Aloo Mosama – Persian Dried Fruit Stew with Turkey

This Persian recipe gives a lot of moroccan vibe as it is a little on the sweeter side. The meat or chicken is usually slow cooked until tender and in the last 30 minutes the soaked and drained dried prunes and apricots are added to complete the dish.

I had a whole leg of turkey I really wanted to cook with and so that's what I have used in this recipe.

Courses
Time
Prep Time: 15 min Cook Time: 150 min Total Time: 2 hrs 45 mins
Servings 6
Ingredients
  • 1 Large full Turkey Thigh (see notes for alternatives)
  • 3 Large cooking onions
  • 1/2 lemon
  • 8 cloves Garlic
  • 1/3 cup Olive Oil
  • 2 teaspoons Lime Powder
  • 2 teaspoons Coriander Powder
  • 2 teaspoons Salt
  • 1.5 teaspoon Black Pepper
  • 1 teaspoon Turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
  • 6 Bay Leaves
  • 3 tablespoons Organic tomato Puree (Or double concentrate)
  • 50 grams Dried Apricots
  • 100 grams Prunes
  • Serve with rice
Instructions
  1. 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. 

  2. 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. 

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

  4. 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. 

  5. 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. 

  6. 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. 

  7. 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. 

  8. 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. 

  9. 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. 

Note

If you choose to cook this dish with chicken thighs instead, the total cooking time should only be an hour and 30 minutes to 2 hours maximum. 

For medium lamb chunks, you possibly need up to 3 hours cooking time. 

Nelly
Content Creator

I'm Nelly, the recipes I share here are inspired by the people, cultures and places beloved to me. Peanutswirls represents my love for food, cooking and hosting. I hope to share with you a taste of the Middle East influnced by my upbringing in the West.

I can't wait to see what we cook together.