Carrots are known and loved for their health benefits, their brilliant color and sweet taste, their year-round low price, and for their versatility in different recipes from sweet to savory dishes. Carrots add flavor and color to any recipe when shredded in salads like Salad e Kalam, diced in soups (Soup e Jo, and Soup e Morgh e Zaferani), sliced in stir fry and roasted or grilled with colorful root vegetables. Carrots are also the main component of this favorite Persian stew, Khoresh Havij Ba Aloo.
Havij is Farsi for carrot and Aloo is plum, in this case dried plum or prune. This Azeri/Persian stew (khoresh) is one of my mom’s recipes (Havij Khurushi in Azeri) and she used to make it often and I always loved it; she made it without the prunes. This is a variation of her recipe and I’ve added prunes and fresh lemon juice. Carrots are julienned into thin sticks and are cooked with chunks of beef, plump prunes and lemon juice. The natural sweetness of prunes combined with the fresh lemon juice give this stew a lovely tangy flavor.
The beef is cubed into big chunks and is cooked in a pressure cooker for a shorter cooking time, but it may be cut into smaller cubes and cooked in a regular stockpot with some added time.
The carrots are julienned into sticks
Then they are cooked with very little oil in a covered large skillet until firm but tender.
Cook the cubed beef in the pressure cooker or in a stockpot until fork tender.
Add the cooked meat and the rest of the ingredients to the large skillet with carrots and onion mixture and simmer until the sauce is reduced and thickened. Serve over saffron rice and enjoy!
Khoresh Havij ba Aloo over rice is a fantastic meal any time of year, but it is especially warm and comforting in fall. I have also posted a mixed rice recipe with carrots called, Lubia Polo ba Havij that is layered with steamed aromatic rice.
Serves 5-7
- 2 pounds carrots (about 10 medium), peeled and julienned 2 inches long x ¼ inch thick
- 2 TBSP vegetable oil or butter
- 1 ½ pounds cross rib roast or any similar roast, cut into 2 inch chunks
- ½ large onion, diced medium
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 3 cups cold water
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced and fried to golden brown (about 4 ounces fried onions)
- 2 TBSP tomato paste
- 8 ounces pitted prunes (I used Kirkland brand Sunsweet Dried Plums)(aloo shirin)
- 1- 1½ cups boiling water
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 2 TBSP lemon juice
- Peel and julienne the carrots (1/4-inch thick x 2-inch long)
- Heat 2 TBSP vegetable oil or butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the carrots, cover the skillet and cook for 15 minutes, or until tender but firm. Stir 2-3 times. Remove the carrots from the skillet, set aside.
- In the same skillet add 3 TBSP oil and fry the sliced onion to golden brown.
- Add 2 TBSP tomato paste to the fried onions and saute for 5 minutes over low heat until aromatic. Add the cooked carrots back in the skillet and set aside until the meat is cooked.
- Meanwhile add beef, turmeric powder, ground black pepper, water, and the diced onion to a 4-6QT pressure cooker. Close the lid and top with the pressure regulator. Cook over medium high heat.
- Follow the safety precautions written in the owner’s manual for your specific pressure cooker. Once the pressure builds up and the pressure regulator starts rattling, set the timer for 20 minutes and reduce the heat a little bit (to between med high and medium) and cook for 20 minutes. Remove the pressure cooker from heat and without removing the pressure regulator place the pressure cooker in the sink and run cold water over it to release all of the pressure inside the pot before removing the regulator device.
- Add the content of the pressure cooker to the large skillet with carrots and onion mixture.
- Add 1 tsp kosher salt, 1-1 ½ cups boiling water, lemon juice and prunes to the skillet. Bring it to a boil. Cover the skillet, reduce the heat to medium low and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the sauce is reduced and thickened.
- Serve over saffron rice.
I love carrots and prepare something with them almost every day. To my misfortune, I never knew of this beautiful khoresh’e havij ba alu before. My father was an Azerbaijani, and when I make this dish, I’ll think of him. Thank you for this delectable recipe.
Oh Fae, thank you so much! what a special comment! It is very nice to hear that you will think of your dear father when you make this dish!
I just made this tonight and it was absolutely delicious! The sweetness of the prunes combined with the spices and beef made this dish incredibly tasty! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Leah thank you so much for taking the time to write to me. Also you are very welcome! I’m happy it was to your liking.
Thank you for posting this recipe! I just made this today and my husband and I loved it. My husband is Persian, and is usually critical of how I cook Persian meals, but not this time – I only heard praises 🙂 I used 1 cup of prune juice instead of one of the cups of water, and it still turned out great (I needed to use up some prune juice that I have). I also added some lentils, which worked well. Thank you for posting this!
Lora, Noosh e jan! Thank you for the great comment that just made my day. Prune juice in this carrot and prune khoresh is such a great idea. I love lentils, though I must admit I have never thought about using them in this khoresh 🙂 That just goes to show you how the world’s greatest recipes are created: By trying new ingredients in the old familiar dishes. Happy cooking!
Can’t wait to try this. I’ve so enjoyed so many of your recipes.
They are so delicious. Savory comfort food springs to mind.
Dear Patricia, it is always a pleasure to hear from my dear readers who have tried the recipes. I would love to read your comments about the recipes that you’ve tried and will try. Through these comments I learn more about how the recipes are working for everyone and others also benefit from reading them. Thank you so much and I hope you like my Khoresh Havij. Nooshe Jan 🙂 “Enjoy”
Hi Homa,
I made this with fresh fingerling carrots from our garden and then we took the whole pot with us for a long weekend at a cabin in Erie. I can say this khoresh reheats beautifully, ha! The toddler ate this for dinner two nights in a row with considerable enthusiasm (even by Persian food standards). Her tummy was visibly hanging out over her shorts – she was that full. Thanks for another great recipe.
Allison
Oh my goodness, I can only imagine how amazing homegrown carrots would taste in this khoresh; your little one knows what is good for her 😉 How interesting, taking pots of cooked khoresh and steamed rice to picnics/camping is a very traditional Iranian custom. Allison, thanks for sharing your delightful cooking stories on my site; so glad you enjoyed your weekend 🙂
Thank you so much for this recipe! I made it once and it turned out exactly how my grandma used to make it 🙂
Hi Sara, thanks so much for your comment; I feel honored my dear!
Salam Homa khanoum
I just bought a 5 lb. bag of organic carrots and was wondering what am I going to do with them. I have my answer now. 🙂 Many thanks for this great recipe and perfect timing. 🙂
I also have a question that you may have the answer to. I was in Tehran a few months ago and since I had just arrived from the states, a neighbor brought some “Ash” to my door. Hands down the best “Ash” I have ever had. Tons of Aloo bokhara in it, kind of on the sweet side for a Ash, lots of sabzi and of course the usual beans and legumes. I know it is hard to give a recipe based on these descriptions, but do you happen to know how to make “Ash” with Aloo bokhara that when you eat it, it would be ever slightly on the sweet side as far as the taste goes. The aloo didn’t have pits, assuming they were soaked the night before and pits take out and even may be the soaking water used in the Ash or may be not. One may ask why I didn’t ask the recipe from the neighbor herself. She had left for shahrestan the next day and she didn’t come back until I left Tehran to come back to the states, so I didn’t see her again, but I sure dream of her yummy Ash on a daily basis. When I say daily, I mean multiple times a day. 🙂 If you happen to have a recipe that might even resemble what I have explained, I would be grateful if you share it. Many many thanks.
Salam dear Sanjaghak; I’m glad you have a few carrots to make this recipe 😉 Enjoy! The ash that you’re describing sounds like ash e miveh, which I don’t have a recipe for at present. You could use the base ingredients of my ash e reshteh recipe. with the same herbs and legumes (leave out rice, bulgur, tarragon and garlic) cook them as the recipe indicates, then at the last 30 minutes add soaked aloo, albaloo, zardaloo; but don’t use the soaking water, since depending on how it has been dried, it could have some debris in it. This ash also has some reshteh and a touch of abghooreh, which you could add at the end after the fruit is cooked. Some people like it sweet, so you could add some sugar to taste. This is a rough recipe, but if you try it please let me know how it turns out. Have a great weekend!
Salam Homa khanoum
Thank you so much for your reply. I will do this recipe and let you know how things turn out. I don’t have albaloo, may be the Persian super market in my town would bring some, I have to look around and see if they have dried sour cherries in stores around me. But the rest of the ingredients I have available. Thank you so very much for taking the time to give me a recipe to get started. I hope you have had a good weekend. Many thanks again. 🙂
My pleasure dear Sanjaghak 🙂
Thank you for this recipe Homa- joon. It is similar to a dish a dear friend Nasrin used to make for potlucks. She used chicken but I loved the combination of plums and carrots with it and lemon juice would give that tangy flavor I think even my picky kids would like. I will use this recipe soon and let you know how it goes.
Hello Russell jan; I think your kids will be happy with this recipe! Thanks for writing to me. Please keep in touch and let me know how it works out for you 🙂
Salaam Homa Khanoom
I was wondering if it would be possible to use apricots instead of plums ?
Thank you for sharing your amazing recipes with us
Salam Sulmaz jan; Yes, dried apricots should be fine, but you might have to adjust the lemon juice depending on how sweet or tart your apricots are. Enjoy!
Hi Homa! Is there a separate recipe for this without the prunes? Or, do I do everything the same and just leave out the prunes? Thanks!
Hi Melinda; you could just leave the prunes out. Enjoy!
I haven’t made Persian food since I parted ways with my Iranian boyfriend 25 yrs ago, but this was my favorite khoresh to make and eat! I bought the ingredients and will make it tomorrow. I’m so glad I found your post! Thank you!
Hello and welcome Elizabeth! Have fun cooking this recipe; it is a family favorite 🙂