Khoresh Rivas (Persian Rhubarb Stew with Meat, خورش ریواس)

Khoresh Rivas

Khoresh Rivas (خورش ریواس) is a delicious Persian Rhubarb Stew. Soft and succulent rhubarb with meltingly tender meat, sitting in a sweet, sour and herby sauce, this is a stew that screams spring, with in-season rhubarb, lamb and lots of parsley and mint.

The word khoresh is a general term that refers to stews of all kinds in Persian cuisine. It comes from the Farsi (Persian language) word khordan which means to eat.

Khoresh Rivas is usually eaten with rice (polo/polow). However, a little bit of bread to soak up that tangy, mouthwatering sauce, is never a bad idea.

This reader requested recipe, Persian Rhubarb Stew, was the inspiration for Lamb Shank and Rhubarb Tagine, a very popular recipe in our Tagine Masterclass.

Lamb Shank and Rhubarb Tagine

Just like the Lamb Shank and Rhubarb Tagine above, our Khoresh Rivas is very simply flavoured, relying on a few choice ingredients to come together to make a bold statement. The main players here are the rhubarb, the meat and the 2 herbs. Let’s take a quick look at the ingredients used and how you can play around with them.

How to Make Khoresh Rivas

Rhubarb

There’s no getting away from it, it’s a rhubarb stew, so ya gotta have rhubarb! If you haven’t got rhubarb, you’ll have to make another sour Persian stew, like Khoresh Bademjan, below, which is an Eggplant and Meat Stew:

Khoresh Bademjan Persian Eggplant Stew

Here in the UK, rhubarb starts appearing on our shelves in January, with forced rhubarb that’s been grown indoors and well, forced. These rhubarb are just as delicious as their outdoor counterparts, but tend to be less red and are a little more sour. By around late April though, we start getting the pinker and slightly more sweet summer rhubarb.

Many Persian stews have a tangy nature, relying on various souring agents to achieve that tart quality, like sour grape juice (verjus) and dried limes. In our rhubarb stew, naturally, it is the rhubarb that does that, but we add sugar to the stew to give it some balance. How much sugar you add will be a matter of preference, and you taste the stew right at the end and adjust accordingly. The sweet should be a bit player.

Traditionally, and certainly, the first few times I tasted this recipe, the khoresh rhubarb was made with double the weight of rhubarb to the meat. I found it a little too sour and sweet for my taste, so over the years, have reduced the amount of rhubarb to be equal or almost equal in weight to that of the meat. Experiment and live a little, when you make it.

Meat

Lamb is the traditional meat used in this, as it’s synonymous with spring. But I just as often use beef, and have also used chicken in it. I tend to buy ready cubed meat for this stew, and, sometimes, like in Khoresh Bademjan, also use meatballs. Use meat with a little fat on it, and your stew will thank you for it, as it will be richer.

Vegan Khoresh Rivas

You can enjoy a vegan Persian Rhubarb Stew by omitting the meat altogether, and using chickpeas, the obvious choice, or any other pulses like fava beans, kidney beans and lentils. Courgettes (zucchinis) and eggplants are great in this too. And some vegetable stock for depth.

Water or Stock

My family finds this stew a little light on flavour when I make it with just water. When one is used to robust Western stews and Asian curries, Middle Eastern stews and tagines can be a little wanting in depth. It’s all a matter of taste and perception. However, these days, more often than not, I use chicken stock, whatever meat I’m using, as I find lamb stock too overpowering. Even my Persian friends prefer the version with stock.

You can use vegetable, chicken or meat stock, whatever you prefer. If you make your own stock, great, if not, use a good shop bought stockpot or cube, no artificial anything. We tend to have frozen homemade stock at home, but there are always some stockpots handy for when we run out, and because they are also very convenient. These are the ones I use.

One stockpot or stock cube is usually for 500ml (2 cups) of water. However, the stock is only supporting the other flavours, so I suggest half strength. So, for the amount of liquid here, 1 stock cube or pot is perfect.

Frying the Herbs and Rhubarb

Traditionally, the herbs are sautéed in a little oil before being added to the stew. I skip this part, and just do it with the rhubarb, which adds a little hint of caramelisation. If you do want to fry the herbs, just heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan on medium heat, fry the herbs for 2-3 minutes until they’ve softened and wilted, then tip into the stew 30 minutes before the end.

That’s it, let’s get cooking! Are you a fan of Persian food?

Lin xx

If you fancy anymore Persian recipes, head on over to the Middle Eastern and North African page, for favourites like:

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Khoresh Rivas (Persian Rhubarb Stew with Meat)

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★★★★★

4.9 from 46 reviews

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
• Yield: Serves 4-6 1x

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Description

How to make Khoresh Rivas (خورش ریواس), a delicious Persian Rhubarb Stew. Soft and succulent rhubarb with meltingly tender meat, sitting in a sweet, sour and herby sauce.

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Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 400 g (14 oz) fresh rhubarb
• 500 g (1.1 lb) lamb or beef
• 1 large onion
• 1 large handful parsley
• 1 small handful mint
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 Tbsp white sugar
• 500 ml (2 cups) water or half strength chicken stock
• 3 Tbsp EV olive oil

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Instructions

Prep Work

1. Chop up the rhubarb into 2.5cm (1″) long stalks.
2. Dice the meat into bite size pieces if not done so already.
3. Chop the onions, not too finely.
4. Chop up the parsley and mint, these don’t have to be done finely, as they’ll be cooked down.

Let’s Cook

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a medium saucepan on medium heat. Fry the onions for 3 minutes until they soften.
2. Add the turmeric, stir, then add the meat. Increase the heat to high and stir to mix.
3. Add 1 Tbsp of the sugar, stir, then fry the meat for 2 minutes on this high heat.
4. Add the water or stock, stir, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat down to its lowest setting, cover and simmer for 1 hour, until the meat is done, but not falling apart, as we still have another 30 minutes or so of cooking time. Depending on your meat cut, this may be at the 90 minute mark, as some cuts will take longer to cook. It does also depend on how large your meat pieces are.
5. At the end of 1 hour, tip in the chopped parsley and mint and cover once again and leave to simmer for 15 minutes.
6. At the end of the 15 minutes, heat the 3rd Tbsp of oil in large frying pan on high heat and sauté the rhubarb for 1 minute, shaking the pan and flipping the rhubarb.
7. Then, tip this rhubarb into the stew, cover, and leave to cook for 10 minutes, still on low heat. You can cook it until the rhubarb has all broken down, or stop before that stage. What I do, is fish out about 6-8 pieces, and leave the rest to fall apart in the stew, adding to the texture. Then I add the pieces back and serve.
8. Taste the stew before turning the heat off. Add the second Tbsp of sugar if you would like it less sour, even more if you prefer it the tartness tampered down. That’s it, serve with rice.

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• Category: Main Course with Rice
• Cuisine: Persian