Urmia stew is a substantial regional dish from West Azerbaijan, built around tender meat, pinto beans, tomato and the sharp flavour of unripe grapes. Fried eggplant and potato are added at serving time, so they keep their shape instead of disappearing into the sauce.

Urmia stew with pinto beans meat eggplant potatoes tomatoes and saffron rice

This recipe makes about four servings. It is traditionally served with saffron rice, which balances the delicious stew’s tomato-rich, pleasantly sour character.

Ingredients

  • 400 g stewing lamb or beef, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 2 cups pinto beans (chiti beans), soaked overnight
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 eggplants
  • 2 tomatoes
  • 2 potatoes
  • 1/2 cup fresh sour grapes (ghooreh), or less to taste
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads, brewed in a little hot water
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • Neutral oil, as needed
  • Salt and black pepper, to taste

Prepare the beans and vegetables

Soak the pinto beans in plenty of cold water overnight, changing the water once or twice if convenient. Drain and rinse them before cooking. Soaking shortens the cooking time and helps the beans cook more evenly.

Peel the eggplants, cut them into long pieces and salt them lightly. After 20 minutes, pat them dry. Cut the potatoes into slim pieces and slice the tomatoes. Keep these vegetables separate because they will be fried and served over the finished stew.

Cook the Urmia stew

  1. Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan. Add the onion and cook over medium heat until soft and lightly golden.
  2. Add the meat and turn the pieces until their surfaces change colour. Season with black pepper.
  3. Stir in the drained pinto beans, then add enough hot water to cover everything by a few centimetres. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover partially and cook until both the meat and beans are close to tender. Add more hot water if the pan begins to look dry.
  4. In a small pan, fry the tomato paste in a little oil for a minute, then stir in the brewed saffron. Add this mixture to the stew.
  5. Add the sour grapes during the final stage of cooking. Simmer until the meat and beans are tender and the sauce has thickened. Taste before adding salt, then adjust the sourness if needed.
  6. While the stew finishes, fry the eggplant and potatoes separately until golden. Briefly soften the tomato slices in the same pan.
  7. Spoon the stew into a serving dish and arrange the fried eggplant, potato and tomato over the top.

Getting the sour flavour right

Fresh sour grapes give the clearest flavour, but sour-grape powder can work when fresh ghooreh is unavailable. Add either gradually: acidity becomes more noticeable as the sauce reduces. A little verjuice can sharpen a finished stew, but it is easier to add than remove, so taste first.

Keep the pan at a quiet simmer once the meat is cooking. Hard boiling can break the beans while leaving the meat firm. The final sauce should coat a spoon, but it should still be loose enough to mix comfortably with saffron rice.

Serving Urmia stew

Serve the stew hot with saffron pilaf and place the fried vegetables on top just before it reaches the table. That last-minute garnish is more than decoration: the crisp edges of the potatoes and eggplant provide contrast to the soft beans and slow-cooked meat.