Berenjak, gormeh sabzi

This is it: the motherlode, a delicious gauntlet laid down by Soho Iranian spot Berenjak. Gormeh sabzi is a stew of lamb, herbs and beans, served with tahdig (crispy saffron rice), yoghurt-and-herb dip and a cucumber, tomato and onion salad. In terms of tradition, deliciousness, and sheer workload, it’s essentially the Iranian equivalent of a full Sunday roast.

To begin with, this is what you do not have to do: Fine-tune your mast o sabzi and seek out dried limes, fenugreek, and a clay stew kettle. Berenjak has kindly included all of that in the truly massive box, leaving you to simply rehydrate and fry a bunch of herbs; toss them in a pot with a bunch of other stuff; toss it all in the oven for four hours; to rinse loads of rice about seven times and steam-fry them on the hob for a perfect crunchy layer; to chop and dress your salad; and to get all the elements on the table.

It's time-consuming but well worth it, plus you get to retain the clay pot in case you ever want to try cooking the meal from scratch again. Berenjak's directions are epic but detailed (there's even a video), you'll get four to five servings, and the sensation of accomplishment from making something completely unexpected and extremely tough provided a buzz, at least for this dopamine-deprived caged monkey. For a ready-made Sunday afternoon, pair with a bottle of wine and the music of Iranian psych-rock master Kourosh Yaghmaei.

Google rating: 4.4/5
Phone: +44 20 3319 8120
Address: 27 Romilly St, London W1D 5AL, United Kingdom
Website: https://berenjaklondon.com/