Persian Jeweled Rice

Since we started off the new year with an Iranian stew, I thought it would make sense to continue with a classic Persian rice recipe, shireen polou. Two years ago I posted a photo of Persian rice and several people asked me for the recipe, so it's about time to follow up with another polou recipe.

If you have ever inadvertently burned a pot of rice, then Persian style rice is for you. I'm kidding, but the most delicious part about Persian rice is the delicious golden crust, called tah-dig, that is carefully formed on the bottom of the pan. "Crusty rice," is a technique found all over the world, from Korean bibimbap to northern Indian Biryani to crunchy fried rice. If it were up to me, crunchy rice beats out plain fluffy rice anytime.



The technique for Persian polou is the same whether you are just making plain rice (rice with butter), or a fancier rice stuffed with everything from sour cherries to chicken to pistachios to vegetables. First, you par-boil basmati rice until it is half way done, about 10 minutes. Then you drain the rice and mix with whatever additions you want to add, whether its spices, herbs, meat, or fruits and nuts. Then you melt a lot of butter (or ghee) in the bottom of a heavy bottomed pot. You add a little bit of rice and stir it in to coat in the butter and pat it down on the bottom of the pot. Then you pile in the rest of the rice in a loose conical shape, and poke a few holes in the rice with the handle of a wooden spoon. Sprinkle a bit of water over the top of the rice, wrap the lid of the pot with a towel, and cook on medium-ow heat until a beautiful crust forms on the bottom of the pan.



Now today we're making one of the fancier forms of polou, "shireen polou," or jeweled rice. Traditionally made for weddings, this rice is filled with chicken, pistachios, almonds, barberries or cherries, candied orange peel, and saffron. Though sour cherries are usually used for different dish (albalu polou), I love them and happened to add them on hand instead of barberries. The rice is studded with colors and textures, sweets and savories, all mixed with bits of rice both crunchy and sweet. You'll never want to eat boring old steamed rice again.



Jeweled Rice
You can always play around with different dried fruits and nuts for this dish, and if you don't have candied orange peel a bit of fresh orange zest will do in a pinch. Making polou is a delicate act, if the heat is too low you don't get the crispy crust, and too high and it burns. It may take a bit of practice to get it right, but even the "ugly" versions will be delicious.

6 chicken drumsticks (or 4 chicken breasts)
salt, pepper
2 cups basmati rice
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup shelled blanched pistachios
1/2 cup pitted sour cherries (or rehydrated barberries* or dried sour cherries)
1/4 cup golden raisins or diced dried apricots
2 tablespoons finely diced candied orange peel
1/4 teaspoon each allspice, cinnamon, and cumin
1 pinch of saffron mixed with 2 tablespoons hot water
6 tablespoons butter or ghee

1. Sprinkle chicken with salt, pepper. Heat some olive oil in a pot, add the chicken and lightly brown on all sides. Add water to cover chicken, bring to a simmer, and simmer about 45 minutes or until chicken is tender and falling of the bone. Remove chicken to cool and set aside broth.
2. Bring broth to boil, if there isn't much broth add some extra water so that there is at least around 5 cups liquid. The rice should be able to cook freely in the liquid, bouncing around the pot. Add the rice to the boiling broth and let the rice cook 10 minutes, it will be under-done. Drain rice immediately and place in a bowl.
3. Meanwhile pull apart the cooled chicken, discarding skin and bone.
4. Season the rice with salt and add the allspice, cinnamon, cumin, and saffron, stirring well to mix. Fold in the nuts, fruits, and chicken, folding gently to combine.
5. Melt the butter over medium-low heat in the bottom of a deep heavy pot. Scoop out about 1/2 cup of the rice (preferably without any big chunks of chicken or fruit or anything), and add it to the pan, mixing with the butter. Pat this buttery rice layer down to cover the bottom of the pan. Pile in the remaining rice in a loose conical shape. Poke a few holes in the cone with the handle of a wooden spoon. Sprinkle 2-3 tablespoons of water over the rice. Wrap the pot lid in a dish towel, tying it at the top with rubber band. Cover the pan with the lid and let cook undisturbed for 35-45 minutes. Start checking the rice after about 30 minutes, you want the rice at the bottom to be golden brown but not the burn.
6. When the rice is done, remove from the heat and immediately dunk the bottom of the pan in a sink of cold water (this will help the crusty rice release). Wait a moment, then carefully invert the rice onto a platter. If the rice sticks to the pan (as mine always does), just crumble the crusty bits decoratively over the top. Serve immediately, with some plain thick yogurt on the side.

*Barberries and jarred sour cherries are available at your local Middle Eastern or Persian grocery store.

Iranian Herb Stew for the New Year

The longer I stay away from this space, the harder it seems to return. Not because I've stopped cooking or because I've stopped writing, but because I've stopped doing this thing called blogging, which turns out to be a whole different animal altogether. But I must return, just like I have to keep cooking, because there's always a new recipe to try, because people are hungry, because I like what this space, this blog, brings to my life.

It probably didn't help that our fridge broke in December, with horrible rattling sounds and leaking water. And what should have been an easy fix, because we rent from an absentee landlord, became a nearly twenty-day saga of fridge-less-ness. One can only live off their favorite local pizza place for so long, but thankfully it was fixed just in time to host our annual Christmas party (latkes with caviar, mini pulled pork sandwiches, stuffed grape leaves).



In better news, I received a tagine for Christmas (!!!!!), and can't wait to delve into more Moroccan recipes in the future, and I also received a macaron cookbook which I can't wait to try out.

Probably the best thing we've discovered in the last month are the kifflie cookies Paul made many batches of this holiday. But it seems rather cruel to offer a cookie recipe in January. Instead, we've made ghormeh sabzi, a delicious Iranian stew made of all the green things you can think of. And green things are virtuous, aren't they?

I was introduced to this dish many years ago by Iranian friends of mine, who always swore by it's deliciousness, and though I'd eaten their version I'd never tried it myself. I was surprised to find that other than a lot of chopping, this stew of complex flavors was relatively easy to make. You chop up all the green things you can get your hands on, lots of spinach, but also leeks, parsley, cilantro, dill, and scallions. You cook it with lamb and kidney beans (probably the best use of red kidney beans I've ever come across), for hours until it becomes not unlike a dark green sludge. It's not the prettiest thing, but it's delicious. And if you're feeling too virtuous, you can top your whole bowl with a traditional sizzling of melted clarified butter.



The recipe does call for one special ingredient: dried limes (also called omani limes, or noumi basra). The dried lime is such an essential flavor in this stew that I would say you really can't make the dish without it. It just won't taste right. But you can get dried limes from most Middle Eastern groceries, or order them online (whole is best, but the powdered form is also acceptable).

Here's to a good start to 2011, and many more recipes to come.



Ghormeh Sabzi (Persian Herb Stew)
Adapted from my friends and a recipe clipped from the Boston Globe long ago. I've heard you can make this using frozen spinach, but I've never tried it myself.

1/2 pound fresh spinach, stemmed and coarsely chopped
1 bunch fresh dill, stemmed and coarsely chopped
1 bunch fresh Italian parsley, stemmed and coarsely chopped
1 bunch fresh cilantro, stemmed and coarsely chopped
4 leeks, thinly sliced
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound beef or lamb stew meat, cut into cubes
Salt and black pepper, to taste
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
Generous pinch crushed red pepper or Aleppo pepper
1 dried lime or 1 tablespoon dried lime powder (available at Middle Eastern markets)
4 cups water
1 can (15 ounces) red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (optional)

1. In a large flameproof casserole, combine the spinach, dill, parsley, cilantro, leeks, and scallions. Cook, stirring constantly, over high heat until the excess water evaporates. (There is no oil added at this point.)
2. Add 2 tablespoons of the oil. Cook, stirring often, for 15 minutes or until the vegetables start to brown. Remove the pot from the heat. With a rubber spatula, remove the mixture from the pan and transfer to a bowl.
3. Wipe out the pan. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and when it is hot, add the meat, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes or until it starts to brown. Add the onions, turmeric, and red pepper. Continue cooking, stirring often, for 8 minutes or until softened.
4. With a knife, poke a hole in the dried lime and add them or the powdered lemon to the pot. Add 3 cups of the water and bring to a boil. Let the mixture bubble gently, partially covered, for 15 minutes.
6. Add the spinach mixture, turn the heat to medium-low, and cook, partially covered, for 1 hour. Add the remaining cup of water if the pan seems dry. Stir in the beans and continue cooking for 30 to 60 minutes or until the meat is tender when pierced with a skewer (total cooking time is 1 1/2 to 2 hours). Remove the dried lime from the pot.
7. Taste the mixture for seasoning. Add more salt, red pepper, or the lemon juice, if you like.