Persian Recipes

I typically make Khoresht-e Gheymeh with stew meat, but when I decided to make Gheymeh Polo I actually used ground beef instead of stew meat. You can use stew meat or ground beef for the khoresht; its tasty either way!

Gheymeh Polo

Ingredients (4 -6 people):
1 lb ground beef
1 small or medium onion - finely chopped
1 cup yellow split peas (lapeh)
turmeric
1 teaspoon ground limoo amani (dry lemon powder)
salt and pepper
lemon juice
3 1/2 cups rice
2 tablespoons tomato paste
oil
saffron (optional)

Directions:
Rinse the rice a few times and then soak it in water for a few hours (add some salt to the rice as well).

Heat up the oil in a pot and then add the onions. Once the onions begin turning a golden color add the ground beef and stir. After the meat begins cooking add salt, pepper, and turmeric to the meat. Add the yellow split peas to the pot and fry them a bit with the meat. Note: You can fry the yellow split peas for a bit in a different frying pan. Add the tomato paste to the khoresht and stir with the rest of the contents. Add 2 - 3 cups of water to the pot. Add the limoo amani, lemon juice, and saffron (if you want) to the khoresht and cover the pot with the lid and allow the Khoresht-e Gheymeh to cook.

When the Gheymeh is ready, in a separate pot boil water. When the water is boiled add the rice to the pot and allow it to come to a boil again. When the rice comes to a boil (approximately 3-5 minutes) and before it overflows pour the rice into a strainer and allow the water to drain out. Add 1/4 of a cup water into the pot and place back on the stove top (still on high heat). Add some oil and allow the oil to heat up as well. Pour 1/3 of the rice back into the pot and then pour half the gheymeh on the rice, then pout another 1/3 of the rice into the pot and add the rest of the gheymeh onto the rice. Finally, pour the remaining rice over the rest of the contents in the pot. Place a towel over the lid of the pot and place the lid on top of the pot. Once steam begins escaping the from the pot turn the stove top heat down to a low temperature and allow the rice to cook for at least 40 minutes. When you are ready to serve the rice you will want to mix the contents together (use a large spoon or spatula to slowly mix the rice and khoresht) and then pour onto a serving platter or individual plates.

When it comes to serving the Gheymeh Polo you can choose to heat some butter and pour it over the rice. You can also choose to have Gheymeh polo with yogurt. If you like you can make some fries to serve with the rice, or even buy shoe string chips

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