Aloo Mosama – Persian Dried Fruit Stew with Turkey

Sauté the onions in a large pot or cast iron pan with olive oil for a few minutes until it becomes translucent and slightly golden. 

Add the mince garlic and spices to the pan to caramelise some more. Add a splash of water to the onions to make it caramelise even more without using more oil or the onions sticking to the base. 

Go ahead and add all spices and allow a few minutes for the aroma to bloom. 

Push the sautéed onions all around the edges of the pan so that there is space in the centre. Add the tomato puree to the centre of the pan and allow to toast for 2 minutes before mixing everything. 

Push the mixture to the side again, add a little more oil if necessary to the centre, season the washed and dried meat (patted) generously with salt and pepper and place the turkey thigh or any other meat, skin side down in the pan. Allow to sizzle for a minute before turning it around and adding 3//4 cups of hot water to the pan. 

Give the sauce around the meat a little mix, cover the cast iron pan with foil and place in a preheated oven to cook at 250c for 1 hour initially followed by an extra hour on 200c fan. 

Wash and soak the dried apricot in hot water an hour before use. Do the same for prunes but soak in warm tap water only. 

After 2 hours of cooking, add the drained apricots and prunes to the pan and place back in the oven (covered) for an additional 30 minutes before serving with rice. 

Optional - When adding the dried fruit, if its too sour, add 1 tablespoon or sugar to the dish. And if its too sweet add half a lemon.