Iranian · intermediate
Iranian Braised Lamb Shank With Dill And Fava Bean Rice
Tender lamb shanks slow-simmered with turmeric and saffron, served alongside fragrant basmati rice layered with fresh dill and shelled fava beans.
- PREP TIME
- 20 min
- COOK TIME
- 90 min
- SERVES
- 4
LET’S MAKE IT
Step by step
- 01
Heat vegetable oil in a heavy Dutch oven over medium-high heat and sear the lamb shanks until evenly browned on all sides, about 8 minutes, then set aside.
- 02
Add sliced onions to the same pot and cook until softened, then stir in ground turmeric and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- 03
Return the lamb shanks to the pot, add 2 cups of hot water, cover tightly, reduce heat to low, and gently braise for 75 minutes until tender.
- 04
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add basmati rice and shelled fava beans, cook for 6 minutes until parboiled, then drain thoroughly.
- 05
Melt butter in a wide rice pot, layer half the parboiled rice and fava beans, sprinkle generously with chopped fresh dill, add remaining rice, and drizzle with half the steeped saffron water.
- 06
Wrap the rice pot lid in a clean kitchen towel, cover tightly, and steam on low heat for 25 minutes until tender; serve braised lamb shanks over the dill rice.
A LITTLE KITCHEN KNOW-HOW
Dambokht Steaming
A classic Persian rice steaming method where a towel-wrapped lid traps steam to cook the rice evenly while forming a crispy golden crust at the base.
Notes from the kitchen
- Wrapping the pot lid with a kitchen towel prevents steam condensation from dropping back into the rice, yielding fluffy grains.
- Parboil the fava beans just enough so they retain their vibrant green color before final steaming.
- Original home-cooking adaptation inspired by Iranian; regional versions vary.
- Use halal-certified meat, poultry, stock, sauces, cheese and other processed ingredients. Check labels and avoid cross-contamination. Recipe screening is not halal certification.
