Vegetarian khoresht gheymeh is a real crowd-pleaser and doesn’t necessarily scream vegetarian when you double the yellow split peas and top it with extra fries. Gheymeh is the second most popular dish on my site, the first being gheymeh bademjan.
Start the dish by heating your oil and frying the onions until slightly golden. Then, add the seasoning, tomato paste and garlic, and cook the mixture to a beautiful yellowish orange color.
Next, add yellow split peas, limoo amani, saffron and hot water and bring the stew to a gentle boil and cook until the split peas are tender.
While the stew is cooking, peel the potatoes and cut them into matchstick pieces. Then, fry the potatoes to a golden color, and drain on paper towels.
Your vegetarian stew is ready when the yellow split peas have cooked and the sauce has thickened.
If you want the split peas to stay intact, always use the slow cooking variety.
After tasting and adjusting the seasoning, transfer the stew to a serving platter and top with the golden fries.
Serve vegetarian khoresht gheymeh over fluffy and fragrant basmati polo accompanied with a side of Persian cucumber salad or yogurt and cucumber dip.
Vegetarian Khoresht Gheymeh (Yellow Split Pea Stew)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Ready in: 1 hour
Yields: 4 Servings
INGREDIENTS
1 large onion peeled and chopped
3 tablespoons regular olive oil plus ¼ cup for fries
3 cloves garlic peeled and finely chopped (optional)
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1½ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon black ground pepper
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
pinch of saffron (optional)
3 large or 5 small limoo amani pierced with fork
¾ cup yellow split peas, picked over, rinsed and drained
3 cups hot water
3 small potatoes peeled and cut into matchsticks
INSTRUCTIONS
Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a medium pan. Add chopped onions and fry over medium-high heat for about 20 minutes or until onions are slightly golden. Stir occasionally to prevent onions from burning.
Mix in chopped garlic, tomato paste, turmeric, salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the tomato paste is fried and the oil color is yellowish orange.
Add yellow split peas, limoo amani, saffron and hot water, and bring to a gentle boil. Lower heat to medium low, cover and cook for about 20 minutes or until the split peas are cooked.
While the stew is cooking, peel the potatoes and cut them into matchstick pieces. Heat ¼ cup oil in a large frying pan and fry the potatoes over medium-high heat until golden, stirring occasionally. Transfer the fries to a platter lined with paper towel and sprinkle with salt to season.
Taste and adjust the seasoning.
Serve vegetarian khoresht gheymeh over polo. For a great side dish accompaniment try Persian cucumber salad or yogurt and cucumber dip.