Khroesh e Beh, a quince, plum, and beef stew is the most popular Persian recipe on my blog, and it will please everyone at the dinner table. Every time I make Khoresh e Beh, my kitchen smells incredible and reminds me of home. You will find this dish in any Persian home, Persian restaurants, and served at Persian weddings.
Cooking with Quince & Freezing
A fruit in the apple family, quince can be eaten raw or cooked, but I really don’t enjoy eating it raw. It tastes best in stews, in jellies, in quince jam, and in pies.
Quince is only easy to find in the Fall when it’s in season. As this quince stew is a dish I crave often, freezing the quince is a great way to keep them on hand. Simply quarter, remove the core, and freeze in an airtight container. Remove as much air as possible. They keep in the freezer for up to 18 months.
Quince is harder than apples and pears, so make sure you use a sharp knife to cut into it.
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
The flavors in Khoresh e Beh are magic! While the quince and plums add a tart and sweet taste, the pomegranate molasses is what gives the stew a delicious sweet and sour flavor profile.
Simmering the stew over a long period produces a tender, juicy texture in the beef and softens the quince while it absorbs all the great flavor. The stew is usually served with a heaping mound of Persian rice, which serves as the perfect start to accompany the stew.
Ingredients & substitutions
Quince – you can find Quince when it’s in season in the fall from September to December.
Onion – Use yellow or white onion.
Beef – I use beef shoulder, neck, or chuck roast, with the shoulder and neck as the preference. It becomes tender over a long cooking time.
Turmeric – Use powdered turmeric.
Saffron – an optional addition, but adds incredible depth of flavor and aroma… try not to skip this one, if you can!
Pomegranate molasses – If you can’t find it, you can make homemade pomegranate molasses easily. Pomegranate molasses is not that sweet and has an awesome tanginess that is tasty in stews, marinades, and more. Try this pomegranate molasses lamb for an incredible dinner dish.
How to Make This Recipe
Saute the onion in the canola oil over medium-high heat. Add the beef, turmeric, salt, and pepper and saute until just brown on all sides. Do not over-brown the meat or it will fully cook through at this stage and be dry in the final stew.
Next, add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, pomegranate molasses, and 3-4 cups water to make sure everything is covered, and bring to a boil. Then, lower the stew to simmer, and add the prunes and quince. Cook the stew for 90 minutes.
To add the saffron just before serving, grind and steep a pinch of saffron in 2 tablespoons of hot water, then add the saffron and water to the stew and stir to mix.
Serve with Persian basmati rice. Noush-ie-jan!
Want to learn more about Persian cuisine and cooking?
Here are some excellent resources to get you started.
Related Recipes
Khoresh e Beh is just one of the amazing Persian stew recipes you will discover on the blog!
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Khoresh Beh – Persian Quince & Plum Beef Stew
Print Recipe SaveIngredients
- 2 lbs. stew meat shoulder, chuck, or cow neck, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 medium onion chopped or sliced in half moons
- 16 oz tomato sauce
- 3 oz tomato paste
- 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses see notes for store-bought
- 3 quinces each cut in 8 wedges (If you can’t find quince, you can substitute with granny smith apples. However, do not add the apples until the last 15-20 minutes.)
- ¾ cup prunes
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 pinch saffron ground and steeped in 2 tbsp hot water
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Sautee the onion in the canola oil over medium-high heat.1 medium onion, 2 tbsp canola oil
- Add the beef, turmeric, salt, and pepper and sautee until brown on all sides.2 lbs. stew meat, 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, pomegranate molasses and 4 cups water. Bring to boil. Lower to simmer. Add the prunes and quince. Simmer for 90 minutes.16 oz tomato sauce, 3 oz tomato paste, 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses, 3/4 cup prunes, 3 quinces
- Optional: Before serving, add the saffron and mix.1 pinch saffron
- Serve with basmati rice. Noush-ie-jan!
This Khoresh e Beh sounds absolutely delicious! The combination of quince, plums, and beef must create such a rich, comforting flavor. I love that it brings back memories of home and is a staple in Persian culture. I can already imagine how wonderful your kitchen must smell while it’s cooking. Can’t wait to try making it myself!
unbelievable !! So delish😋😋😋
I am giving 3 stars as we are waiting the full pot to finish cooking. I will try to come back and update after we’re finished. I do want to comment that the directions written below the recipe do not match the pictures/words above the recipe. My bad for not reading through both first. I didn’t cook the meat for an hour first and added all ingredients and simmering now for the 90 minutes. Other alterations I made: added alloo instead of prunes, added 4 carrots and 3 potatoes. We’ll see!
Hi Frances, we never heard from you… how did it come out?
I finally know what to do with the quince from the tree in my yard. Hoping my Tajik neighbors will love it as much as Iranians do!
Yay! Can’t wait to hear what you think, Tiffany!
This week, I had the opportunity to buy a 5-gallon bucket full of gorgeous quince from a neighbor with a tree in her back yard. I have not tried it before and had jelly in mind but have quickly realized how much jelly that bucketful will make! So I started a batch of membrillo yesterday and now have an 8×8 inch baking dish full of the thick sauce in the dehydrator. The instant pot has another batch of cooked quince waiting to be drained and then boiled into jelly. (I’m going to try throwing in jalapenos for a pepper jelly). So when this recipe came up, I gladly went out and bought a $15 chuck steak (only around 1.25 lbs) and I have it stewing with the other ingredients now. I didn’t have pomegranate molasses, so I threw in a 1/2 cup of pomegranate seeds, figuring they will cook down too. Looking forward very much to trying it!
What an incredible bounty of quince, Debra! And you’re making such wonderful things.
The pomegranate will cook down – homemade pomegranate molasses is just cooked down pomegranate juice. Sounds like you had quite the feast… enjoy!
Thank you Candace. I loved your recipe. This came very close to my mom’s recipe. The portions were all perfect.
This makes me so happy to hear, Anoosheh! It’s hard to live up to a mom’s recipe. Thank you.
This recipe is missing yellow split peas
Khoresh e beh does not usually have split peas, but you can add them if you’d like! You may be thinking about Koresh Gheymeh 🙂
Thank you so much for this recipe. I’ve been wanting to try something different lately, and this is perfect! The flavors worked so well together & it was so nice to be able to see every step in preparation so beautifully documented.
That is wonderful to hear, Meg! This one is always such a hit with everyone. Glad you enjoyed the flavors!
What a flavorful, hearty stew! My home smelled amazing making this!
Thank you, Jamie… So glad to hear you enjoyed it!