Baghali Polow/Lima or broad beans rice and dill with lamb

Baghali or Lima/ broad/Fava beans  are popular in Iran. Fava beans are used in many forms but the most popular ones is  boiling or steam cooking them and serving them with  pepper, salt and lemon juice, but the king of them all is Baghali Polow which is one of the festive food on the menu, especially in wedding ceremonies!

It can be served with Mahiche (lamb shanks) which is my favorite, chicken and turkey  or any kind of meat.

Ingredients:

serving for 4- 6 

2 cups long grain rice

2 cups Fava (Lima) beans , I usually use fresh ones  but sometimes we use dried  or frozen ones. 

2 cups  finely chopped fresh dill  ...you can use dried dill too ...if you use dried dill you may need 1 cup only  and sprinkle it  over the drained  rice ........

2 onions
3 or 4 lamb shanks or 400 gr beef  or any kind of meat 

pepper and salt

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 teaspoon mixed adviyeh ( cinnamon,nutmeg, powered garlic, powdered cardamom, powdered corriander seeds)

butter/ shortening or liquid oil of your own choice

 1/2 teaspoon saffron

1- bring the water to the boil  2- Add halved fava beans to the boiling  water  3- remove the foam of the water surface

 Add rice to the boiling water with beans, then after 2 mins  add finely chopped  dill , after 2 mins drain rice  

Direction: 

Pick over the rice , removing any stones or other  particles and  wash thoroughly under lukewarm water until the water runs clear . Soak the rice in a large container filled with water with 1 tablespoon of salt for 2 hours or more,

While the rice is soaking, wash dill thoroughly and chop finely, cook Mahiche(lamb shanks) with garlic,  meat broth , chopped onions and a pinch of black pepper....finally add a few saffron threads to give it a good flavor and color, 

Later in a large pan bring a water into a boil, first add halved Lima beans, wait for a min, remove foams rising to the surface of the water, adding lima beans  before adding rice to the water helps  beans to cook better, after a mins or so drain rice and add then into the pan, wait for a few minutes like 2 or 3 minutes and then  add dill , Try one grain to see if it’s ready , it must be barely done,not cooked fully  and not soft . Drain the rice, beans and dill in a large fine-mesh strainer or colander.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. distribute melted butter  evenly in the pan, and arrange some potatoes to make a crispy potato  tahdig!

Arrange rice one layer at the bottom of the pan over the  sliced potatoes . Sprinkle with pinch of Adviyeh, to taste. Follow with another layer of rice, pile the rest of the rice one layer after another . Pour 1 tablespoon melted butter  over rice, brew saffron threads in boiled water and out in inside the pan over the rice  like the way I show on the picture, 

 

Place a clean towel over the pot and cover firmly with a lid to absorb the steam. 

Reduce the heat to low and cook for 40 minutes or more.the approximate time is one hour not more that that. Rice grains should be separate  not sticky.

When ready to serve, gently  place it on the large serving platter and put lamb shanks over the rice or serve it beside the pilaf. This Pilaff is delicious served with yogurt and salad.

 Nooshe jaan!

Albaloo Polow, Sour cherry Pilaf(Rice with Sour cherries)

A couple of days ago  I found out that I have got a packet of  sour cherries left in the freezer  so I decided to cook Albaloo polow, Albaloo is sour cherry in Farsi,  I usually freeze some summer fruits such as different types of berries for winter use,  I love sour cherry a lot,  I don't like sweet taste in many foods but this  polow is something special, Albaloo polow is delicious combination of sweet and sour taste, I like to taste  actual flavor of every ingredients in foods instead of expulsion of supper power adviyeh(spices).


Ingredinets
3 cups rice (long grain)
1/3 cup sugar
4cups sour cherries
 oil (canola oil)
1 table spoon (Adviyeh for polow)....how to make mixed iranian spice or adviyeh: mix 1tea spoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 2 tea spoons ground dried petal rose, 1 tea spoon ground cardamom)
1 teaspoon saffron
600 gr chicken filet
2 medium onions


Direction


wash and soak  rice in salty water for a few hours,
prepare saffroon by brewing saffron powder in a cup of boiling water,
Lets see what we will do with sour cherries, this part is time consuming , you should  make sure all of them are pitted!! Add sugar onto the top of sour cherries and then stir it gentley with your hand and set it aside for 30 minutes,

This part is like  making jam, but the syup doesn't have as thick consistency as jam, put sourcherries  in a  pan on a medium  heat,  stir it for a while, then let it simmer,  when it s perfectly done  remover from  heat  and  set it aside,

In the meantime,  cook chicken filtes with sliced onions and a cup of water, add a pinch of salt , 2 table spoons of prepared saffroon  and  add adviyeh to the chicken,cover it  to cook  for 20 mins or until the water level reduced,  remove  the remianing  juice and set it aside, add a table spoon of oil to the pan and stir fry chicken filtes for a short while until  they turn golden, you can skip this part if you are on any special diet,

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 melted butter or canola oil in the pan and arrange the already  peeled and sliced potatoes on the bottom of the pot,
then  place the parboiled rice over the potato slices , mound it  to form a pyramid...and  pour 2 table spoons melted butter or canola oil, add chicken filets as additional layer over the rice and sprinkle the  preserved   chicken broth over the rice, cover the pot with  its lid wraped by a clean cloth and cook it for 10 minutes over the medium heat , then reduce the heat  to low to prevent burning the bottom . when rice is ready add sour cherries to the rice and chciken and sprinke saffroon over it and mix it gently ,add pistachio flakes on top of the rice before serving !  

Zereshk polo.. Barberry pilaf

This pilaf looks really elegant and mouth watering,  t is served in most ceremonies either  wedding parties , funerals  or family gatherings, I like barberry   a lot, it s grown in  northeast of Iran  in  southern Khorasan  province, the land of saffron and barberry...Iranian barberry is seedless and the best in the world  therefore it s the best choice to dry and use it for  cooking as an additive. 

servings:  4 

ingredients:

 3 cups  long grain  rice 

2 table spoons butter....3 table spoons  vegetable oil

1 cup dried barberry

2 table spoons grated orange zest

500-750 gr  chicken .or.. u can use legs and chicken breast..I usually  halve chicken breast.. for example 2 legs and  2 halved chicken breasts.

1 large onion peeled, sliced in circles, 

2 table spoons  orange zest

ground black pepper and salt

2 table spoons  pistachio flakes

 water

  1 tea spoon      saffron

2 table spoon tomato paste 

a pinch of cinnamon 

1 or 2 table spoons  lime juice ....based on your own taste if  you like sour taste or semi sour)

  Direction

  

TIP :

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   rice , 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  

1- In a heavy sauce pan or pot  bring  9 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,add 1 table spoon of canola oil or butter in the pan and arrange the already  peeled and sliced potatoes on the bottom of the pot,
then  place  the parboiled rice over the potato slices....mound it  to form a pyramid...and  pour1 table spoon melted butter  plus 1 or 2 table spoons vegetable oil. over the rice. wrap the pan's lid with a clean towel  and cover the pan with the lid to absorb  steam.

2-while the rice is cooking  prepare  chicken ..you can cook chicken in  the oven  or in a pan over the  medium heat ...add chicken, 1 table spoon oil of your own choice  it can be olive oil ,canola oil , grape seed oil or even butter.. sliced  onions,  a pinch of salt, black pepper  , cinnamon  .. to make a tomato paste sauce :   dissolve  saffron powder in small cup of  boiling water , cover the  cup with a suitable lid  and set it aside, then dissolve  2 table spoons of tomato paste in a cup of water, add lime juice and 1 table spoon of prepared saffron  to the sauce.. pour the sauce over the chicken,  cover the pan with  aluminum foil and cook it in the oven until chicken is cooked through......

3- wash  dried barberries, heat a table spoon of  veg oil or  butter over medium heat in a  suitable frying pan , add dried barberries plus  one table spoon of finely ground white sugar and pistachio flakes   in to a pan,  stir-fry  for about 2 mins only , 

4- in a small sauce pan bring water to a boil...add orange zest to the boiling water . reduce the heat  and let it simmer for 2 or 3 mins ..drain them  and repeat the procedure again until orange zests taste sweet  ... this will  sweeten the zest...I prefer to stir fry them too for a min.  as well.

when ready to serve, take 2 spatulas full of rice and gently fold  in  prepared barberries , pistachio flakes and  saffron  

 place a layer of white  rice on the large serving platter, and spread the mixture of  barberry and saffroned  rice over the white rice ..finally sprinkle orange zests over the rice.... then  serve it with chicken .... enjoy!

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 
..................................................................................................................................................................
 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......