Loobiya Polow( pilaf), fresh green bean pilaf

Pilaf  is always queen of all dishes  for all Iranians, we have numbers of different pilafs from different regions of Iran, from north of Iran where they grow the best rice  in the whole world...(.believe me I am not boasting it, Iranian rice has got special aroma which you can never find in any other type of basmati  rice, ) to south of Iran , I am sure you have heard of chelo kabab...now what is chelo ? is pilaf and chelo the same or they are different?
surely they are different cuisines, chelo is steamed plain rice   served with different types of stew(khuresh) or kebabs..
Pilaf or polow...is steamed rice mixed with additions such  as vegetables seasoned  in various type of broth or meat.  The addition is cooked and prepared   separately than rice. .and it is added to the rice layer by layer..to be steamed  with rice in the same pot...
Here you can find one of my favorites :

ingredients:

500 gr    rice ( long grain rice.....you can find imported Iranian rice  or use  Basmati  rice)

 400 gr ground  beef or lamb I  prefer lamb)

1 large or 2 medium onions ....finely chopped or  I  minced it to mix with  meat

500  gr  fresh  green beans......cut into small pieces ...as you see in the picture(1 cm pieces)

2 teaspoons  turmeric
1 teaspoon  Cinnamon
1 tea spoon  edible rose petals (it s better to powder dried petals)/ if you don't have dried petal rose you can use Iranian rose water, note that  rose water is different than  rose essence..... never use  its essence

dried edible rose petal

salt to taste ..I advise you to watch your salt intake....it should be only 4 grams daily....or even less than it
4 table spoons tomato paste
 1 table spoon   flour
 1 tea spoon black pepper..
a pinch of ground nutmeg
oil .and butter .. I think  the amount of  oil we use in  cooking   is optional and depends on our diet.
 1 large potato  peeled and sliced

direction:

  if you are using Iranian long grain rice.. .soak it at least  2-4 hours AHEAD.  .. 4 hours timing or even more  is very  ideal... for any type of rice:  first wash it by running warm water  until  draining water becomes clear , after washing  soak it in  a bowl of salty water..for Iranian rice  add 3 tablespoons  of salt to the water and let it soak for  2-4 hours ... using less salt for soaking Basmati rice would have a better result...(soaking time for Basmati rice: 1 hour 
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 cook or steam- cook green beans  after cutting them  into small pieces ...don't over cook them..
  meanwhile mix ground beef or lamb with finely chopped onion, 1 table spoon of flour, black pepper and nutmeg..add a pinch of salt to taste....knead the mixture well ..then make a small meatballs

3- spray oil onto a large sauce pan and brown  the meatballs..

add the cooked beans into the meat...and fry  for about 5mins..

 add turmeric, cinnamon , dried petal rose  powder and tomato paste ...stir the mixture for about 2 mins
... then add a glass of water  and simmer  the mixture for about 15 minutes over the medium heat 
TIP:
rose water should  be added into the  mixture in the last minutes of cooking the meat and beans mixture to preserve its aroma .(substitution for edible rose petals)

meanwhile,  in a heavy sauce pan or pot  bring  9-10 cups of water to a boil , drain the soaked rice  and add  it to the boiling water... reduce the heat to the medium heat to stop boiling ...

TIP:
 you can add a table spoon of white vinegar to the boiling water , this will preserve the white and pearly color of the rice.

drain the rice after 7 mins( for basmati ) 4 mins for iranian rice.....this part is very important  because you should watch the rice carefully to not
over cook it, the rice grains should be  half cooked or barely cooked NOT FULLY cooked. try one or two grains to see if it is ready.

try and test the rice to see if it is salty or not, if it s salty stream water over the drained rice , don't rinse rice thoroughly...just that  much to dissolve the extra salt.

rinse the sauce pan or pot  you  parboiled rice, pour 2 table spoons of canola oil in the pan and arrange the already  peeled and sliced potatoes on the bottom of the pot,
then  place a layer of the parboiled rice over the potato slices, add a layer of  the addition over the rice layer  (green beans and meatballs mixture) , repeat it alternatively, ( the last layer must be rice) ..mound it  to form a pyramid...and  pour 2 table spoons melted butter over the rice...or vegetable oil

wrap the lid of the pot with a clean towel to absorb the steaming drops.

place the pot  over moderate heat  15 to 20 minutes or until grains are tender.

 I hope you enjoy loobiya polow,   noosh-e Jaan...noosh olsun......