Polo - Simple Persian Rice

Ingredients: (4 servings)

basmati or long-grain rice, 500 grams
cooking oil
salt

Directions:

The preparation of polo (or chelow) is more elaborate than normal and results in a delicious non-sticky rice. Persians consider making rice that is non-sticky an art form and a good cook should know how to do this as it is the staple of Persian Cuisine. Polo is normally served with kababs or any of the main dishes in this collection, unless rice is already used as one of the ingredients.
Wash rice twice and soak in salted warm water for 3-4 hours, then drain the water. Pour water in a large non-stick pan until it is half-full and bring it to a boil. Add rice and a spoonful of salt and continue boiling until rice slightly softens. Pour rice into a drain and wash it with slightly warm water.
Pour a few spoonfuls of cooking oil into the pan and add rice. Pour a few more spoonfuls of oil over rice. Cover the pan and cook over low heat for about half an hour. If cooking time is increased, a delicious crispy layer of rice (called ta-dig or tah-dig) will form at the bottom of the pan.

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Zereshk Polo - Barberry Rice

Ingredients: (4 servings)

basmati or long-grain rice, 500 grams
chicken, 800 grams
cooking oil
butter
barberries (dried), four spoons
sugar, one spoon
onions, two large
saffron, 1/2 teaspoon
salt and pepper

Directions:

Remove the skin from chicken pieces. Marinate chicken in grated onions, salt and pepper for 4-5 hours.

Cook rice using the recipe given for polow or kateh.

Wash barberries twice with cold water and drain the water. Add sugar and fry in butter over medium heat for about five minutes.

Pour saffron in a small bowl. Pour in 2-3 spoons of hot water and mix. Fill the bowl with rice and mix well. Add saffron-rice and barberries to the rest of the rice and mix well.

Cook chicken under grill for 15-20 minutes turning each piece a few times during cooking. Serve with barberry-rice.

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Shirin Polo - Sweet Rice

Ingredients: (4 servings)

basmati or long-grain rice, 500 grams
chicken, 800 grams
cooking oil
butter, 2 spoons
almonds, 50 grams
pistachios, 50 grams
orange peel, 100 grams
large onions, two
sugar, 500 grams
saffron, 1/2 teaspoon
salt and pepper

Directions:

Soak rice in warm water for 2 hours. Wash chicken. Peel and thinly slice onions. Fry in oil until slightly golden. Add chicken pieces and fry until color changes. Add a glass of hot water, salt and pepper and cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes. Add more hot water during cooking if necessary. About 1/2 glass of water should be left at the end. Remove chicken bones.

Save 2-3 spoons of sugar for later use. Add remaining sugar to a glass of hot water and bring to a boil. Add chicken juice, 2-3 spoons of oil and saffron, and mix well.

Thinly slice almonds and pistachios. Soak almonds in cold water for an hour. Thinly slice orange peels. Boil for a few minutes, drain and repeat. Soak in cold water for an hour, drain, and repeat. Finally boil for a few minutes with three spoons of sugar, and drain.

Prepare rice using the recipe for polow. When rice is rinsed, pour a bit of oil, butter and hot water in a pot, and add 1/2 of rice. Spread chicken pieces over the rice, and cover with 1/2 of remaining rice. Spread half of almonds and orange peel over rice and cover with remaining rice. Pour sugar and chicken-juice mix prepared earlier over rice. Cover and cook over low heat for about 30 minutes. Add remainder of almonds, orange peel, and pistachios, and mix well.

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Adas Polo - Lentil Rice

Ingredients: (4 servings)

lentils, 400 grams
long-grain or basmati rice, 500 grams
ground beef or lamb, 400 grams
dates (pitted), 100 grams
raisins, 120 grams
saffron, 1/2 teaspoon
onions, 2 large
cooking oil
salt and pepper

Directions:

Soak rice in water for 3-4 hours, then cook in salted water for 10-15 minutes using a non-stick pot until it just softens. Drain water and empty the pot.

Bring 2-3 cups of water to boil. Wash lentil and add to water with a bit of salt. Cook over medium heat for about 15-20 minutes until tender.

Peel and thinly slice onions. Fry in oil until slightly golden. Add ground beef or lamb, salt and black pepper, and fry over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Add one cup of hot water and cook until water has been mostly absorbed.

Wash raisins and dates. Pour 1/2 cup of water and some oil in the non-stick pot. Pour in half of the rice. Follow with meat, lentil, raisins, dates and raisins. Then add in remainder of rice. Cook over low heat for about 20 minutes. Dissolve saffron in 1/3 cup of hot water and pour over the rice. Mix well before serving.

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Sabzi Polo - Fresh Herb Rice

Ingredients: (4 servings)

4 cups (32 Oz) of white long grain rice.
4 table spoons of cooking oil.
1/2 cup (4 Oz) chopped Chives/Scallion stems (tarreh/piAzcheh).
1-1/2 cups (12 Oz) Parsely (jafaree).
1 cup (8 Oz) coriander (gheshneez).
1-1/2 cups (12 Oz) fresh Dill Weed (sheveed).
A few large, outer leaves of lettuce.
4 Oz of water.

Directions:

Soak rice for a few hours in hot water and salt before cooking. Wash and drain the vegetables. Using a cutting board and while repeatedly bunching up the vegetables, finely chop them.

In a pot, bring some water to a boil and add the rice (and the water it was soaking in), and let it cook for a few minutes until it starts boiling. Stir the rice a few times during the boiling process. Near the end of boiling, add the fresh chopped vegetables. Stir the rice one last time and then take it out and drain it in a kitchen stringer. Wash out excess salt.

Pour the oil in the pot, add 4 Oz of water, lay the lettuce leaves in the bottom of the pot and add a bit of extra oil if necessary.

With the back of a spoon, make five holes, one in the center and four around it so that the rice can breath in the cooking process. Spread a little water on top and close the lid. Let it cook for a few minutes on high heat. When steam starts to rise, change the setting to medium heat and let it cook for another 15-20 minutes. Then turn the heat to medium-low, sprinkle some cooking oil to prevent drying, and let it cook for about another 10-15 minutes before serving.

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Lubiya Polo - Green Bean Beef Rice

Ingredients: (4 servings)

basmati or long-grain rice, 500 grams
lamb or beef, 400 grams
green beans, 400 grams
medium onions, 3
tomato paste, 1-2 spoonfuls
cooking oil, 100 grams
salt and black

Directions:

Peel and slice onions and fry in oil until slightly golden. Cut meat into small pieces and add to onions. Fry over medium heat until colour changes.

Wash green beans and cut into 2-3 cm pieces. Add to meat with 1-2 glasses of hot water and cook for about 30 minutes on medium heat, adding more hot water if necessary. Add tomato paste, salt and black pepper and cook for another 15 minutes on medium heat.

Prepare rice as described in the recipe for polow but after rice is half-cooked and rinsed, add the meat-mix and mix well. Cover and cook over low heat for about 30 minutes.

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Maygu Polo - Prawn Rice

Ingredients: (4 servings)

large shrimps/prawns, 500 grams
basmati or long-grain rice, 500 grams
tomato paste, 2 spoonfuls
butter, 150 grams
flour, one spoonful
curry powder, 1-2 spoonfuls
large eggs, 3-4
parsley, 100 grams
cooking oil
salt and pepper

Directions:

Cook rice as described in the recipe for kateh. Wash shrimps, add salt and hot water and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes. There should be about one glass of water left when shrimp is cooked. Boil eggs until hard.

Fry flour in butter over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste to shrimp juice and mix well. Add slowly to flour and stir while adding.

Add salt, black pepper and curry powder and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add the sauce to shrimps and mix well. Wash parsley and cut. Serve shrimps with kateh, sliced eggs and parsley.

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Albalu Polo - Sour Cherry Rice

Ingredients: (4 servings)

long-grain or basmati rice, 500 grams
chicken, one medium-size
black cherry (or sour cherry), 1kg
sugar, 1 kg
onions, 2 medium
saffron, 1/2 teaspoon
cooking oil
salt and pepper

Directions:

Sour and sweet tastes are very predominant in Persian cooking. For this recipes, try and find real sour cherries. Wash and remove the stones. Add sugar. If you are using cherries rather than black (sour) cherries, less sugar can be used. Bring to boil. Cook over medium heat for 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool down completely. Remove the extra syrup.

Peel and thinly slice onions. Wash chicken. Add onions, salt, black pepper, and a glass of hot water, and cook over medium heat for 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool, then remove bones. Filter the chicken juice and save for later use.

Follow instructions for preparing Polow until rice is rinsed. Pour 2 spoonfuls of cooking oil and half a glass of hot water in a pot. Follow with half of the rinsed rice and the black cherries (or cherries), and mix well. Cover with half of remaining rice. Spread chicken over the rice, and cover with the remaining rice. Shape into a cone. Mix 2-3 spoonfuls of cooking oil with black cherry (or cherry) syrup and chicken juice. Pour the mix over rice. Cover the pot and cook in an oven or over low heat for about one hour. When cooked, remove some of the rice and mix with saffron dissolved in a bit of hot water. You may serve with some saffron rice.

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Baghali Polo- Meaty Lima Bean Dill Rice

Ingredients

500 g (1 lb) Basmati long grain rice
500 g (1 lb) meat or chicken
375 g (12 oz) dill
150 g (5 oz) dried lima beans (or a 16 oz can)
1 medium onion 1/3 cup oil
1/4 tsp ground saffron
salt and pepper

Directions:

After washing the rice thoroughly, soak the rice in salted lukewarm water to cover by 2 inches for 3 to 4 hours. Trim the meat of all fat, cut into small pieces (2 inch cubes), wash and drain. Slice the onion and fry in a little oil until it turns golden brown. Add the meat, salt and pepper and cook over low heat until the meat is well done, 45 minutes to an hour.

Clean and wash the dill cutting out coarse stems, dry and chop finely. If you use dried beans, then cook them until they are soft. In a large saucepan, bring 8 to 12 cups of water to a rapid boil. Pour off excess water from rice and pour into boiling water. Bring back to boil for 2 to 3 minutes. Test to see if the rice is ready. The grains should be firm in the center and rather soft on the outside. Add the beans right before you strain the rice. Strain and rinse with lukewarm water. Toss gently in the strainer.

Bring 1/4 cup water and 2 to 3 tbs oil to rapid boil. Add layers of rice and dill interchangeably and pieces of the meat randomly while building the rice and dill layers up to a dome shape. Poke 5 or 6 holes through the rice to the bottom with the handle of a spoon. Close the lid. Keep on medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes until rice is steaming. Heat up 1/4 cup of water and 2 tbs oil and pour over the rice. Wrap the saucepan lid in a clean tablecloth and cover the pan firmly. Reduce heat to low and cook for 45 minutes to an hour. After removing from heat, place the saucepan in the sink and run cold water under it to cool down.

Add 1/4 tsp saffron to 1 tbs hot water. Lightly mix 2 to 3 tbs of rice with the liquid saffron in a small bowl. Set it aside for garnish. To dish up, gently toss the rice and sprinkle lightly in a dish in a symmetrical mound. Garnish with the saffron rice. Remove the crusty bottom and serve in a separate plate.

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Kateh - Smothered Rice

Ingredients: (4 servings)

basmati or long-grain rice, 3 cups
salt
cooking oil

Directions:

Kateh is normally served with kababs or any of the main dishes in this collection, unless rice is already used as one of the ingredients. Kateh is simpler to cook than polo. We recommend you make Polo when time allows and skip kateh all together which is regarded as a simpler and less delicious rice. Your stews should be served over polo.

Wash three cups of rice with plain water twice and drain the water. Pour rice into a non-stick pan. Add five cups of water, four spoons of oil and two spoons of salt, and mix. Bring the water to a boil over high temperature. Let the water boil until water level sinks to just below rice level. Cover the pan, and cook over low temperature for about half an hour.