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I found this can in my pantry - I don't recall buying it, but the date seems valid and I like the ingredients on the label (chives, coriander, parsley, fenugreek, vegetarian oil (?) and salt). Googling for "Kamchin" does not return anything interesting (sounds like it's a brand, not the name of the stuff?), I don't speak swedish so looking for ortgryta is useless. There is more information on the can in a script that I can't read (looks Arabic?).

My questions are: - how should it be used "properly"? I mean, what is the intended way to prepare and eat it? - what could be a good (=simple) way to use it, not necessarily foreseen by the producer? Would it work instead of pesto on some pasta? the can I found in my pantry

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Kamchin is a mixture of herbs, used for making Persian stews such as Ghormeh Sabzi. In Farsi, Ghormeh means stew and Sabzi means herbs. A basic recipe for Ghormeh Sabzi is:

INGREDIENTS 500g of Beef or Lamb I cup kidney beans 2 onions 500g Kamchin – these are Persian herbs, a mix that is mostly parsley and spinach

METHOD Fry onions Add Kamchin Fry beef 5 – 10 minutes Add 4 cups of water Cook for 2 – 2 ½ hours over low flame. The end result is a thick stew of meat, vegetable and beans. Serve over rice. In this case it was decorated rice.

I found many variations of this basic recipe. Some had a dark green such as spinach or kale while others used potatoes. A Google search will give you a ton of results for Ghormeh Sabzi, and while some don't specify Kamchin, they do call for the same ingredients found in Kamchin.

I would think that the Kamchin could be used for other Persian or Iranian stews, or really in any hearty lamb or beef stew, as it is a nice blend of herbs.

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Cindy
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Googling örtgryta really isn't such a bad start, Swedish or not...

Google translate gives that Ört is herb, and gryta is stew! Quite informative already, and it taught me it's eaten with rice... You might just use google translate translating some of those Swedish recipes although Cindy's answer provides an interesting starting point too.

gerbnl
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    yes, I did some googling on that.. and of course I understand the list of ingredients. But still it does not answer my basic question - how do I eat it? Must it be preheated? Is it more like a condiment or like a full meal? Or maybe its something like curry paste - used in small amouns as a base for something? –  Oct 22 '16 at 12:44
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    @fdreger I think you're spot on, that it's similar to a pesto, and added to various cooked dishes, from rice to meats (chicken, lamb, fish) and vegetables, in casserole-type or braising preparations. The Arabic is likely for the that population in Sweden, and others who use it in traditional recipes, as well as those that are vegan/vegetarian. – Giorgio Oct 22 '16 at 14:30
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    Just to correct the comments here, for the sake of anyone reading this later: this is *not* a concentrated sauce like a pesto — it would be rather disappointing if used like that. As per the top comment, it’s more of a stew — a simple one in its own right, or a base for more substantial stews. – PLL May 01 '20 at 16:10