Sabzi Polou ba morgh or Persian dill rice with chicken

Another of our favorite rice dishes Sabzi polou is easy to make and served with chicken, fresh herbs and salad it makes a great nutritious and gluten-free meal.  We eat the traditional persian way with a sofreh, it’s like a  table-cloth on the floor, unless we have guests when we sit at the table. The children love it! It’s a bit like having a picnic indoors!

Taadig is the crusty rice bottom. I have used potatoes in this recipe but you could use flat or unleavened bread. We rarely do because I have Coeliacs Disease, an allergy to gluten found in wheat.

SABZI POLOU BA MORGH

This recipe serves 4.

Ingredients for the rice:

• 4 cups of basmati rice
• 4 handfuls of dried dill
• 1-2 teaspoons of salt ( according to taste)
• vegetable oil
• 1 thinly sliced potato for the taadig
• 1/3 small cup or egg cup of liquid saffron

Method:

1. Pre soak the rice in salted water for at least 2 hours
   
2. Drain the rice and rinse well under running cold water and put to one side.
   
3. Take a large pan, add plenty of water and bring to the boil.
   
4. Add salt. If you like your rice a little salty add 1.5 – 2 teaspoons. Otherwise add 1 teaspoon.
   
5. I always add a few drops of liquid saffron to the boiling water also but this is optional.
   
6. When the water is boiling, add the rice and allow to boil.
   
7. Add 3- 4 handfuls of dill. I have a medium size hand!
8. The rice will swell and you should see them grow in length. Be careful not to let the rice become too soggy. You want the rice to be ‘al dente’ or soft to bite.
   
9. When ‘al dente’ remove from the heat and drain.
   
10. Lightly rinse the  rice again and put to the side.
    
11. Meanwhile place a non stick pan on the heat, add a few tablespoons of vegetable oil and a few drops of saffron and mix.
    
12. Take the thinly sliced potato’s and add them to the bottom of the pan. They should sizzle a little. Be careful not to burn yourself.
    
13. Add the rice now
14. Take a spoon with holes in and lightly pour on about a tablespoon of oil
    
15. Cover with a lid wrapped in a clean tea towel and leave to cook for about 1.5 hours on the lowest heat setting you can. Please be careful and make sure the tea towel is secure to avoid risk of it catching alight.
    
16. When the cooking time is finished pour the rest of the liquid saffron over the rice. Then take your serving dish (usually a large flat dish or tray) and place over the top of the pan and quickly turn upside down and your rice will come out as in the picture above. Alternatively spoon it onto your serving dish and arrange your crispy potatoes around or over the rice or simply serve the taadig on a separate dish.

CHICKEN RECIPE

I have only made enough for two but just increase the amount of chicken you use if you are cooking for more

Ingredients:

• 3-4  Chicken breasts
• 2 teaspoons of liquid saffron
• salt and pepper to taste
• Oil
• A knob of butter

Method:

1. Heat your oven to 200 c
2. Heat a little oil in a pan and add the chicken pieces.
3. Sprinkle with salt and pepper
4. Fry until golden
5. Place some tin foil in an oven dish and add the chicken
6. Pour a few teaspoons of liquid saffron over the chicken and add a knob of butter to each chicken piece.
7. Wrap the foil around the chicken and cook in the oven for about 25 mins. This will vary according to the size of the chicken pieces you use.
8. Half way through cooking time, remove from the oven and pour the liquid over the chicken again to keep it moist.
9. Remove from the oven and pour the remaining liquid over the chicken before serving.

Serve with a salad, fresh herbs and mast or natural yoghurt.

Nooshi joonet. Enjoy

Baghali Polou or Broad Bean and Dill Rice

Baghali Polou or Broad bean and Dill Rice is an aromatic rice dish to be eaten along with fish, chicken or lamb shanks. This is one of my personal favourites. Easy to make and impressive for dinner parties.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of basmati rice (follow this link for instructions to step 8 )
• A bowl of shelled broad beans
• A good handful of dill  dried or fresh.

Method:

1. Follow the link above to step 8 but if you’re using dried dill add it at step 5
2. If you’re going to make this polou with taadig then slice the potatoes
3. Add some oil and butter to a large heavy bottomed pan and melt.
4. Add a teaspoon of the za’faran and stir into the butter and oil
5. Add the sliced potatoes, covering the pan
6. Begin to spoon in the rice. If you’re using fresh dill add it now, try to mix it evenly with the rice but be careful not to damage the grains.
7. Add a desert spoon or two of butter or ghee and cover with a lid. Wrap a tea towel around the lid, be careful to secure all parts of the tea towel  to avoid any risk if it catching alight.
8. Cook on a low heat for about an hour.
9. After about 3/4 of an hour add the broad beans, cover and leave for about 20 minutes.
10. Pour on the za’faran infusion and serve.

Nooshi joonet. Enjoy

Sabzi (Persian herbs). Everything you want to know

Sabzi is one of the great characteristics of Persian cuisine. It refers to the leafy part part of the herb and is used both in Khoreshts for flavour and bulk and in sabzi khordan as an accompliment to meals. Some herbs are easy to grow yourself such as mint, and coriander and there’s nothing more satisfying than picking  herbs fresh from your own garden. However I haven’t had much luck with tarragon here in the UK. Sabzi is always best fresh but this isn’t always possible and it’s difficult to produce enough to meet all your needs. A great alternative is sabzi khoshk or dried herbs and most of these are easily sourced and  available in nearly all supermarkets. When using dried herbs its advisable to soak the herbs before use to ensure  maximum flavour. You can buy almost all the dried herbs you need for each dish you want to make from an Iranian Grocery store. If you want to make a persian omelette for example, look for Sabzi Kukoo.

For a list of the herbs you need for Persian recipes follow this link

Main Herbs

Parsely or jafari You may know that parsley is native to Mediterranean land and has been used by the ancient Greek and Romans. What you may not know is that Persians have cultivated and used parsley in a wide variety of dishes for thousands of years. Parsley is part of many herb mixes of Persian cooking such as Sabzi polow, Ghormeh sabzi, Aash, Karafs and Kuku herb mixes.

Dill weed or shivid is extremely aromatic and is mainly used for food seasoning in many countries around the world. Persians, however, have used dill weed in a unique way in rice dishes such as shevid polou  (Dill and rice mix) and Baghali  polou (broad beans and rice). It is also mixed with other herbs as part of preparing other delightful meals like sabzi polou (a rice dish), khoreshte karafs  (a stew) and kuku e sabzi  (vegetable omlette).

Coriander or Gheshniz. Corriander is native to Iran and easily found in any supermarket across the globe. It’s also easy to grow here in the UK. It has a distinctive musky smell and is used  in salads, and for  Ghishniz polou and kuku. No persian kitchen would be without it is some form, either fresh or dried.

Fenugreek or shanbalileh is one of the world’s oldest and widely used medicinal herbs. It has a variety of attributes and is used for increasing libido in men and as an aphrodisiac generally. The seeds have to be ground and can be used to make tea, for fevers,  to reduce menstrual pain and treat skin infection.  The leaf of the fenugreek is high in iron and helps with respiratory and sinus problems. In persian cooking it’s used in Aash ( soup) and in khoreshts such as ghormeeh sabzi.

Tarragon or tarhoon is again heralded for having many health benefits. Its used for the relief of stomach cramps, toothache, menstrual pain and as a cure for bile and high blood pressure. It’s a vital herb in the Persian diet, used on its own or with pickles torshi and in khoreshts. It has a peppery aniseed taste and is grown easily in Iran although I haven’t had much success growing this myself.

Mint or nanar is another vital. This is very easily grown yourself and spreads rapidly so once you start to grow it, you shouldn’t ever have a problem with quantity again. Used in a variety of dishes from must o khiar a yoghurt and cucumber side dish to chai tea. Its eaten with meals on its own, mixed into salads, and as one of the many herbs needed in khoreshts. You can also buy ab nanah  or mint water. I always keep a bottle at hand as its great for stomach ailments and indigestion. I have found it really useful if by some accident I have eaten something glutenous…. it helps relieve the cramps.

Sweet Basil or reyhan is widely grown all over the world and a favoured herb of the Italians. However was originally native to Iran and was grown there over 5,000 years ago. It has a sweet pungent taste, is easily grown at home on your kitchen window sill or in the green house during colder months and in your garden during the summer. It can be frozen and kept for several months. Health benefits are numerous: asthma and diabetes and as an antiviral to name a few. Sweet basil is a great compliment to all the peppery herbs in sabzi khordan and is widely used in many recipes.

Cress or shahi in contrast to basil has a peppery taste. High in iron, calcium and folic acid its a great immune booster as well as a stimulant, a diuretic and good for the digestion. In the east it’s often marketed as a sexual stimulant for men .. I can’t verify that! On the minus side, it is known to cause cystitis in some women because of its strong alkaline properties. Cress  is fairly widely used in persian cooking for its strong flavour. It makes a great addition to sabzi khordan and can be easily grown at home in pots or in your garden. If you buy  cress, please ensure you wash it thoroughly as commercial growers use animal waste to promote its quick growth.

Leek chives or tareh are from the onion family and have a distinct onion garlicy taste. It’s the green hollow stems that are used both in cooking and for sabzi khordan. Leek chives are so easy to grow at home. Once planted they are prolific and will sprout up all over your garden.  They require very little attention and can be chopped and frozen to see you through the winter months for cooking with.  Health wise they are very similar to garlic but less strong and are thought to be good for the circulation.

Radish or torabeh is a wonderfully colourful addition to sabzi khordan and Salad Olivieh. The skin is bright pink in colour and white inside and it really compliments the range of green herbs both in appearance and texture. The texture is moist and crunchy amidst all the softness of the herbs. Radishes are easily available from your supermarket all year-round. The radish is a root vegetable, easily grown in your garden during the summer months. There are a huge variety to choose from. Persian radishes are also easily grown here in the UK. They are slightly more peppery than european radishes. The only problem I’ve had growing my own is a lack of consistent sunlight, hence the end result is a little smaller than I would expect to have found in Iran. Medicinal benefits include protection against coughs and colds and general infections and as a cure for constipation.

Shallots or musi are from the onion or piaz family and available in most suppermarkets globally. Slightly sweeter,  firmer and harder than an onion shallots are  smaller in size.  shallots are a natural inhabitant of Iran and generally favoured above the onion because of their whiteness and strong taste. They are so hard that they often need to be soaked before the can be used. They are usually eaten with kebab and used to make ma’ast musir.

Sabzi Khordan

Sabzi khordan literally means ‘ eating greens’ and refers to a collection of herbs and vegetables that are traditionally served with lunch and dinner. Sabzi khordan is usually made up from the herbs above but it can be whatever you want it to be, what ever is available to you and seasonal.

To go with the herbs it would be traditional to add walnuts or gerdu and feta cheese or panir. The walnuts are usually soaked in water before serving to soften them.

If you are having a dinner party and want to prepare your sabzi khordan dish before hand, you can cover the herbs with a damp paper towel and add the walnuts and feta immediately before serving.

Sabzi khordan offers a light and refreshing side dish to main meals and is rich in nutrients and vitamins. It’s also a colourful addition to your table with the greens and pink radishes.

Iranian restaurants often feature ‘sabzi khordan’ as a starter ( grr… a personal irritation)