Abgoosht (Iranian Meat and Potato Stew)

Abgoosht is an Iranian meat and potato stew. This simple recipe is much loved and enjoyed for lunch or dinner.

This abgoosht recipe will bring a warm, enticing smell to your kitchen that will complete the unique taste of this dish.

What is Abgoosht?

Abgoosht is a savory Iranian stew that has been an inseparable part of Iranian lunch tables for hundreds of years.

There are various types of Abgoosht for example:

• Goosht o Adas – a thick mashed mixture of vegetables, lamb, and lentils
• Dizi – lamb with chickpeas or navy beans and whole potatoes, tomatoes, and onions slowly cooked in a stoneware pot called a ‘dizi’
• Nokhod Ab – same as a ‘dizi’ but not cooked in stoneware and doesn’t use navy beans. The cooked ingredients are mashed together to create a thick consistency for serving.
• Tas Kabab – similar ingredients to the previous two, but cooked to an even thicker consistency. It has a sweet taste as usually quince, carrot, and dried plums are added to it.

All these dishes are considered Abgoosht. But this general name is also used to refer to a particular type of stew as well.

Among all the types, this version is the easiest recipe that is usually cooked at home. Some people also call this type of Abgoosht “Goosht Charkhi” which means “made from minced meat”. 

Stew in Iranian cuisine

In Iranian cuisine, there are six main groups of dishes: Polo (rice), Khoresht (stew), Abgoosht (stew), Ash (soup), Kuku (frittata), and Kebabs (meat).

In English, both Khoresht and Abgoosht are translated as ‘stew’. But in Persian, we use different names to refer to them because we consider them different dishes that belong to different groups.

The main difference between Abgoosht and Khoresht is in the way people eat them. Khoresht is always served with Polo (rice) and Abgoosht is always eaten with bread.

What ingredients are in an abgoosht recipe?

An abgoosht recipe usually contains solid chunks of ingredients (not mashed). It’s a meat-based dish that usually contains different vegetables and beans.

In its simplest form, it’s made with minced meat, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, and different spices.

The word Abgoosht is made of two parts: Ab which means ‘water’ and Goosht which means ‘meat’. Together they refer to a watery stew that contains chunks of meat.

Abgoosht history

Abgoosht is an old dish. It has a special place in Iran’s culture, which can be seen in the way it has found its way into Persian proverbs:

“Abgoosht and tea are both simmered” which means everything is ready.

“Eat the Abgoosht you have in front of yourself” means be satisfied with what you have.

And a lot more proverbs all formed around this word.

In the 17^th century, Persian poet Molana Aboueshage Shirazi mentioned this food in his book “Vasfe Taam,” which is a book filled with poems all about different dishes.

Later, Jean Chardin, a French traveler talks about this dish in his travelogue.

Why should you cook this meat and vegetable stew?

The active time for cooking an abgoosht recipe is so short. You need to prepare everything, add it to the pot, and then you can go lie down and have a break while your stew is on the stove simmering.

So it’s the best option for when you don’t want to spend a long time in the kitchen.

Plus it has all the nutritional groups in it. Potatoes in this recipe provide the body with carbs, tomatoes, and onions with vitamins and minerals, and meat provides the body with protein.

Iranian herb salad to serve with stew

This stew is usually served with Sabzi Khordan. Sabzi Khordan is a combination of different fresh herbs and vegetables. Vegetables like mint, basil, chive, radish, and scallion.

To prepare Sabzi Khordan, you need to trim the herbs (divide the leaves of mint and basil from the stems. Throw away the stems.

Next, remove the ends of the chives, and divide them into three sections.

Remove the leaves of the radish and finally remove the ends of the scallions and divide them into smaller sections.

Add all of your vegetables and herbs to a large bowl, wash them, and then drain it in a colander.

How to eat Abgoosht

As mentioned earlier, Abgoosht is a type of stew that we serve with bread.

After pouring the stew into a bowl, we tear off the bread and tilit the bread.

Tilit is a Farsi word. It means chopping the bread by hand and adding it to our bowl of abgoosht or soups.

Our way of eating watery dishes is that we always tear the bread, chop it and add it to our bowl. The pieces of bread then absorb the water. So it’s easier to eat. Plus it will be more filling when you eat it with bread.

You can also serve the stew with raw onions, and yogurt.