The Traditional and Coffeehouse-style Recipe for Abgoosht Do-Piyazeh / An Ancient Iranian Dish With Authentic Taste and Aroma.

Abgoosht is an ancient dish for a thousand and one reasons. Interestingly, Abgoosht is a product of substitution, and in ancient times, nomads would prepare Abgoosht whenever they reached their destination, while on their journey, they would usually have kebabs. The meat was grilled because the migration had a schedule, and they had to reach their destination on time; otherwise, there were many natural risks along the way. Therefore, the opportunity to prepare Abgoosht during the journey was limited. They would prepare it for the next day's lunch from the night before and get the ingredients ready. Perhaps because Abgoosht has historically been served as a lunch dish, you can only find it in tea houses and coffeehouses or "Dizi" houses around noon today, not before or after that. Today, we are going to teach you how to make this ancient and authentic Iranian dish so you can enjoy it at home whenever you want.

Preparation:

For making Abgoosht, make sure to soak the chickpeas and white beans in water a day before cooking. During this time, change the water every 3 hours to prevent them from developing a bad odor. Some people cannot use beans due to their gaseous effects. If you don't have enough time to soak the beans for 24 hours, you can put them in boiling water for 5 minutes, then leave them on heat for an hour to soak completely. This method is almost equivalent to soaking for 8-10 hours, but you will need to cook them fully afterward.

After soaking the beans using either method, drain them in a colander and rinse thoroughly with cold water, ensuring they're clean.

Add the soaked chickpeas, beans, garlic, one onion, and tomatoes to a stone "Dizi" or a pot, and bring it to a boil. Once the water boils, add the lamb fat and meat to the pot, cover it, and reduce the heat. Let the stew simmer for about 2 to 3 hours until it's cooked and thickened.

After the fat and meat are well-cooked, remove the tomatoes, onions, and fat from the broth, and place them in a bowl. Chop one raw onion and add it to the bowl, then sprinkle turmeric, salt, black pepper, dried lime flakes, and dried marjoram on top. Use a pestle to crush the mixture thoroughly until everything, especially the raw onion and fat, is mashed. Add this mixture back into the stew. The addition of raw onion at this point significantly enhances the flavor of the stew, which is why it's called "Do-Piyazeh Abgoosht" in some cities, like Hamadan. At this stage, keep the heat low to let the stew cook well and the fat to fully infuse into the broth. Peel the potatoes and add them to the stew to cook. After 30 to 45 minutes, your traditional coffeehouse-style Abgoosht will be ready. Enjoy!

Golden Tips:

Remember, only use fresh tomatoes in this dish and avoid adding tomato paste, so you can preserve its natural flavor. Try to use juicy, red tomatoes to give your stew a good color. In the past, due to the lack of tomatoes and potatoes, this dish was only made with water, meat, and onions, but later, tomatoes and potatoes were added. To achieve the authentic taste of the old Abgoosht, it's best to avoid using tomato paste.