Khorake-Loobia-Sabz (Green Bean Stew) in an Instant Pot #CooktheBooks

This Green Bean Stew is so rich and comforting.  It is Persian food at it's very best.  If you love the flavors of the Middle East you are going to love this Instant Pot recipe.

This recipe was inspired by our Cook the Books selection this month.......

Cook the Books is a book club in which every other month a book is chosen by one of the founding members.  They share their selections with us on the Cook the Books Home Page.  This October/November Selection was chosen by Claudia of Honey From Rock.  She chose the Memoir, The Temporary Bride by Jennifer Klinec.

Then, if you want to join in, you read the book and post a recipe inspired by it during the two month period.  Once you've made a recipe you post it on your blog and let the host know you are done.  At the end of the month, the host does a roundup of all the recipes that were inspired by the book they chose.  You can learn all about how to join us at the Guidelines Page.  

I have a confession to make.  Before I ever heard of this Memoir, Frank and I went out to lunch at our favorite Lebanese restaurant.  They had a special called Loobia and it was a melt in your mouth, warmly spiced, fragrant taste of heaven.  I asked the waitress if the chef would share the recipe and sadly he would not.

This Loobia has been on my mind ever since.  So when Claudia chose a Memoir set in Iran I knew what I was going to make before I even opened the book.

The Temporary Bride was an interesting story about Jennifer who grew up in Canada and was very successful in the corporate world at a young age.  Then she had an epiphany and decided that life was too short to not being doing something you love.

She moved to England and ran a cooking school out of her house.  I think that is every food bloggers dream job.  She gave lessons to small groups, teaching an eclectic variety of foods from around the world.  

Her love of food and thirst for knowledge had her traveling to Iran in the 90's to learn how to cook Persian food from the locals.  Iran was not a great place for a Western woman to be during this time but I guess it was a little better if you were Canadian rather than from the USA.

Jennifer is picked up by the son of the woman who is going to teach her to cook and takes her to his home.  Jennifer falls in love with his family and is welcomed into their midst as she learns her lessons.  Then she and the son fall in love and this memoir turns into a love story.

This was disappointing to me because I really was hoping for more information on the food and what I got was a lesson about how to get through all the red tape and become a Temporary Bride so you can have sex in Iran without being killed for doing so.  I was glad for the epilogue that advised us that Jennifer's Temporary Husband did finally get to leave Iran and that they now have a life together but that didn't erase the disappointment about the food.

Then I visited my good friend Google and started looking at Loobia recipes.  There are a lot of them.  I think this is a recipe that is similar in all households but in which each cook adds their own influence and touch, like so many comforting, homey recipes.

So after much researching and reading of recipes, this is what I finally came up with.  It was not as good as the Loobia, I enjoyed in the restaurant.  It was very close though.  I used this recipe for Persian Spice Mix found at Epicurious.  You can buy Persian Spice Mix as well at many grocers.

Khorake Loobia Sabz (Green Bean Stew)

Yield: 4 servings

Author: Wendy Klik

prep time: 15 Mcook time: 45 Mtotal time: 60 M

This Green Bean Stew is so rich and comforting. It is Persian food at it's very best. If you love the flavors of the Middle East you are going to love this Instant Pot recipe.

ingredients:

• 2 T. olive oil
• 1 lb. beef stew meat
• 1 sweet onion, chopped
• 12 oz. green beans, ends trimmed, snapped in half
• 2 potatoes,  peeled and quartered
• 1/2 lb. baby carrots
• 1 t. turmeric
• 2 t. Persian spice mix
• 2 T. tomato paste

instructions:

How to cook Khorake Loobia Sabz (Green Bean Stew)

1. Heat the Instant Pot on Saute setting until it registers hot.  Add the olive oil and when shimmering add the beef and onions.  Cook and stir until the beef is browned and the onions are translucent, 4-5 minutes.
2. Add the carrots. green beans and potatoes along with the turmeric and Persian spice mix.  Cook and stir until well combined.  Add the tomato paste, stir to coat, then add 2 -3 cups of water to the pot.
3. Cancel the saute setting and place the lid on the Instant Pot making sure the vent is closed.  Press the Stew setting and cook until the Instant Pot signals that it is done cooking.
4. Let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes before opening the vent for the quick pressure release.  

Calories
441.70

Fat (grams)
15.04

Sat. Fat (grams)
4.23

Carbs (grams)
37.93

Fiber (grams)
7.51

Net carbs
30.42

Sugar (grams)
11.96

Protein (grams)
41.96

Sodium (milligrams)
141.38

Cholesterol (grams)
112.27

https://adayinthelifeonthefarm.blogspot.com/2019/10/khorake-loobia-sabz-green-bean-stew-in.html

Property of A Day in the Life on the Farm

#MiddleEastern, #stew, #instantpot, #beef, #greenbeans, #onepotmeals

Instant Pot, Stew, Beef, Entrees, One Pot Meals

Persian

Created using The Recipes Generator