Category: Rice

Morgh-e-Kofta Baghali Polo – Chicken Meatballs with Broad beans and Rice
This recipe is something a little different. Layers of rice, broad beans, chopped garlic chives and small chicken meatballs, with tarragon.

A friend recently gave me a huge bunch of fresh tarragon which inspired this recipe. Tarragon and chicken go together really well, and Baghali Polo is a firm favorite in our family. Garlic chives grows really well in our garden and lends itself well to the this layer Persian rice.

You can replace the chicken mince for turkey mince for a variations, and it works equally well with white basmati rice as well as yellow basmati rice. We prefer the yellow basmati rice for our default rice, and tend to use the white basmati rice when we have guests.

Things to note when cooking Chicken Meatballs with Broad beans and Rice

The Chicken Meatballs

Using a food processor is so much easier for the meatballs. Process the onions, tarragon, parsley, salt pepper, turmeric and cumin together before adding the chicken mince.

Add in the chicken mince and gently pulse the mixture together until well mixed. The form them into small balls, these need to be quite small, about large marble. The smaller the better.

When frying the meat balls, heat some oil in a no stick frying pan. I always use Olive Oil. When the pan is hot, gently add in the check meatballs. Leave them to cook for a few minutes, than gently turn them. When the outside of the meatballs are browned, them add a about 1/2 cup water, and put on the lid of the frying pan while preparing the rice.

Preparing the Rice

Cook the rice as you would for a normal Persian Polo rice. You can see the instructions on how to do this on the Polo rice recipe.

Putting it all together

Start with a liberal layer of oil in the bottom of you rice cooker, and lay out slices of potato around the bottom of the pan.

Carefully add a layer of rice and sprinkle with powdered saffron and chopped fresh garlic chives.

Layer the chicken meatballs and the broad beans, and repeat until all the rice is used. Be careful not to squash it down, and the layers need to be loosely added.

The next step is to wrap a tea towel around the lid of the rice cooker and fit firmly. The tea towel retains the moisture and is an important requirement to form good crispy Tahdig.

Turn out onto a serving dish, and enjoy with a side of thickened yogurt and shirazi salad.
Morgh-e-Kofta Baghali Polo – Chicken Meatballs with Broad beans and Rice

An original layered Persian polo rice with chicken meatballs and broad beans. The garlic chives add the green freshness of fresh herbs.

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour

Course Main Course
Cuisine Persian

Servings 8 people
Calories 361 kcal

Equipment
Persian Rice Cooker
Food Processor

Ingredients

Chicken Meat Balls
500 grams chicken mince
2 medium onions
¼ cup tarragon leaves
¼ cup continental parsley
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp white pepper
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin
Layered Rice
2 med potato
2½ cups yellow basmati rice
1 tsp powdered saffron
½ cup garlic chives

Instructions

Chicken Meatballs
add all the ingredients except the chicken mince to the food processor
pulse multiple times till finley chopped but not minced
add chicken mince and pulse 2 – 3 times till completly combined
form mixture into teaspoons sized balls
heat oil in a non stick frypan
gently cook the meat balls, turning to ensure all cooked
add ½ water and slowly simmer untill loquid reduces

Nutrition
Calories: 361kcalCarbohydrates: 59gProtein: 17gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 54mgSodium: 193mgPotassium: 734mgFiber: 3gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 339IUVitamin C: 17mgCalcium: 59mgIron: 2mg

Keyword broad beans

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May 27, 2022
Salmon and Dill Layered Rice – Sabzi Mahi Polo
I recently had a similar dish to this at a friends house and it was absolutely delightful. So when we had left over Salmon from Christmas lunch this year I decided to make my own rendition of Sabzi Mahi Polo. Hope you enjoy it.

My husband had cooked the salmon on the BBQ for Christmas lunch, and had drizzled it with a glaze of lemon marmalade before cooking it. This added a sweet lemon taste to the fresh salmon, and combined with fresh dill this dish incorporated wonderful flavors creating a truly unique Sabzi Mahi Polo.

Once you have mastered the standard Persian Layered Rice, you can really make it with anything. And this was a wonderful way of using excess Salmon.

Things to note when making Salmon and Dill Layered Rice – Sabzi Mahi Polo

When making Persian layered rice, you always need to start with a well greased rice dish to form a crunchy tahdig. I always use my Persian Rice Cooker as this makes the whole process much easier.

Start with a layer of potato, and then a layer of rice. It is essential that you are gentle with the rice when handling the par cooked rice. I always say that you have to treat the rice with love. Then add a layer of fresh dill, and broken pieces if the cooked salmon. Repeat until all the rice, dill and salmon is used. You can see that lovely gleam of the lemon marmalade glaze on the salmon.

Once all the layer are completed, sprinkle with powdered saffron. This adds a lovely flavor to the rice along with the golden color saffron is so well known for. Add a few nobs of ghee to add that lovely buttery taste and pop it into the rice cooker.

To ensure that a good tahdig is formed, you need to be sure that no moisture drips to the bottom of the rice cooker pan. This is traditionally achieved by placing a tea-towel on the top of the rice cooker bowel before putting on the lid. This traps the steam in the cloth preventing drips of water ruining the tahdig.

When cooked turn the rice cooker dish upside down onto a round rice serving dish and admire the wonderful golden, crunchy tahdig.
Salmon and Dill Layered Rice – Mahi Sabzi Polo

A wonderfull way to use left over cooked salmon.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes

Course Main Course
Cuisine Persian

Servings 8 people
Calories 381 kcal

Equipment
Persian Rice Cooker

Ingredients

3 cups basmati rice
500 grams cooked salmon
1 bunch dill – shivid
3 tlbs ghee
1 large potato
2 tsp salt

Instructions

Par boil the rice untill three quarters cooked. Al dente
Wash the cooked rice in running water untill the water runs clear, and set aside to drain.
Peel and thinly slice the potato and saok in water untill ready to prepare the rice.
Wash and drain the dill well to remove excess water. Then finely chop the dill.
Break the cooked salmon into pieces about 2 cm square.
In your rice cooker bowl, rub one tlb of ghee around the base and up t around 2 cm of the sides.
Sprinkle salt on the ghee, and then layer the drained, dried, potato slices on the ghee to form the tadhig.
Gently spread around a quarter of the cooked rice across the potato layer.
Spread around a third of the fresh dill on top of the rice layer.
Then gently place a third of the salmon on the dill. Sprinkle with salt and safron powder.
Repeat untill finishing with a layer of rice.
Sprinkly the top with safron powder, and dollops of remaining ghee.
Cover the top of the rice cooker pan with a tea-towl and fit the lid.
Cook using the rice cooker program for around 45 minutes.
Turn out onto a round rice serving tray.

Notes
Serve with a green herb salad and Shirazi Salad.

Nutrition
Calories: 381kcalCarbohydrates: 64gProtein: 18gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 35mgSodium: 615mgPotassium: 581mgFiber: 2gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 36IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 33mgIron: 1mg

Keyword dill, salmon

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December 28, 2020
Baghali Polo – Rice with Broad Beans, Dill & Chicken
Baghali Polo is a traditional rice dish combining the flavours of the delicate Broad bean with Dill. This recipe includes chicken and becomes a complete meal. Although it can be a little time consuming to remove the outer husks from the bread bean, it is a quick and easy Iranian meal, served with Yoghurt, mixed tomato and cucumber salad and a bowl of Sabzi (fresh herbs).
Baghali Polo – Rice with Broad Beans, Dill & Chicken

A delicious Persian rice with layers of chicken, dill and broad beans

4.75 from 4 votes

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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Course Main Course
Cuisine Persian

Servings 8
Calories 440 kcal

Equipment
1 Persian Rice Cooker Recommended

Ingredients

2 cups basmati rice
2 tlbs salt
1 kg diced chicken breast
1 onion
1 tsp turmeric
2 tlbs salt
500 g frozen Broad Beans
1/2 cup dried Dill
1 piece Lebanese flat bread
2 tlbs butter or olive oil

Instructions

Place chicken, onion, salt and turmeric in a large saucepan with some vegetable oil.
Seer the outside of the chicken pieces, and add about 1 cup of water.
Lower heat and simmer until the chicken is cooked and the liquid has reduced.
Strain and wash the rice under running water until the water runs clear, to remove any remaining starch.
Remove the outer husks form the broad beans and discard.
In the bottom of a heavy based saucepan, or a Persian Rice cooker add the melted butter or olive oil.
Separate the 2 layers of the Lebanese bread and lay one piece on the butter in the bottom of the saucepan or Persian Rice Booker to form the tahdig.
Gently spoon a layer the rice over the bread.
Add a layer of cooked chicken and fresh Broad Beans.
Generously add a layer of dried dill.
Repeat the layers until the chicken and dill is used. Usually 2 layers of each. Finish with a layer of Rice.
Gently pour over any remaining juices form the chicken on the top. Add an extra knob of butter if desired.
Place a tea-towel or a cloth under the saucepan or rice cookers lid to absorb any excess moisture while the rice is steaming.
Cook on a high heat until the sides of the pan are hot to touch, then reduce the heat to low and cook for about 30 – 45 minutes. Alternately if using a Persian Rice cooker, allow to run the full cycle.
Place the bottom of the saucepan or rice cooker pan in about 3 cm of water in a sink to loosen the tahdig.
Turn the pan upside down onto a round serving dish to serve.

Notes
This recipe uses flat Lebanese bread for the tahdig, you can also use potato if you wish.

Nutrition
Calories: 440kcalCarbohydrates: 62gProtein: 38gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 80mgSodium: 402mgPotassium: 1205mgFiber: 6gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 912IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 314mgIron: 9mg

Keyword Chicken, dill, rice

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Additional Tips.

A Persian rice cooker makes this dish much easier as the Tahdig is formed perfectly each time with out the risk of either soggy or burnt Tahdig.
August 31, 2013
Easy Adas Polo with Lamb
This Adas Polo recipe with Lamb, and although it takes a while to cook, it is one of the easiest Persian recipes.

Boil the lamb, onion, turmeric, salt pepper in a pressure cooker until the lamb pieces are well cooked.

Bring lamb, onions and tumeric to boil.

I usually then place this in fridge over night to remove excess fat that has solidified over night. Keep some though, as this is delicious on in the rice and adds the required fat to keep the rice grains separated and to crisp the tahdig at the bottom of the pan.

Cool stock to remove excess fat

If you wish, you can boil more lamb pieces and then store the remainder in the freezer to make the recipe a second time, for a lazy Sunday night meal. Just defrost the stock and lamb pieces before using.

Add cooked lamb with sultanas and cooked lentils

The rice is not precooked, rather washed and stirred through with the cooked adas (green lentils), boiled chunks of lamb, and sultanas. Then spooned into the rice cooker and the lamb stock is gently ladled over the rice. The rice cooker is then set to cycle through it’s normal cycle.

Stir though washed, uncooked rice

The trick to this Adas Polo recipes is to ensure that you use the correct amount of liquid to the rice. This can be quite varied depending on the type of rice you use. I usually find that 1 cup of rice to 2 cups of liquid ratio works well for the Indian Basmati rice.

Layer potato on the bottom of the rice dish

Spoon uncooked rice mixture over the potato slices

Add the lamb stock over the rice

I tend to prefer the green lentils over brown lentils for this recipe as the green lentils tend to retain there size and shape better during the cooking process in the rice cooker.

I have made this recipe with Brown rice, and it is equally delicious, but our family much prefer the white rice version. The natural sweetness of the sultanas makes a delicious combination through the rice and lentils.

Adas Polo with Lamb
Easy Adas Polo with Lamb

An easy version of the traditional rice dish with adas (green lentils), sultanas and lamb. This version allows for the rice to be cooked in the stock similar to Italian risotto

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 2 hours
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 3 hours

Course Main Course
Cuisine Persian

Servings 6 people
Calories 2462 kcal

Equipment
1 Persian Rice Cooker

Ingredients

2 cups basmati rice
2 tlbs salt
1 kg lamb pieces
1 onion
1 tsp turmeric
2 tlbs salt
1/2 cup sultanas
1 cup cooked adas (green lentils)
1 potato

Instructions

Place lamb, onion, salt and turmeric in a large saucepan. Cover with water, bring to boil.
Lower heat and simmer until the meat is falling off the bones, about an hour.
Remove lamb, and discard the bones.
Boil the lentils in water till half cooked and strain.
Wash the rice in water and soak while the lamb is cooking.
Strain and wash under running water to remove any remaining starch.
In a large bowl, add the uncooked rice, lamb, lentils and sultanas and stir carefully to distribute the ingredients.
In the bottom of a heavy based saucepan, or a Persian Rice cooker ladle about 1/2 cup of lamb stock, and cover with a layer of sliced, peeled potato to form the tahdig.
Gently spoon the rice mixture over the potato.
Measure out 4 cups of stock and gently pour over the rice mixture, being careful not to dislodge the sliced potato.
Place a tea-towel or a cloth under the saucepan or rice cookers lid to absorb any excess moisture while the rice is steaming.
Cook on a high heat until the sides of the pan are hot to touch, then reduce the heat to low and cook for about 30 – 45 minutes. Alternately if using a Persian Rice cooker, allow to run the full cycle.
Place the bottom of the saucepan or rice cooker pan in about 3 cm of water in a sink to loosen the tahdig.
Turn the pan upside down onto a round serving dish to serve.

Notes
A Persian rice cooker makes this dish much easier as the tahdig is formed perfectly each time without the risk of either soggy or burnt tahdig.

Nutrition
Calories: 2462kcalCarbohydrates: 518gProtein: 84gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 1607mgPotassium: 3908mgFiber: 73gSugar: 54gVitamin A: 81IUVitamin C: 61mgCalcium: 305mgIron: 21mg

Keyword lentils

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Suggested accompaniments for Adas Polo is thickened plain yogurt and Shirazi salad.

Lentils are high in protein and folate (folic acid) otherwise known as Vitamin B9, and are often a staple in vegetarian and vegan diets, making this recipe both economical and nutritious.

This recipe can be adapted to a vegetarian dish by replacing the the lamb with vegetables, such as carrot and celery, to develop a good quality vegetable stock.

Our standard layered Adas Polo recipe where you cook rice first in water, is a vegan recipe.
July 28, 2013
Polo – White Persian Rice
Polo – White Persian Layered Rice

A good rice is important in the Persian Cuisine. This is the basic recipe for Polo rice.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 30 minutes
1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Course Side Dish
Cuisine Persian

Servings 6 people
Calories 368 kcal

Equipment
1 Persian Rice Cooker

Ingredients

3 cups white basmati rice
2 litres boiling water
1 tsp salt
2 tlbs ghee or olive oil
1 med potato
¼ tsp saffron powder

Instructions

Wash the rice well, until the water runs clear.
Place the rice in a large saucepan with the salt and pour enough boiling water over the rice to enable the rice to move freely after expansion from cooking.
Bring rice to the boil until it is 3/4 cooked. Still a little hard in the center to bite.
Rinse the rice under running water in a colander until the water runs clear.
Peel the potato and slice.
In the bottom of a Persian rice cooker pan, or a non-stick saucepan, brush half the ghee or olive oil and then layer the potato totally covering the bottom of the pan.
Gently spoon the rice over the potato, sprinkle the saffron powder over the rice, and add the remainder of the ghee or olive oil to the top of the rice.
Cover the rice cooker lid with a tea towel or cloth and place on the top of the pot.
Run the rice cooker through its cycle, if using a non stick saucepan, initially bring the heat to high until steam is formed in the saucepan, then reduce the temperature to low-med for about 30 minutes.
When the rice is ready, invert the pot onto a flat round serving dish, taking care to retain the tahdig.

Notes
When cooking rice it is important to prepare it gently and with care resulting in individual grains, steamed to perfection.

Nutrition
Calories: 368kcalCarbohydrates: 80gProtein: 7gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 411mgPotassium: 256mgFiber: 2gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 1IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 40mgIron: 1mg

Keyword rice, safron

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July 13, 2013
Adas Polo
Adas Polo

A traditional layered rice dish with lentils, sultanas and lamb.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 30 minutes
1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Course Main Course
Cuisine Persian

Servings 6 people
Calories 653 kcal

Ingredients

3 cups basmati rice
2 tlbs salt
1 cup sultanas
1 cup lentils (cooked)
2 tsp saffron powder
2 med potato
4 tlbs olive oil
1 cup chopped dates

Instructions

Wash the rice in water and then cook in rapidly boiling water until half cooked
Strain and wash rice under running water to remove any remaining starch
In the bottom of a heavy based saucepan, or a Persian Rice cooker, liberally pour olive oil (around 2 tlbs)
Cover with a layer of sliced, peeled potato to form the Tahdig
Place a layer of rice on the potato layer
Mix 1tsp of Saffron powder with ¼ cup boiling water and pour over the rice
Add a layer of lentils, sultanas and dates, then another layer rice
Repeat finishing with a layer of rice
sprinkle with saffron powder and a pour around 2 tlbs olive oil over the top
Poke holes in the rice to encourage the steam to escape
Place a tea-towel or a cloth under the lid to absorb any excess moisture while the rice is steaming.
Cook on a high heat until the sides of the pan are hot to touch, then reduce the heat to low and cook for about 30 – 45 minutes. Alternately if using a Persian Rice cooker, allow to run the full cycle.
Place the bottom of the saucepan or rice cooker pan in about 3 cm of water in a sink to loosen the tahdig.
Turn the pan upside down onto a round serving dish to serve.

Notes
A Persian rice cooker makes this dish much easier as the Tahdig is formed perfectly each time with out the risk of either soggy or burnt Tahdig.

Nutrition
Calories: 653kcalCarbohydrates: 143gProtein: 18gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 143mgPotassium: 1052mgFiber: 15gSugar: 31gVitamin A: 17IUVitamin C: 16mgCalcium: 75mgIron: 4mg

Keyword dates, lentils

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July 13, 2013
Sabzi Polo
Sabzi Polo

Sabzi Polo is a great accompaniment to fried fish, and is traditionally served around the Persian New Year, Naw Ruz, on the 21 st March

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 1 day 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 minute

Course main
Cuisine Persian

Servings 6 people
Calories 382 kcal

Ingredients

3 cups white basmati rice
2 litres boiling water
1 tsp salt
2 tbls ghee
1 med potato
2 tsp each of dried parsley dried coriander and dried dill
½ tsp saffron powder

Instructions

Wash the rice well, until the water runs clear.
Place the rice in a large saucepan with the salt and pour enough boiling water over the rice to enable the rice to move freely after expansion from cooking.
Bring rice to the boil until it is 3/4 cooked. Still a little hard in the center to bite.
Rinse the rice under running water in a colander until the water runs clear.
Peel the potato and slice.
In the bottom of a Persian rice cooker pan, or a non-stick saucepan, brush half the ghee and then layer the potato over the Ghee totally covering the bottom of the pan.
Gently spoon the on third of the rice over the potato, sprinkle one teaspoon of each of the dried herbs, and some saffron powder over the rice,
Repeat the layers of rice and herbs, the finish with a layer of rice.
Add the remainder of the Ghee to the top of the rice.
Cover the rice cooker lid with a tea towel or cloth and place on the top of the pot.
Run the rice cooker through its cycle, if using a non stick saucepan, initially bring the heat to high until steam is formed in the saucepan, then reduce the temperature to low-med for about 30 minutes.
When the rice is ready, invert the pot onto a flat round serving dish, taking care to retain the tahdig.

Notes
Sabzi Polo is just one version of layered rice, this recipe can be recreated with many other ingredients.

Nutrition
Calories: 382kcalCarbohydrates: 74gProtein: 7gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 392mgPotassium: 107mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 3IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 26mgIron: 1mg

Keyword rice

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July 13, 2013