Khoresh Karafs (Persian Celery Stew With Lamb) Recipe (2024)

This is so close to what my Iranian fiancé makes, but so far because it should take all day. We make Persian food for our neighbors and friends all the time, and it’s a wake up and start the onions while having coffee process. This is a good recipe, very close to the karafs that my fiancé’s mom makes in Tehran, but don’t believe the times, expect everything to be multiplied by 3 or 4. (Hint, good braised lamb takes hours, not 30 minutes, and caramelized onions don’t take 10 minutes.

I thought the flavor profile of this dish was fantastic. Because of an allergy to mammal meat, I made it with chicken thighs and it worked beautifully. For a second day, I added a can of chickpeas to stretch the leftovers and that was delicious as well. Definitely will be making this again.

While this is an adaptation of this Koresht the recipe is completely off and the shortcuts won't give you the depth of flavor. Lamb, beef or boneless chicken thigh (quicker cook time) can be used. Caramelize onions, sear protein, fry your herbs and celery in oil and add turmeric, salt and pepper. Dried mint is also essential in this dish. For the sour, you can use sour grape juice (sold in middle eastern shops) lemon and lime work well as well. Secret ingredient, one tablespoon of tomato paste!

My boyfriend's family uses powdered limu omani (dried limes), a cup of chopped parsley, and a few sprigs of chopped mint for this khoresht, which add a wonderful flavor and aroma to the dish.

we make this stew all the time and it takes around 1-2 hours mainly for the meat stew to cook. on the vegetarian version, my mother normally uses yellow peas (or yellow lentil), and then it cooks quickly less than an hour which is very delicious as well.

This was a brand new dish for me. I found the recipe results to be delicious! While I can't compare to more traditional preparations, I can confirm that this is an excellent dish following the recipe as written.

This is close to my best friend’s (she is Iranian-American) recipe. I made a pot just last week using beef. The stew does take longer than an hour but does not have to take all day either. Let stew simmer for 2 hours or so then refrigerate overnight for the flavors to meld. Delicious!

Wow this is so good I couldn't resist getting another portion after I had come home from work. I just stuck my finger in and it was so tasty I had to make some more rice and have more. I think having the right equipment and the experience in using it may be key to getting the recipe right off my family came over from the old country and up till forty years ago I had my mother still alive to consult on cooking.

This is lovely but on the citrus be careful to follow the measurements - rather than the suggestion of how many limes or lemons will make that quantity of juice. I ended up adding way too much citrus because five citrus fruits will in fact produce significantly more than a half cup of juice.

Far too short for cooking time. Once everything was added to the dutch oven, I set it in the oven at 250 for 3 hours. Substituted chicken thighs and multiplied everything else by 3. Was excellent.

Like Nicole and D Demoney, I add dried limes. This adds a wonderful flavor. Khoresh Karafs is one of my favorite dishes to cook and eat. Many thanks to a Persian college friend who showed me how delicious good Persian food was.

I adapted the cooking times and citrus levels. Also added some cauliflower, which picked up the citrus and herbs nicely. Served with a sesame flatbread, basmati rice and salad, this was excellent.

Made this today, enjoyed it very much, then learned this is Persian New Year or “Nowruz.” Some coincidence! It is quit a bit of work but worth it. As for the “not the way my grandma made it,” I suspect there are as many versions as there are Iranian grannies — imagine the comments if a recipe for “American Beef Stew” were published in the Tehran Times. In any event, this one is worth the effort.

This is very different from the khoresht-e-karafs traditionally served by my Persian family. For a more authentic dish, I would recommend substituting dried limes (limoo) for lime and lemon juice.

I made this following the instructions including cooking times, and it was delicious. The lamb was perfect.

This looks like a fabulous recipe, and I'll try it once. But three sizeable utensils, in a tiny kitchen without a dishwasher. Definitely for a day when nothing else is happening.

Celery stew is made with different recipes in different parts of Iran. The recipe that we use does not include garlic and includes dried lemon powder, some fried cilantro and parsley, and 1 to 2 TBSP tomato paste. I also pour the fried celery leaves into the stew.It is one of my favorite stew but my American husband doesn't like it since he doesn't like celery, but he likes other Persian green leave stews like "Khoresh Aloo Esfenaj" and "Khoresh Ghormeh Sabzi"

Do you think this recipe could work for/with lamb shanks?

Made for second time with 2lbs of lamb instead of one. Also, I let the lamb coated with turmeric, salt and pepper sit in the fridge for a few hours before cooking. It was incredible the first time I made it, but this time it was mind blowingly delicious!

My Persian girlfriend made this, but only for an hour. Get a more patient girlfriend.

This did not, for me, measure up to what it should have been. Perhaps not enough lamb, perhaps not long enough cook time.

Made as written and it was fantastic. Next time I will add a bit more lamb, but this will absolutely be in regular rotation. DELICIOUS!

This is lovely but on the citrus be careful to follow the measurements - rather than the suggestion of how many limes or lemons will make that quantity of juice. I ended up adding way too much citrus because five citrus fruits will in fact produce significantly more than a half cup of juice.

My husband and I really loved this dish, but it was too tangy for my young son. I used Korean short ribs and they worked fine. Made as directed, and would definitely make again. Would be a great pot luck recipe or a good recipe to make for a crowd. Very yummy!