then add 2 tbsp of the oil. Season the lamb and sear it on all sides until golden brown, then lift it out. Fry the onions over a low heat for 8 to 10 minutes until soft and translucent.
  3. Start the braise. Drain and rinse the beans and add them to the onions with the turmeric and dried limes, stirring to coat them in the oil. Return the lamb and pour over 1 litre of water, or enough to cover it. Bring to the boil, cover, turn down to a simmer and braise gently for 1 hour.
  4. Fry the herbs. Blitz the coriander and parsley in a food processor until finely chopped. In a separate frying pan over a medium heat, fry the leek in the remaining 1 tbsp oil for 6 to 8 minutes until softened. Stir in the fenugreek, blitzed herbs and chives, in batches if easier, and fry for 5 minutes until the herbs are dark green.
  5. Finish the stew. Stir the herb mixture into the stew with 250 to 500 ml hot water and braise for 2 hours more, until the lamb is completely tender and falling off the bone. Add a dash of hot water if the sauce gets too thick. Season with a good pinch or two of sea salt and, depending on the sourness from the limes, a squeeze of lime juice.

How this recipe was researched

Method adapted from BBC Good Food's 'Persian herb, red bean & lamb stew' by Leyli Homayoonfar, which describes it as inspired by the Persian food she grew up with (serves 4: 100 g dried red kidney beans covered with boiling water and soaked 1 hour; 4 lamb shoulder shanks (about 900 g) seasoned and seared on all sides in 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a flameproof casserole and set aside; 2 chopped onions fried gently 8 to 10 minutes; the drained beans, 1 tsp ground turmeric and 6 Persian dried limes stirred in, the lamb returned with 1 litre water or enough to cover, brought to the boil, covered and simmered 1 hour; 100 g coriander and 400 g parsley blitzed fine; a trimmed, finely chopped leek fried 6 to 8 minutes in 1 tbsp oil, then 1½ tbsp dried fenugreek leaves, the herbs and 100 g finely sliced chives fried 5 minutes until dark green; the herb mixture and 250 to 500 ml hot water stirred into the stew and braised 2 hours more until the lamb falls off the bone; seasoned with sea salt and an optional squeeze of lime; served with sliced red onion and steamed rice). We specified Halal lamb shanks; nothing else needed changing. Timings follow the published technique rather than a kitchen test.

Technique and ingredient sources

  1. Persian herb, red bean & lamb stew — BBC Good Food Retrieved:

    By Leyli Homayoonfar, inspired by the Persian food she grew up with. Serves 4, prep 30 minutes, cook 3 hours 30 minutes: soaked kidney beans, turmeric and dried limes braised with seared lamb shanks for 1 hour, then 2 hours more with fried coriander, parsley, chives, leek and fenugreek. We specified Halal lamb.

  2. Lamb analysis — isithalal.food Retrieved:

    What makes lamb Halal: the slaughter.

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