Khoresh Gheymeh (gheimeh), also called Gheymeh Polo (polo means rice) is a Beef and Split Pea Stew which is a very traditional and popular Iranian stew with saffron potatoes that is served over either white rice or Aromatic Rice. The Aromatic Rice is a version of steamed white rice where Persian Rice Spice blend is sprinkled on the rice before steaming it.
The word gheymeh comes from how the meat is cut into small cubes in this recipe and unlike other Persian khoreshs that have larger chunks of meat, Gheymeh meat is usually cut into about one inch cubes. Traditionally Gheymeh is made with lamb or beef but due to the recent interest in using white meat instead of the red meat some people may choose to use cubed chicken breast instead which involves a slightly different preparation than the lamb or beef.
The yellow split peas used in this recipe are called “dir paz,” which literally means long cooking. This kind of split peas look exactly the same as the regular split peas but are tastier and hold their shape better during the cooking process and do not fall apart. This variety is usually sold in the Middle Eastern markets and you can ask for it by name “lapeh dir paz;” lapeh means split pea. This is the only kind of yellow split peas that I use in all of my recipes.
The half cooked split peas, fried onions, tomato paste, Limoo Amani, meat spice and butter are sauteed for a few minutes before adding the cooked meat and broth. Next the pot is covered and cooked over medium low heat until all the ingredient are cooked and tender.
UPDATE: I have recently added a Meat Spice Blend II which adds some warm spices to this khoresh; both blends taste wonderful in this recipe and it is a matter of personal preference which one you decide to use.
The potatoes are peeled and cut into thin wedges then rinsed under cold water to get rid of the starch so the wedges do not stick together during frying. Next, the potato wedges are pat dried with a paper towel and tossed with the optional saffron before frying in heated oil. Once the potato wedges are golden brown they are transferred to a paper towel lined platter to get rid of the excess oil. A light sprinkle of kosher salt adds flavor to the fried saffron potatoes.
Limoo Amani (Persian dried lime) plays a big role in the amazing taste of Gheymeh and it is also sold in the Middle Eastern markets. However if you are unable to find it in your area you can substitute fresh lime juice for it and the Khoresh Gheymeh will still be wonderful.
The traditional presentation of Khoresh Gheymeh is like the above picture with fried saffron potato wedges on top. Enjoy this mouthwatering khoresh over Aromatic Rice or White Rice.
This is the Aromatic Rice that is steamed with Persian Rice Spice and a sprinkle of saffron.
- 1 pound cross rib roast beef or a similar roast, cubed to 1-inch pieces (may use cubed lamb instead)
- 1 TBSP butter
- ½ large onion diced
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 3 cups water
- ¾ cup yellow split peas (I prefer the dir paz variety)
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 ½ large onion sliced thin and fried to golden brown (5 ounces fried onions)
- 3-4 TBSP vegetable oil to fry the onions
- 2 TBSP tomato paste
- ¼ cup crushedlimoo amani (dried Persian lime)
- 2 whole limoo amani (Pierce the sides with the tip of a sharp knife and soak in hot water for 5 minutes before adding it to the stew)
- 1 tsp Persian Meat Spice (your choice of original blend, or blend II)
- 1 tsp kosher salt (to be added to the cooked meat)
- ⅛ tsp ground saffron (optional)
- 2 TBSP butter
- FOR THE SAFFRON POTATO
- 3 medium white potatoes peeled and cut into thin wedges
- Dash of saffron (optional)
- ¼ cup vegetable oil for frying the potato wedges
- Kosher salt to taste, sprinkled over the fried potatoes
- FOR THE AROMATIC RICE
- 2 ½ cups rice
- 1 ½ tsp Persian Rice Spice
- Pieces of lavash or flour tortilla for Tahdig
- Melt butter in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the cubed beef, diced onion, turmeric powder, and ground black pepper (salt will be added later). Saute for 10 minutes until the meat is browned and the natural juices are bubbling.
- Add 3 cups water, cover, reduce heat to medium low and cook for 20-30 minutes, or until the meat is tender. After the meat is cooked there should be about 2 ½ cups of broth in the pot.
- Meanwhile pick through the split peas for any possible debris. Add them to a small saucepan and fill the pan with cold water and wash the peas and discard the water. Add Fresh water to the saucepan and repeat couple of times to clean the peas.
- Next add enough cold water to cover the split peas by one inch. Add ½ tsp salt and bring the water to a boil over medium heat. Cook uncovered for 5-6 minutes, or until the split peas are more tender but still very firm. If the peas get fully cooked at this stage they will get mushy after they are cooked later with the meat and sauce. Drain the peas into a colander and rinse under cold water. Set aside.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet and fry the sliced onions until golden brown. Add the tomato paste and saute for another 3-4 minutes until aromatic. Add the cooked split peas, 2 TBSP butter, ¼ cup crushed dried limes (about 2-3), ⅛ tsp optional saffron and 1 tsp Persian Meat Spice. Saute over medium low heat for 5-8 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the cooked beef, broth, and 1 tsp kosher salt to the skillet. Stir to combine the ingredients. Add 2 whole limes that have been soaking in hot water, and bring the sauce to a boil. Reduce the heat to the mark between medium low and low. Cover and simmer for 35-40 minutes, or until the meat, split peas and dried limes are tender and the sauce has thickened.
- Meanwhile peel and slice the potatoes into ½-inch long sticks. Place the potatoes in a colander and rinse under cold water to get rid of the starch that is on the surface so the potatoes do not stick together when fried. Pat dry the potatoes with a paper towel before frying. If using the optional saffron, you will need to add the potatoes to a medium bowl and sprinkle a dash of saffron on the potatoes and toss to coat.
- Heat the ¼ cup vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. The oil should be very hot but not smoking. Gently add the potatoes to the hot oil and stir couple of times to coat all of the potatoes with oil, then fry them in a single layer for 15-20 minutes, stirring and turning so the potatoes are tender and light golden brown on all sides. Transfer the fried potatoes to a platter covered with a paper towel to absorb the excess oil. Immediately sprinkle the fries with about ¼ tsp kosher salt.
- To serve, add Steamed Aromatic Rice to the plates and add Gheymeh on top. Next top the Gheymeh with fried potatoes.
- Please refer to the How To section on my blog for Aromatic Steamed Rice directions.
Persian Rice Spice: The Persian Rice Spice is a blend of 5 ground spices: Rose petals, cinnamon, cumin, nutmeg and cardamom. The proportions are different depending on who is making the spice blend. I make mine in the order that it is written, with 3 parts rose petals, 2 cinnamon, 1 cumin and ½ each of nutmeg and cardamom.
Limoo Amani: If you have to substitute fresh lime juice instead of the dried lime, use ¼-1/3 cup of lime juice, adjust to your taste.
Salam Homa , I’m your silent follower – I’ve been following your blog for a couple months, and your blog is always become my guide book to look when I need to cook Persian foods for my husband, he is Iranian – unfortunately we don’t have extended family lives near by to teach me how to cook but in other country. So I cook Persian’s food by trial and error – GOD knows how many time I cry because I can’t cook rice perfectly like Iranian .. but always feel confident when the time to cook Koresh :))) Thank you for sharing recipes, and nice to meet you here ..
Salam azizam, it is wonderful to meet you as well. Thank you for your comment. I’m happy you find my blog helpful. The Persian rice is really tricky at first but it is easy to learn the technique. I have a detailed post about the Persian Steamed rice on the How To page of my blog. I hope you try my rice instructions and write to me with a success story of an Iranian rice that makes you happy! Please do not hesitate to contact me as many times as you need with any questions that you might have about any recipe. Lovely to have you here.
Homa, I love, love, love your blog. Coming here gives me the feeling of visiting a good friend’s home for lunch or dinner and when the front door open’s, the fragrance of the food manifests how welcoming your home is. Reading your caring detailed narratives makes me high with the fragrance of the dish(s) you are presenting. Beautiful gheymeh, saffron fries and aromatic rice! Did I say, I love, love, love your “How To” page?
Dearest Fae, how wonderful of you to cheer me up with your beautiful comment! You’re welcome in my home any time. I’m so glad you like my How To page; this is a guide for the basics of Persian cooking and it was the first page that I started to work on a few months ago when I was getting ready to publish my blog!
Hi Homa, I wanted to make this dish tonight, but only have uncooked whole green peas…would I be able to use them instead of yellow split peas? I realize it wouldn’t be the proper dish, but was just wondering if it would still taste good? Also, would it be alright to use a slow cooker? Looks so yummy! Thank you for the recipe!
Hello Chelsey,
I have never cooked Gheymeh in a slow cooker or with green peas. Having said that, it would probably still taste good. By “uncooked whole green peas,” do you mean fresh/frozen green peas? If they are fresh or frozen, you may add them at the last hour of slow cooking.
As far as the rest of the recipe: Brown the meat as(step #1). Continue the same as (step#2) but add the meat and water to the slow cooker, at this point also add the tomato paste, half of the fried onions, (no salt) and dried limes and slow cook the meat until tender. Then add the rest of the fried onions, salt and fresh/frozen green peas to the slow cooker and cook for one more hour or until the stew has a nice thick sauce and the peas are tender and flavorful. If the sauce is not thick enough leave the lid open and cool on high setting until it is. Then serve with fried saffron potatoes over rice.
I am very interested to hear all about this recipe. Please let me know 🙂
Thank you so much for your quick response! I’ll let you know how it turns out. 🙂
Homa joon, I’ve been craving Gheymeh, but am somewhat intimidated by making it.
Your recipe is so nicely organized. I can’t wait to try it tomorrow night!
Dear Coco in the Kitchen, that is very nice of you to say that 🙂 I think you will love this recipe, it is one of my favorites. Nooshe Joon and have a great weekend my dear!
Dear Homa,
Your recipes are SIMPLY AMAAZING!! I’ve tried out the gheimeh, borani badamjan, khoresht badamjan, fesanjoon , turkey kabobs so far and everything has been delicious!!!i think I’m going to try everything on this website. Thankyou so much for posting these recipes, I’m so glad I found ur blog!
Dear Hena, how lovely to hear from you! I’m very glad to meet a loyal reader who has tried so many of my recipes. Please keep it up, there are more recipes coming your way. I’m looking forward to reading more of your reviews and comments. Happy cooking dear friend 🙂
I have made this over a span of 2 weeks and my husband LOVES the food, we are 3rd generation Iranian ( born and brought up in India, and we’ve never been there, will hopefully go next year, inshallah) I always wanted to learn Persian cooking but just didn’t get the right recipes and judging from all the food we’ve tried out – even In Mediterranean Restaurants, I dont think anything has come close to these ? , Please count me as one of your biggest fans!! ❤️
Dear Hena thank you for your kind words. When I decided to start this blog I wanted to provide a source that food lovers like yourself can recreate my family recipes exactly the same way that I cook them in my own kitchen. I am very happy to know that you and your family are enjoying them. I hope you do visit Iran next year and have a great and memorable travel; there is so much to see there!
Salam Homa,
I keep trying but I just can’t make rice, it gets soft, I don’t know what kind of basmati rice to buy either, we have an Iranian store here, which brand of rice do you suggest? And how do I avoid destroying it :/
Salam Hena jan, Persian rice can be challenging at times, but I feel that the length of time that the rice is boiled at the beginning and the degree it’s cooked is usually more important than the type of Basmati rice you use. I have used a variety of Basmati rice brands and they are not really that different, I will name a few: Tilda, Pari, Royal, Amira. The only difference is that the first time you try any brand you might have to adjust how long you need to boil the rice at the beginning, but you always want the rice to be firm in the core when you bite into a cooked grain before steaming it. A good rule of thumb is that it is better to under-cook the rice (depending on the type of rice this might take anywhere from 5-10 minutes) at the beginning and see how it turns out for you. I have this Perisan Rice tutorial: http://persianmama.com/persian-steamed-rice/ that a lot of people have found very helpful. I hope this helps and let me know how your rice turns out.
Salaam Homa, sorry for the late reply, my little one wasn’t keeping well, I tried the rice, it did turn out much better, have to keep practicing though… Thankyou so much!!
Hi Hena, I hope your little one is feeling better.
That is good to hear about the rice 🙂 Yes that is the right attitude! Pretty soon your rice will be exactly how you want! Thank you for your comment..
Dear homa.
Today I tried your recipe for gheimah, I almost tasted it while reading it. though
I ‘m used to cooking it my family’s recipe. It really smelled nice and tasted heavenly. I altered the recipe a little as I added less lemon omani but added Alu ( bought it from mashhad on a visit last year,kept it frozen yet tastes fresh) . My husband loved it & I’m going to keep some for my daughter whose coming for a visit . I ‘m sure she will love it too.
Dear Sadika, so good to hear about your delicious gheimah! Alu is a great addition. I also keep my precious dried fruit from Iran in the freezer 🙂
Have a wonderful visit with your daughter and noosh e jan!
Hi Homa joon. Thank you so much for creating such a great website. I am making this dish tomortow night but I was not sure which ‘persian meat spice plend’ to use. The original or II?
Thank you so much
Sara jan thank you for the kind words; I’m so glad you’re enjoying my blog!
This is one of those recipes that I have made with both of the meat spice blends at different times and love them both, but favoring spice blend II a bit more!
Salam Homajoon! Many thanks for the beautifully written recipes! I made khoresh gheymeh last night and was very happy with the results! The flavors and textures brought back lovely memories of my travels in Iran. Now I am engaged to marry a Kurdish Iranian and cannot wait to prepare some delicious and authentic dishes for my aziz! Your recipes are filled with love and that always makes food taste even better!!!
Salam dear Paul, I’m delighted to read your heartfelt comment. Congratulations on your engagement; your sweetheart is going to love all the effort that you put into cooking for her. Please keep in touch and tell me all about the other recipes that you try. Nooshe Jan 😉
سلام
Hi to everyone! I want to express my admiration for the Iranian cuisine! especially for your recipes. I tried to cook a lot of them and the result was amazing. I’m from Greece and because of my husband would love to learn how to cook these dishes. Now through this site have the opportunity. Again, many thumbs up for the initiative to create this site.
this food is also amazing!
Homajoon Thanx a lot!!!
سلام Mariam jan, khahesh mikonam! I love reading your very kind message and I’m so happy to hear that you and your husband have enjoyed many of my recipes. Please keep in touch and keep on cooking 😉
Homa khanoom, I would like to get your suggestions on whether or not to remove the seeds from limoo amani. I heard they can make a very tart taste when eaten after cooking in khoresht. Thank you, and Happy New Year (American)!
Hello Mia; happy new year to you too! Limoo amani is aromatic and very tart by nature. Some people choose to crack it open and remove the pits before adding it to the khoresh, because they tend to have a mild bitter taste. Some also choose to use the limoo amani whole for aroma and flavor, but remove it before serving the dish; I never do this one because I love limoo amani 😉 You will need to try it for yourself and see which option suits you best.
Merci, Homa Khanoom. So am I understanding correctly that you open the limoo and remove the seeds before adding to khoresht, etc.?
I use limoo amani all the time (usually ground) but prefer using the whole, which is why I wanted to get your recommendation.
I always enjoy your posts on FB and Instagram. Thank you for being such a valuable resource for Persian cooking.
Khahesh mikonam Mia jan; thank you so much for your support on all of my pages 🙂 Yes, if you don’t like the seeds, which tend to have a slightly bitter flavor, simply crush the whole limoo to several pieces, under a heavy object (like a meat tenderizer) and then remove the pits. I personally love limoo amani, seeds and all, so I just barely crack them with a nut cracker and use them whole.
Merci, Homa khanoom! Precisely what I wanted to understand was what YOU do. I’m going to try using them whole (just slightly cracked) next time. Their distinctive aroma while simmering in dishes like ab gusht is intoxicating for me, and transports my heart to feeling like I’m in Iran. No exaggeration!
You sound like a true fan 😉 and I totally agree; limoo amani takes Persian dishes to a higher level of flavor and authenticity! Enjoy it dear Mia!
Hi Homa,
I’m going to make this over the weekend. Super American question – your meat spice blend calls for “chili powder.” Is that American chili powder, the blend you use to make the chili for Superbowl parties, or is it red chili powder that just has chillies in it?
Allison
Hello Allison; it’s the regular chili powder (not hot). I’m excited that you’re making this; let me know what you think. Enjoy and have a great weekend 🙂
I had to make this fast so we could attend a birthday party so I cut a few corners time-wise and skipped the potatoes. Still very tasty! My husband found yellow split peas for me so I had to make this (I hadn’t found them in Pittsburgh before).
Hi Allison; so glad you like this recipe; I actually do the same thing, when I’m short on time or want to save some calories. I’m glad your husband was able to find yellow split peas for you; I love them in this khoresh. Thank you for sharing your Gheymeh experience 🙂
So I just made this again and followed the recipe exactly except I missed the second butter and limoo amani additions (I blame distracting kids).I actually thought the flavor was perfect with just the crushed limes though. Whole family gobbled down their dinner and it was even better the next day. Served with salad shirazi.
That might have been a blessing Allison; your little ones have pretty sophisticated palates, but most children are not too fond of whole limoo amani and the crushed ones are easier to conceal 😉 I always look forward to reading your comments and I thank you for writing to me.
Such an awesome recipe- thank you so much! My kids love this! This is a staple in our household- I make it every month. We first had this dish at our neighbor’s house ( Houmayoun- he is Persian). I am so glad I can recreate it.
You’re so welcome Shefali! I always feel like I’m doing something right, when children enjoy my recipes; so thanks for that 😉 It’s also great to hear that you were able to recreate your Persian neighbor’s gheymeh successfully. I appreciate your comment and please keep in touch. Have a great week!
Hi Persian mama!
I always wanted to cook gheimeh the way everyone in my family would eat it and love it but most of the time I got disappointed. Two weeks ago I tried your recipe and it was great. Tasty and original. My husband just asked me to cook gheimeh like the one I cooked the other day! Thank you so much! Can’t wait to try your other recipes.
Hello Azadeh jan! I loved reading your comment; thank you 🙂 It’s a pleasure to know that you’ve put my recipe to good use. Gheymeh is a family favorite around my house too! I hope to hear back from you when you try my other recipes. Have a great weekend!
Hi Homa Joon –
I tried making the gheimeh today but my meat got hard and the split peas are still hard. Do I just need to add some more water and leave it to cook for longer?
Thank you,
Melissa
Hi Melissa; I’m sorry to hear that. The meat should be cooked until tender before adding the rest of the ingredients. The split peas should also be pre cooked before adding to the ingredients. However, since both are still hard, go ahead add water, if needed, and continue cooking until they are tender.
Hi Homa,
Interesting twist to the process for cooking the split peas. I’ve made gheyme several times but I really liked this method best. Mind you, this MIGHT be how everyone does it but what do I know lol. Anyways, turned out great. Wife (polish) loves Iranian cuisine and she approved so there you have it. One thing you may have forgotten to mention however is that gheyme, or any other Iranian dish requiring paste, really must be made with Iranian paste. It makes a world of a difference. I got lazy to drive to my local Persian store so I settled for premium grade Italian tomotoes etc etc. doesn’t matter how premium, If it’s not Iranian paste it just doesn’t have that extra elevation. What do you think? Thank you again!
Hello Sal.R; I’m truly happy that you and your dear wife have enjoyed this recipe! Since not too many people have access to Iranian paste, I always try to create recipes that taste amazing with the ingredients that are available to everyone in any particular corner of the globe. Hope you will get your hands on some of your favorite Iranian paste and try this recipe again and see if it really is different or is it our memories of our beautiful Iran that makes everything about it so close to our heart. Have a great weekend and please keep in touch 🙂
This was such a wonderful and easy recipe! I had to triple the amounts since I was making this for ~20 people, and it turned out amazing! I usually make gheime without following a recipe and just experiment with it, which means I can never be sure how it’s gonna turn out!! So happy I found a recipe I can feel confident about 🙂
So good to hear from you dear Afsane! Thanks so much for your confidence in my work; I’m happy you’ve enjoyed this recipe that has helped cooking for 20 people a little easier. I hope to read more of your comments when you try other recipes on this blog. Have a great weekend and please keep in touch!
I love your website and have made good food off it. But i am so sad tonight. I just made this gheymeh recipe and it’s bitter. I followed the instructions exactly. It smells very good and unfortunately it has a bitter taste on the tongue. I looked up other recipes and they don’t call for crushed dried lemon. So Homa joon are you referring to dried GROUND limes? That’s what I put. My mother says I should have just put one dried lime. I think the ground dried lime messed it up. IS that what you use. I attempted to look up the ground lime situation on your spices page but did not find the answer so i assumed crushed limes meant ground dried limes from the Persian markets. Can you please let me know. Looks like this batch is going to have to be thrown out and I will make a new one for my party tomorrow. Goodness…,
Hello Sima jan; I’m sorry your gheymeh didn’t turn out as you expected. Crushed lime is different from lime powder. For this recipe I crush 2-3 whole limes to several pieces with a meat tenderizer or a nut cracker, then remove the lime pits that some people find bitter, before adding it to khoresh. Dried lime powder sold at the Persian markets is probably ground with the pits inside, which taste bitter and it also makes the khoresh darker in color which is not what we want. If you wish, don’t crush the limes and just use them whole next time. I’m glad you contacted me; as you can see from other comments, this is a very popular and delicious recipe and I hope you will like your khoresh better next time. Please feel free to contact me with your questions anytime.
Hi Homa joon, thank you so much for sharing these recipes! They remind me of my grandmother’s cooking!
I would like to make this dish with chicken. Do you have suggestions as to What I should do differently?
That is so nice to hear Maryam joon, thank you! You could try cutting boneless chicken breast into bite size pieces and saute it briefly and then follow the rest of the recipe (don’t forget to add water or chicken broth) as written and substitute the par cooked chicken pieces for the beef. Let me know how this works for you. Enjoy!
Thank you! I can’t wait to try it with chicken!
Let me know how it works for you 🙂
Hi Homa Joon! I made the recipe and it worked out really well. I shredded the chicken a bit with forks so that it wouldn’t be so chunky. I feel like the challenge with chicken is the stew does not have the same richness as when cooked with beef. If you have any suggestions for how to enhance the flavor when using chicken please let me know. Thank you again for the recipe!
Hi Maryam jan; Chicken breast is very lean and tends to dry out if cooked too much. If yo wish to add extra flavor and richness, you could use boneless chicken thighs, but leave them in small bite size chunks and don’t shred them so your stew has more substance and a better texture.
Hi Homa joon,
I’d like to try making a vegetarian version of this. What adjustments would you recommend making? Should I add 3/4 cup of yellow split peas? Still the same amount of butter/onions? Please let me know how I can switch around the instructions to make this work.
Thank you so much!
Hello Nak aziz; You could make the exact recipe but leave out the meat. Or to give it more substance increase the amount of split peas to 1-1 1/2 cups, increase the amount of fried onions (the more the tastier), butter, and the saffron potatoes. I would also add some vegetable stock instead of water or ‘Better Than Bouillon’ vegetable base mixed with water. Hope these suggestions work for you. I’d like to hear back from you with the details 😉
Hi Homa Jaan, are these long or fast cooking yellow split peas please?
Thanks,
Ferryal
Hi Ferryal jan; these are the ‘dir paz’ the long cooking ones. I never use anything but; they are delicious and they keep their shape much better!
Hi Homa I’m from Sweden I have a workmate from Iran I usually ask about Persian food. When I googled I found your website to love your recipes so I dared to sample khoreh gheymeh it was super good even invited my workmate. Got very good grades. Thank you for sharing with you to try out more of your recipes.
Hello and welcome Annika! I absolutely love reading your comment! This makes me feel like I’m on the right track, when you and your friend have loved your first try at one of my recipes. I know you’ll love many more recipes here and will have many satisfying Persian dinner parties from now on. Please keep in touch. Have a great Sunday 🙂
از شما جدا سپاسگزارم که ترویج غذا ها و فرهنگ ایران را می دهید در پناه خدا
درود فراوان دوست گرامی برای توجه و محبت شما. موفق و پاینده باشید
Hello. I am new to Persian cooking and am making this dish for a dear friend who is Persian. Can you tell me about how long this dish will take to prepare?
I will make sure to let you know how it turns out! Thank you for the detailed recipe.
Hi Megan; this recipe will take about 3 hours in total when the timing of the steps are followed as described in the directions. The rice should be prepared simultaneously with the khoresh! Happy cooking; Enjoy!