Polow, also known as Polo, is a classic and iconic Persian rice dish that has been a staple of Iranian cuisine for centuries. It is a fragrant and flavorful dish made with long-grain rice, aromatic herbs, and various toppings such as meat, vegetables, nuts, and dried fruits. The rice is cooked in a traditional Iranian cooking pot called a "dizi" or "tahdig," which gives it a crispy, golden brown crust at the bottom. Polow is typically served with a stew or khoresh, but it can also be enjoyed on its own as a main course or as a side dish. This article presents three variations of Polow: classic Persian Polow with dill, Persian jeweled rice, and Persian tahdig. Each recipe includes step-by-step instructions, cooking tips, and beautiful images to guide you through the process of making these delicious and visually appealing dishes.
Check out the recipes below so you can choose the best recipe for yourself!
SHEVEED POLO (DILL RICE)
This dish is a simple way to make use of a whole bunch of dill and transform an ordinary pot of plain rice. Naz Deravian, the author of "Bottom of the Pot: Persian Recipes and Stories" (Flatiron Books, 2018), uses a mix of fresh and dried dill here. The dried dill enhances the fragrance and also draws out the humidity from the fresh dill so the rice doesn't turn mushy when steaming. This recipe uses a traditional Persian technique for cooking rice in which you boil the rice for several minutes over high heat, wrap the lid in a kitchen towel to catch the condensation, then steam the rice over low heat for several minutes more. Don't worry; it won't be overcooked. It will be fluffy perfection. Serve it with chicken or seafood, like this roasted dill salmon.
Provided by Naz Deravian
Categories grains and rice, side dish
Time 45m
Yield 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 5
Steps:
- Set aside 1/4 cup of the chopped fresh dill. In a bowl, combine the rest of the fresh dill with the dried dill.
- Place the rice, butter and salt in a medium pot. Add 3 1/2 cups water and bring to a boil over high heat. Give it a stir, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the water has been absorbed, about 12 minutes. (It's O.K. to lift the lid to check.)
- Fold the dill mixture into the rice. Wrap the lid in a kitchen towel to catch the condensation, ensuring that the kitchen towel is secured up top so it doesn't catch fire. Firmly place the lid back on the pot.
- Cook until the rice is cooked through and fluffy, about 15 minutes more. Gently fluff with a spoon, then transfer to a serving platter, scattering the reserved 1/4 cup fresh dill in between spoonfuls of rice.
SABZI POLO (PERSIAN HERBED RICE)
The star of this herb-flecked Persian-style rice recipe, by the actor and food blogger Naz Deravian, is the lavash tahdig - a crisp, buttery layer of toasted lavash flatbread at the bottom of the pot. Break it into pieces and use it to garnish the platter of rice, making sure everyone gets a piece. The rice itself is highly fragrant, scented with dill, mint and whatever other soft herbs you can get, along with heady saffron. You need to find thin flatbread to make this; the kind used for wraps is a good bet. It will take some time to clean all the herbs, but don't worry about taking off each leaf. Using tender stems and sprigs is perfectly fine.
Provided by Melissa Clark
Categories side dish
Time 2h30m
Yield 8 servings
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- In a large strainer, rinse the rice until the water runs clear, mixing it with your fingers as you rinse. Put the rinsed rice in a bowl and add 2 cups cold water and a handful of kosher salt (about 1/4 cup). Let sit for at least 1 hour.
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine herbs. Process, in batches if necessary, until coarsely chopped. (You should have about 6 cups; set aside 3/4 cup of the chopped herbs to use as garnish.)
- In a large pot bring 12 cups water and another handful salt (about 1/4 cup) to a boil. Drain rice and add to pot. Stir once very gently; return to a boil and cook until the grains are about halfway cooked (tender but with a firm spine), 3 to 5 minutes, skimming off any foam. Drain rice, give it a quick rinse with cold water, and spread it out on a platter or rimmed baking sheet until needed.
- In a medium bowl or pot, melt 4 tablespoons butter; reserve.
- In a large nonstick skillet with a cover, or shallow pot over low heat, melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter and add grapeseed oil. Swirl the pan to make sure the melted butter covers the entire surface and sides of your skillet. If not, add more butter.
- Add a small pinch saffron and large pinch salt to the butter and swirl around. Place lavash so it covers the bottom and halfway up the sides of the skillet in a single layer, overlapping only slightly where needed. (You can tear the lavash into pieces.)
- Sprinkle a third of the rice over the lavash. If rice is clumpy, break apart with your fingers. Top with half of the chopped herbs. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon dried dill over fresh herbs. Repeat with another layer each of rice, herbs and dried dill, mounding layers in a pyramid-like shape. Top with final third of rice, and place spring garlic, if using, around the edges of the skillet.
- Using the handle of a wooden spoon, poke several holes in the rice to allow the steam to escape. Pour reserved melted butter and 2 tablespoons hot water over rice. Cover and raise heat to medium. Cook for 10 minutes, or until steam is visible around the edges of the lid. (Don't go anywhere! The tahdig can burn very quickly.)
- Reduce heat to medium-low. Lift lid and cover skillet with a clean kitchen towel. Return lid to skillet and cook for 10 minutes.
- Reduce heat to very low. If you have a heat diffuser, place it under the skillet and cook for 20 to 30 minutes, or until rice is done and tahdig is golden brown. If you don't have a diffuser, watch the pot carefully so the tahdig doesn't burn. If you smell burning, turn the heat off and let the pot sit off the heat until rice is done.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine 1/4 teaspoon saffron and 1 tablespoon hot water. When rice is done, set aside spring garlic; reserve. Gently transfer 1 cup rice to the saffron mixture, toss to color the rice yellow, and set aside.
- Taste rice for doneness. If needed, gently stir in more salt.
- To serve, spoon half of the green herb rice onto a serving platter, taking care to not disturb the tahdig at the bottom of the skillet. Add half the reserved fresh herbs. Repeat the layers of rice and herbs. Top with saffron rice and garnish with spring garlic. Lift out the tahdig, break into pieces and serve on the side.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 425, UnsaturatedFat 4 grams, Carbohydrate 70 grams, Fat 13 grams, Fiber 6 grams, Protein 9 grams, SaturatedFat 8 grams, Sodium 544 milligrams, Sugar 3 grams, TransFat 0 grams
CHEAT'S QUICK PERSIAN RICE (POLOW)
This is a quick, short-cut version of the usual Persian Rice (Polow) recipe. Like most short-cuts, the outcome will not be as impressive as following the traditional, longer method but, if you're in a rush and want a decent quality steamed persian rice, then I recommend following this one-pot recipe. For other times when you cook for guests or have time, I recommend following the traditional longer method as stated in other recipes on this website.
Provided by selinasadat
Categories White Rice
Time 1h
Yield 2-3 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 5
Steps:
- Put the Basmati Rice in a bowl and rinse it very well under running water, taking care to be gentle when stirring the rice so you don't break the rice grains. Rinse until most of the starch has been washed, and the water is almost clear and no longer cloudy.
- Cover the rinsed rice with water (approx. 2 inches/4 cm above rice level), and let it soak for 30 minutes before cooking.
- After 30 minutes, strain the soaked rice (in a collinder or seive) from all the the water.
- Gently heat 1 tablesoon of Oil in a heavy-based (preferrably non-stick), wide cooking pot. Make sure the oil covers the whole base of the pot.
- Add the strained rice to pot, then the 3 cups of Water, remaining Oil, Salt, and stir gently for a few seconds, taking care not to break the rice grains (just enough for the salt to mix in the water).
- Bring to a gentle boil. As soon as the water begins to boil, turn the heat down to a medium/low, allowing contents to simmer gently. Cover the pot with a tight lid (alternatively, use a clean dry teatowel wrapped around the lid to ensure no air/steam escapes the pot. You can also use baking foil instead of the teatowel to keep the pot contents air-tight).
- Once the rice has been simmering gently for 10 minutes, and you can almost hear the rice at the bottom of the pot making crisp sounds, turn the heat down to a low heat, and let it steam gently for a further 20 minutes - this will ensure the rice gets crispy at the bottom (Tahdig) but doesn't burn.
- (Optional) If using Cinnamon sticks to make the rice fragrant, at Step. 7 open the lid of the pot & stick the Cinnamon sticks into the rice, perpendicularly, making sure the sticks are completely submerged in the rice . Cover the pot once again tighly & allow to steam - as in Step 7 - gently for 20 minutes before serving.
ADAS POLOW (PERSIAN RICE AND LENTILS)
It is an Iranian food.
Provided by xxxx
Categories Main Dish Recipes Rice Beans and Rice Recipes
Time 4h35m
Yield 8
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- Place the rice in a bowl, and cover with water. Soak the rice for about 3 hours, and drain off the water. Bring the rice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 4 cups water to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the rice is partially cooked, about 10 minutes. Drain the liquid from the rice, and set the rice aside.
- Bring 2 more cups of water and a pinch of salt to a boil in a saucepan, and stir in the lentils. Bring to a boil, and cook over medium heat until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and fry the onions, stirring frequently, until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Set the onions aside. Dissolve the saffron in 1/3 cup of hot water, and set aside.
- In a large nonstick pot with deep sides, heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil until shimmering, and spoon in half the rice to cover the bottom of the pot. Top the rice with the lentils, and cover the lentils with the remaining rice. Reduce heat to low, cover the pot, and cook until the rice is completely tender and there is a golden brown, crusty layer of rice on the bottom of the pot, about 20 minutes. Pour the saffron water over the rice and lentils, cover, and allow to cook until absorbed, about 10 more minutes.
- To serve, spoon the polow into a serving dish, and peel off and place pieces of the crusty rice layer on top of the polow. Decorate the polow with dates, raisins, and fried onions.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 537.2 calories, Carbohydrate 100.4 g, Fat 7.9 g, Fiber 17.7 g, Protein 17.7 g, SaturatedFat 1.3 g, Sodium 179.6 mg, Sugar 20.5 g
Tips:
- Use high-quality ingredients for the best flavor. This means using fragrant basmati rice, fresh herbs, and nuts.
- Rinse the rice thoroughly before cooking to remove any starch and impurities.
- Soak the rice for at least 30 minutes before cooking. This will help the rice cook evenly and prevent it from becoming mushy.
- Use a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven to cook the rice. This will help distribute the heat evenly and prevent the rice from burning.
- Do not stir the rice while it is cooking. Stirring can release starch and make the rice gummy.
- Once the rice is cooked, fluff it with a fork to separate the grains.
- Serve the rice immediately, or store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Conclusion:
Polow is a delicious and versatile Persian rice dish that can be served with a variety of accompaniments. It is a great way to use up leftover rice, and it is also a popular dish to serve at parties and gatherings. With its fragrant herbs, nuts, and spices, polow is sure to please everyone at the table.
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