Khoresh Alu Esfenaj | Iranian Meat Stew with Spinach and Dried Plums

Pat the meat dry, add it to the pot, and turn it until browned on all sides. Add the water, salt, and black pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and cook until the meat is tender enough to pull apart under a fork. Skim off the foam.

Rinse the spinach well, remove the thick stems, and roughly chop it. In a separate skillet, cook it in batches with a spoonful of oil until it releases its liquid and the liquid evaporates. Adding the spinach directly to the stew would thin the sauce, and that liquid would not evaporate later.

Add the sautéed spinach and drained plums to the pot, along with half of a 200 ml measure of the soaking liquid. Simmer over low heat until the sauce thickens and oil separates around the edges. Stir gently so the plums stay whole for serving.

Just before removing the pot from the heat, add the lemon juice and sugar if needed, then taste. The right balance should register as sweet first, followed immediately by tartness. If either one overpowers the other, add more of the opposite flavor in increments of 5 g or 10 ml. Serve with saffron rice.