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Iran, Middle East and Africa · Ghormeh Sabzi

Ghormeh Sabzi Chicken Pot Pie

The deep herb and dried-lime flavour of ghormeh sabzi in a British-style chicken pot pie under a crisp, golden puff pastry lid.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time1 h 15 min
DifficultyMedium

Method

  1. Wash the parsley, cilantro and spring onions, dry them thoroughly and chop finely. Heat half the oil in a 24 cm frying pan over medium-low heat and fry the herbs for , stirring often, until dark green and fragrant. Stir in the fenugreek leaves for the last minute, then tip into a bowl.

    Add in this stepVegetable oil 1½ tbspFlat-leaf parsley (leaves and tender stems) 60 gCilantro (leaves and tender stems) 30 gSpring onions 2Dried fenugreek leaves 2 tsp

    medium-low heat

  2. In the same pan, heat the rest of the oil over medium heat and cook the diced onion for until soft and golden.

    Add in this stepVegetable oil 1½ tbspOnion 1

    medium heat

  3. Add the chicken, cut into 2.5 cm pieces, with the turmeric and pepper. Cook over medium-high heat for , stirring, until no pink shows on the outside.

    Add in this stepBoneless chicken thighs 300 gGround turmeric ½ tspBlack pepper 2 pinch

    medium-high heat

  4. Sprinkle over the flour and stir for 1 minute. Pour in the stock gradually, stirring so no lumps form. Add the pierced dried limes, the fried herbs, the drained kidney beans and the salt, cover and simmer over low heat for , until the chicken is cooked through and the filling is as thick as gravy. Remove the limes and let the filling cool for 10 minutes; a hot filling melts the pastry. Start preheating the oven now.

    Add in this stepPlain flour 1½ tbspChicken stock 330 mlDried limes (limoo omani) 1Canned red kidney beans, drained 100 gSalt ½ tsp

    low heat

  5. Spoon the filling into the pie dish (Ø12 cm ×2) almost to the rim. Cut the pastry 1 cm larger than the dish, lay it over and press the edges firmly to seal. Brush with beaten egg and cut a small slit in the centre to let steam escape.

    Add in this stepPuff pastry (thawed if frozen) 160 gEgg (for glazing) 1

  6. Bake in the oven preheated to 200 °C (oven) for , until the pastry is puffed and deep golden and the filling bubbles at the slit. Rest for 5 minutes before serving.

    oven

Cook's tip

Thigh meat stays juicier than breast. No dried limes? Add the grated zest and juice of half a lemon at the end of step 4. Leftover classic ghormeh sabzi, reduced a little, makes a superb filling too.

Cooking it at camp

Make the filling at home and chill it. At camp, warm it in a cast-iron Dutch oven, top with the pastry and bake with coals underneath and on the lid for about 25 minutes, checking often. Without a Dutch oven, just heat the filling and spoon it over toasted bread.