¶ Abgoosht break · engineering a good lunch
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Put the calculator down. Today’s experiment uses a pot, a spoon and a little patience. Abgoosht, also called dizi, is Persian comfort food with a brilliant two-part finish — bread-soaked broth first, then mashed meat, beans and potatoes. No Saturday exam for this one.
Makes 4 servings · about 20 minutes of hands-on work · allow 3–3½ hours on the stove. This easy version uses canned legumes, so there is no overnight soaking.
¶ Gather your components
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Bone-in lamb shoulder or shank | 700–800 g |
| Onion | 1 large, peeled and quartered |
| Chickpeas | 1 × 400 g can, drained and rinsed |
| White beans | 1 × 400 g can, drained and rinsed |
| Potatoes | 3 medium, peeled and halved |
| Tomatoes | 2 medium, chopped |
| Tomato paste | 2 tablespoons |
| Turmeric | 1 teaspoon |
| Dried Persian limes, optional | 2 |
| Oil | 1 tablespoon |
| Water | About 1½ litres, plus hot water as needed |
| Salt and black pepper | To taste |
| To serve | Sangak or other flatbread, herbs, onion and pickles |
Equipment: a heavy pot with a lid, a ladle, a bowl and a potato masher. An ordinary stovetop pot is perfect; you do not need a stone dizi pot.
¶ Step by step
¶ 1. Wake up the spices · 5 minutes
Heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and stir for 3–4 minutes. Stir in turmeric and tomato paste for another minute without letting them burn. This gives the broth a deeper colour and flavour.
¶ 2. Start the slow simmer · about 2 hours
Add lamb, tomatoes, a little black pepper and about 1½ litres of water, enough to cover the meat. Bring to a boil and skim off any foam. Lower the heat, partly cover and simmer gently. You want small bubbles, not a turbulent volcano. Check every 30–40 minutes and add hot water if the meat is becoming exposed.
¶ 3. Add the potatoes and tang · 35–45 minutes
When the lamb is starting to soften, add the potatoes. If using dried limes, rinse them, soak in warm water for 10 minutes and pierce each one a few times. Add them now. Taste the broth as they steep and remove them when the sourness suits you; squeezing them can release bitter seeds.
¶ 4. Invite the beans · 20–30 minutes
Add the drained chickpeas and white beans. Continue simmering until the potatoes crush easily and the meat pulls away from the bone. Tough lamb needs more time, not higher heat. Season with salt and pepper. Keep enough liquid for four bowls of broth, adding a little hot water if necessary.
¶ 5. Serve round one · the broth
Remove the dried limes. Ladle the broth into bowls, keeping the solids in the pot. Tear bread into bite-sized pieces and let it soak in the broth. That is tilit — excellent spoon practice.
¶ 6. Serve round two · the glorious mash
Transfer the meat, potatoes and legumes to a sturdy bowl. Carefully remove every bone and any tough bits. Mash together, loosening with a spoonful of broth if needed. This is goosht koobideh. Serve with bread, herbs, onion and pickles. A fork works if your kitchen has temporarily misplaced its masher.
¶ Troubleshooting the delicious experiment
- Too thin? Simmer uncovered briefly before separating the broth.
- Too thick? Add hot water a little at a time, then taste and adjust seasoning.
- Too sour? Remove the limes early. Next time use one instead of two.
- No dried limes? Skip them and add a small squeeze of lemon at the end, tasting as you go.
- Using dried legumes instead? This recipe’s timing is for canned beans. Dried beans need soaking and proper cooking before the finishing stage; do not swap them in directly.
Kitchen challenge: can you resist eating the mash straight from the bowl? Results may vary.
This is Mogissi Academy’s informal home-kitchen version, written for fun. For other approaches, explore Hami Sharafi’s abgoosht and Farhang Foundation’s dizi cooking feature.