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Adasi (Persian Lentil Stew)

A easy, healthy Persian take on lentil stew. Turmeric, cinnamon and Persian spices give this Persian lentil soup, a simple dish layers of flavor.

Adasi (Persian Lentil Stew)

Adasi (Persian Lentil Stew)

I love lentils. They may not have the best reputation (boring, strange side effects) or be known for being glamorous (yes, they can be mushy) but I’m here today to refute that. Lentils – a legume known for their lens-like shape – are actually an incredibly versatile, healthy and tasty kitchen staple. I eat them a couple times a week, by simply steaming them with whatever broth is on hand and adding in whatever frozen or fresh vegetables are lying around half way through. Serve with yogurt and bread, and it’s a hearty winter meal.

But let’s take it a step further and talk about how Persians eat their lentils, because after all we do like talking about ourselves…. Here we land on this lovely dish known as Adasi –  adas being the Farsi word for lentil.

Adasi (Persian Lentil Stew)

Adasi (Persian Lentil Stew)

The dish begins with piaz dagh – sauteed onions – a classic and evocative smell for any Iranian. I use both butter and oil when sauteeing – the oil ensures your onions cook evenly and the butter… just tastes good! The turmeric adds a beautiful golden hue and warm aroma, not to mention its countless health benefits. After stewing for an hour, the lentil turn soft and the whole dish takes on a stew-y consistency and the cinnamon and golpar (angelica powder) will create an aroma that practically jumps out and begs you to eat it! It’s a very comforting meal on increasingly brutal East Coast winter nights. The adasi, despite being vegetarian (and easily vegan by not using butter) is hearty and has a very meaty (umami?) quality to it.

The beauty of this dish is it can be taken warm, cold, as a main or even side dish. Throw in some veggies if you’re feeling really crazy. I hope you all enjoy this recipe and the photos… photographing lentil stew is no easy feat! 😉

 

Adasi (Persian Lentil Stew)
 
Author: 
Nutrition Information
  • Serves: 4
  • Serving size: ¼ recipe
  • Calories: 276
  • Fat: 11
  • Carbohydrates: 33
  • Sugar: 4
  • Sodium: 1004
  • Protein: 14
Recipe type: Entree
Cuisine: Persian
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
A easy, healthy Persian take on lentil stew. Turmeric, cinnamon and Persian spices give this simple dish layers of flavor.
Ingredients
  • 1 cup of green lentils
  • 3-4 cups of stock (vegetable or chicken)
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 1-2 medium cloves of garlic, diced or crushed
  • 2 tablespoons of oil for sauteing
  • 1 tablespoons of butter
  • ½ tablespoon of turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon golpar (angelica powder)- optional
  • ½ tablespoon of salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
  1. Heat the butter and oil in a pot over medium heat.
  2. Add the diced onions and saute gently until translucent (10-12 minutes).
  3. Add the garlic, salt and turmeric and continue to saute for another minute. Add more butter or oil here if the pan is dry.
  4. Add the lentils and 3 cups of stock to the pot - stir and bring to a boil on high heat.
  5. Once your lentil mixture has come to a boil, reduce heat to low and cover.
  6. Simmer for 45 minutes, stirring every so often to make sure nothing sticks and adding more stock as needed.
  7. Add in the cinnamon and golpar. Taste the adasi and adjust seasonings if needed.
  8. The dish is done when the consistency is a very thick soup (stewy but with no visible liquid).
  9. Serve with bread, yogurt and enjoy!

 

{ 33 comments… add one }
  • The Unmanly Chef February 8, 2015, 6:35 pm

    way to go on making adas looking photogenic. I’ve learned that Iranian food doesn’t exactly lend itself to upfront photography lol. Love the idea of this dish, I don’t cook enough with adas. Bravo baba!

    • Ahu Shahrabani February 8, 2015, 10:30 pm

      Merci, I totally agree! Finally somebody know understands! #thestruggleisreal

  • Sippitysup February 8, 2015, 8:23 pm

    Lentils are perhaps my favorite legume. I mean Adas. GREG

  • Monda February 8, 2015, 10:25 pm

    Of course – Adasi is just perfect for these cold winter days!!.. How could I not be thinking of this favorite dish?!

    • Ahu Shahrabani February 8, 2015, 10:37 pm

      Merci Monda joon! Wish we could share a bowl together now! 🙂

  • Pinky JJ February 9, 2015, 12:49 am

    Quite fine!! Keep those posts coming!!

    Pinky JJ

  • francesca February 9, 2015, 3:42 am

    We always have brown lentils laying around – for those lazy nights were soup is king, and those planned Sundays where stew is a must. Well done, lady!

  • Andrea February 9, 2015, 8:26 am

    But the question is – does golpar really reduce the effects of digestive gas?

    • Ahu Shahrabani February 11, 2015, 10:31 am

      Supposedly, yes! But it may vary for each person. Also, some articles suggest that people digest red vs green lentils differently!

  • Tima February 9, 2015, 1:47 pm

    Adas is among my kitchen pantry essentials, next to rice, oil, turmeric. No house should be Adas-less!!
    You can even add it to your salads; it will add a boost of yummy protein and goes beautifully with balsamic vinegar. Trader Joe’s is selling cooked!! lentil these days.
    I have to confess I have never made Adasi. Thanks for the recipe, will try it this week.

    • Ahu Shahrabani February 11, 2015, 10:36 am

      Great idea on the salad, I will try this. Adas are yummy when cold as well.

  • David February 15, 2015, 9:15 am

    Now that Mark is able to eat lentils (don’t ask!), I can’t wait to make this. I will, of course, be looking for Gopal – somehow I think it is an integral part of the recipe. Your photos are beautiful! Yes, shooting lentils is like shooting a lot of stews – incredibly challenging! Nice job!! xox

  • Sahar October 19, 2015, 2:36 pm

    thanks!

  • Tahmineh November 5, 2015, 7:30 pm

    I’m just cooking up this beautiful old recipe as it just reminds me of how we used to pay n buy it at school once a while and it’s been too long since I haven’t taste this lovely Adasi dish. I just added a lil amount of tomato paste for the colouring and I used can lentils as its already cooked to my knowledge & now I am waiting for this dish to be ready n tasted! Thanks for the recipes, wouldn’t of known how to bring all together without this.

    • Ahu Shahrabani April 14, 2016, 6:32 am

      Tahmineh – thank you for sharing your wonderful memories with me! That is the beauty of food, it’s so much more than just food, it can transport you. I hope you enjoyed the recipe – nooshejan! 🙂

  • Mike Tiernay February 17, 2016, 2:56 am

    I’m really interested in the use of cinnamon. I usually only see it in sweet dishes. Is it a common Persian ingredient in savory dishes as well?

  • Elena February 24, 2016, 3:42 am

    Good job making this stew photogenic, Ahu! I like lentils, too. Do you think the recipe will work with the red ones?

    • Ahu Shahrabani April 14, 2016, 6:39 am

      Thanks Elena! I don’t see why not, you will just have to adjust the cooking time as green lentils cook much faster.

  • Denise Wright February 24, 2016, 6:45 am

    This looks delicious! My father was Lebanese and occasionally my mother would make a similar lentil dish. I think it was called mujaddara? Anyway it had the onions and spices but I think it had bulgar wheat too? It was not that pretty to look at but boy it was very flavorful. This looks delicious (and much more appealing than the mujaddara. 😉 )

  • Erin @ The Speckled Palate February 27, 2016, 3:04 pm

    So… I’ve NEVER tried lentils before, and I want to now! This recipe seems so approachable and easy to make… and I’ve basically got everything in my pantry already… and it sounds tasty, too! I mean, how could you go wrong with sauteed onions as a base?

    Thanks for sharing this! Looking forward to giving this a try!

    • Ahu Shahrabani April 14, 2016, 6:53 am

      OK Erin, you need to try lentils, they are wondrous magical little things! I hope you try lentils in any form 🙂

  • Bill April 9, 2016, 3:49 pm

    Ahu,

    I hope you’re well and enjoying your new role. You’re missed on the 19th floor.

    I have had some serious news from my doctor, and completely changed my diet to address my health concerns. I am basically vegan plus fish, less pasta, bread and other non-fibrous carbs. Hard, but I’ve been at it for three months and (thankfully) lost a lot of weight. Your Adasi dish looks perfect (though I’ll be having it without the bread and yoghurt), and I’m making it today. If there are other dishes that meet my dietary requirements and are similarly flavorful, I would really appreciate your recommendations. I’ll let you know how tonight goes.

    All the best,
    Bill

  • Sheireen January 8, 2017, 8:41 pm

    Thank you! My mother has passed but her lentil soup was the best, especially in Winter and I’ve been missing it. The various attempts I’ve tried didn’t come out quite right. Yours is fantastic. One suggestion for everyone out there in addition to the yogurt is Torshi, for those who aren’t Persian, it’s vegetable pickles that are slightly spicy. That plus some butter on this and plenty of the onions and yogurt is pure warmth in Winter. Thank you again.

  • Jahangir January 7, 2019, 1:13 am

    I just found your website. Very Excited starting from this recipe. Merci

  • Farzaneh July 20, 2019, 11:22 am

    Good dear that’s perfect but you can add potato+ tomato+ meat too and it will be so tasty!!!

  • Amy Phillips May 11, 2020, 2:32 pm

    I just made this as had loads of leftover rice from Lebanese takeaway & wanted something that would go well with the rice. Also daughter is tomato allergic so sobs anything stew-y without tomatoes. Absolutely DELICIOUS! Added squeeze of lemon & fresh parsley at the end. Just to check on most authentic lentil – I used ‘lentils vertes’ which look quite like a puy lentil, quite firm outer skin. Should I have used a mushier type of green lentil? Either way was amazing and will be making regularly, thank you!

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