Abgoosht (Abgusht, Dizi, آبگوشت) is a traditional Persian dish. It is more than just a simple food in Iran. It is one of the symbols of Iran. About 300 years ago, most of the Iranian population were tribes. Their typical daily diet was Kebab during movements. However, when they stayed in someplace, stable, they cooked Abgusht.
Ab is the Persian term for water, and Goosht is the Persian term for meat. For eating Abgoosht, you have to address some unique restaurants and cafes and mostly around noon. Despite Kebab that you can find in every restaurant everywhere, for finding a delightful Abgusht you have to make some effort of searching.
Abgusht is a food that needs an eating guide beyond a cooking guide. The dish includes two main parts: a juicy part(Tilit,تلیت) and a solid part(Goosht Koobide, کوبیده). When serving, the recipe contains both components. The eater should separate the juicy part from dunking bread into it and making the Tilit. The remained solid portion can be eaten squashed by a Gooshtkoob(masher) or like a dish of meat, peas, and potato and tomatoes with bread.
Different types of Abgoosht:
There are different types of Abgoosht according to the ingredients and the cooking methods. For example, we have Abgoosht e Bozbash or Dizi e Sangi. Dizi is the Hmedani term for Abgoosht. Dizi Sangi is a type of Abgoosht that is cooked in stone-made dishes.
Abgoosht e Bozbash is a Hamedani form of Abgusht which contains herbs and red beans. It is somehow like a juicy Ghormeh Sabzi.
The most typical version of Abgusht is the combination of lamb, peas and potatoes, and tomatoes.
If you are fussy about your fitness and you calculate every single calorie of your food, you’d better give up on eating Abgusht. The food has about 300 kcal per serving. If there is any fat added an extra calorie of 150 kcal adds per serving. Moreover, because you are going to eat the food with bread, another minimum of 200 kcal is added. So if you want to lose weight, it is not the right choice for you.
The lamb is a natural source of iron. Your body can absorb a net 2 gr of iron in one serving. Another vital mineral that lamb has is zink. Moreover, it is an excellent source of protein.
Peas or beans are an excellent source of protein and many essential vitamins like vitamin B12.
This dish is consists of a lot of complicated carbohydrates and antioxidants.
Serving style Of Dizi:
You can either serve Abgusht with separating the liquid part and the solid part or serve them together. In the second condition, the people who are going to eat the food separates the elements themselves. You have to prepare some cut bread to make Tilit. You need to serve the Abgoosht in a bowl. If you are serving it separately, the bowl is only required for the liquid part.
This food does not need an appetizer. The Tilit can play the appetizer’s role in this course. Side items can be fresh peeled onions, Sabzi khordan(سبزی خوردن), Torshi(ترشی) and Sir Torshi.
Sangak is the best bread to eat your Abgusht with. However, if you do not have Sangak, you can use other bread. All drinks are welcomed next to Abgusht, but since it is a very traditional Persian dish, nothing best completes it as Doogh(Persian Yoghourt drink).
Vegetarian Tip of Abgoosht :
Unfortunately, meat is an essential component of this food. You can omit the meat or use soybeans instead of meat. Nevertheless, in that case, you are not eating Abgoosht!
What are the ingredients?
The main ingredient of Abgusht is meat. Despite other Persian dishes that are very flexible about meat, choosing meat in Abgusht is essential. Although some people cook it with beef, too for an original excellent tasting Abgoosht, you have to use lamb shank. The shank should have bones, but bones should be broken for extracting a great gravy.
After the meat, the main ingredient is pea. The Abgoosht that Iranian tribbles cooked contained only meat, water, and pea. However, it is more than 200 years that potatoes and tomatoes have paved their way into the ingredients family of Abgoosht. Nowadays it is somehow impossible to find an Abgusht without potatoes and tomatoes.
In some regions like Kashan, they add white beans instead of peas. Moreover, in some areas, they combine both peas and beans.
A side item by Abgoosht is bread. You need bread for making Tilit and sandwiches of Koobide.
Sangak is the best choice of bread next to Abgoosht.
The cooking process:
To cook Abgusht, you have to cook the meat with some water first. The type of meat and amount of water is essential since the firmness of gravy matters. You’d better cook peas separately and add them to the flesh. At last, you add potatoes and tomatoes. Then you wait patiently until the ingredients make remarkable chemistry.
This recipe is adequate for four people. The preparation time is about one hour and the cooking time is 3 hours.
- 1.2 lb lamb’s shank (beef is possible, too)
- 1 onion
- 1 cup peas
- 4 small potato
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon brewed (liquid) saffron
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ pepper pepper
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3 glasses water
- 1 pinch turmeric
- 2 fresh tomatoes cut into half
- Dice the onions and saute it with the oil and turmeric
- Cut the shank into four pieces and wash them.
- Add the shanks to the onions
- Cover the lamb with water and let it cook for 2-3 hours
- Soak and rinse the peas
- Add peas to the combination
- After lamb and peas are almost cooked add peeled potatoes
- Add tomato paste, salt, and pepper.
- Add two cut fresh tomatoes.
- Wait until potatoes are well cooked.
- To reduce bloating, soak the peas the night before cooking and rinse them 2 or 3 times.
- Adding some caraway seeds helps to decrease pea’s bloating effect
- Lamb is the best meat for Abgoosht.
- The shank should contain bones but broken, to make a tasty gravy.
- Adding fat makes your Abgoosht very delicious, but it has a lot of calories.