This is a recipe from Isfahan, Iran and is my favorite meatball dish for summer days as you can eat them at room temperature. It is perfectly soft and full of flavor. I love it with basmati rice or good quality pita bread. We always have a platter of fresh herbs (tarragon, mint, basil and radish and edible flowers) with all our meals.
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 1 hr 30 min |
| Active: | 1 hr |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 8 ounces ground lamb
- 8 ounces ground beef
- 2 onions (1 grated and 1 finely chopped)
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper (1 for the meatballs and 1 for the sauce)
- 6 teaspoons kosher salt (3 for the meatballs and 3 for the sauce)
- 3 teaspoons ground turmeric (1 for the meatballs and 2 for the sauce)
- 1/3 cup chickpea powder
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 3 medium carrots, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
- 2 medium Yukon gold potatoes, cut in chunks no larger than 1 inch
- 1/2 cup sour grapes (see Cook’s Note)
- 1/4 cup Saffron Water, recipe follows
- 4 cups cooked basmati rice, for serving
- Platter of fresh herbs and edible flowers, for garnish
- 1/4 teaspoon ground saffron
Instructions
- Mix to combine the ground lamb, ground beef and the grated onion in a large mixing bowl. Add 1 teaspoon of the pepper, 3 teaspoons of the salt, 1 teaspoon of the turmeric and mix to combine. Add the chickpea powder and mix to completely combine. Mix by hand very well until you cannot see any of the meats’ red color and you have a soft uniform texture. Knead and roll by hand to form meatballs the size of a walnut.
- Add the oil and the finely chopped onion to a 5-quart Dutch oven and cook over medium heat until the onions are soft and golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the remaining 2 teaspoons turmeric, mix and keep sauteing for 1 more minute.
- Pour 2 cups of water over the onions and add the lemon juice, the remaining 3 teaspoons salt and the remaining 1 teaspoon pepper and increase the heat to bring to boil. Once the water is boiling, lower the temperature to medium and gently add the raw meatballs. Allow them to cook for 5 to 7 minutes before adding the carrots, potatoes and sour grapes. Let them boil for 5 minutes, then turn the heat to low and cover the pot. Leave the pot undisturbed; allow it to simmer together for 40 more minutes.
- At this point you should have a thick sauce; if not, uncover the pot, increase the heat and bring to boil for few more minutes to reduce the sauce.
- When ready to serve pour the saffron water over the dish. Serve with the rice and fresh herb platter.
- Add the saffron to 1/4 cup of room temperature water in a water glass or coffee mug. Mix well. Leave it aside for 2 hours.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 851 |
| Total Fat | 41 g |
| Saturated Fat | 11 g |
| Carbohydrates | 91 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 9 g |
| Sugar | 11 g |
| Protein | 31 g |
| Cholesterol | 82 mg |
| Sodium | 1314 mg |
Reviews
Very flavorful for a recipe that calls for little ingredients. Love this dish on a cold day. I did reduce the amount of salt it called for as I used ground Turkey instead of beef
This recipe is absolutely delicious. Give yourself a little time measure out and prepare all ingredients ahead for ease of cooking. The meatballs very very tender-I rolled them lightly and they maintained such a velvety texture at the end. Saffron water was a wonderful addition and worth it. Will be making this again and again, thank you Nasim!
Excellent recipe! Different flavors, so exciting and so delicious!
I loved everything about this recipe. The process of making the food, the flavors that are new and different to me, the fresh plate of herbs along side this wholesome, comforting dish. Everything was perfect. I definitely recommend watching the video, enjoying the chef’s passion as she explains the story of this meal, the process of this recipe, and try it out for yourself. The end result was SO good and I will enjoy making this recipe again for my family!
I think it is delicious
WARNING FOODNETWORK: TOO SALTY, salt amount needs to be reviewed.
Being Iranian myself, I got so excited when I saw this recipe on FoodNetwork. The Chef is so elegant as she speaks, that she is a pleasure to watch, and her restaurant in NYC is easily one of the best Iranian restaurants outside of Iran. As delicious as this was, I feel the need to add a little warning to those who attempt this. I found the meatballs to be way wayyyyy too salty, and the sauce to be very sour and extremely salty, and that is coming from an Iranian person that is used to sour food, and is very liberal with salt. The dish was otherwise hearty, aromatic and delicious, but its hard to taste anything beyond the salt. I think something went wrong when they were writing these down, it’s way too salty to make sense, please review. I think it should have been 3 tbs total salt, not 6 if you try to replicate this.