Persian Recipes

I finally got around to making this dish! I guess I always felt it was a difficult Persian recipe, but I must say it turned out to be easier than some of the other things I have made. I will warn you though it is extremely sweet (as the name should tell you). I used a little less sugar than the required amount.

Ingredients (4-5 servings):
4 to 5 cups rice
chicken — I used 2 chicken breasts. You can also use meat if you don’t want to use chicken.
1 medium onion
Chopped almonds — 3/4 cup
Chopped pistachios — a little less than half a cup
Orange zest (khalal porteghal) — 3 to 4 cups freshly cut
Sugar — 8-9 cups (yes I know it uses a lot of sugar!!)
Saffron — 1/2 teaspoon
Oil
salt/pepper
turmeric

Directions:
In a bowl rinse the rice a few times and then add water and salt to the rice and allow it to sit for a few hours.

Peel oranges to create orange zest. Note: you can use previously dried orange zest, but you will need to use at least 5 - 6 cups. Make sure you remove most of the white inner layer because it has a bitter taste. You can use a knife or a zester. If using a zester you wont need to peel the oranges.

In a small pot add your orange zest and water and place it on the burner. Allow the contents to come to a boil and then use a strainer to drain out the water. Rinse the orange zest and add back into the pot with water at least 2 to 3 more times to take away any bitter flavor that may be present. Then drain and set aside.

Chop up your chicken have it ready to cook. Chop up your onion and add some oil to a pan. Fry the onions until golden in color then add the chicken to the pan. Add salt, pepper, and turmeric to the chicken and stir. Add water to the pan and cover (will need to have a cup of broth remaining in the pan after the chicken is cooked). Allow the chicken to cook (approximately 20-25 minutes).

In a small pot add two cups of water and bring to a boil. Add the sugar to the pot and stir until dissolved. Add the orange zest to this pot and allow the syrup to soak in.

When your chicken is finished cooking use a strainer and pour the broth into a separate bowl. Mix half the saffron you have with a small amount of hot water and add it to the bowl along with 2 tablespoons oil. Take a few tablespoons of the sugar syrup and add it to this bowl. Mix the contents and set aside.

In a large pot bring water to a boil and prepare your rice. Once the rice comes to a boil you will use a strainer and empty the contents. Add a little bit of water to the pot and 2 tablespoons oil and place back on the burner. Add half the rice to the pot and then take most of your orange zest out of the syrup and add to the rice. Take half of the chopped almonds and sprinkle over the orange zest in the pot. Add another half of the rice to the pot and then place the chicken pieces on top. Finally pour the rest of the rice over the chicken. Cover the pot with its lid and wait until steam fills up the pot. Once steam fills the pot take the lid off and add the bowl of chicken broth, saffron, and syrup mixture over the rice. Cover the lid with a cloth or towel and let it steam. Once steam escapes the sides of the pot bring the burner temperature to low. After about 30 to 40 minutes the rice will be ready to serve.

Take the remaining saffron and add some hot water to it. Add the chopped pistachios, remaining chopped almonds, and remaining orange zest (within syrup) to the saffron. When you are ready to serve the dish remove some of the rice within the pot and add it to the mixture. Use this rice to sprinkle/decorate the top of the rice.

After you empty out all the rice you should have Ta-Dig (crispy rice) left over…which in this dish the crispy rice is nice and sweet.

Serve with Maast (yogurt) or just plain.

This dish is a lot like Adas Polo (in my opinion); however, a few steps in making it vary. Mung Beans (maash) take a little longer to cook and become soft, so keep that in mind when you decide to make this dish. Another thing I usually use is a brown sugar coloring (the specific one I use is called Zucker-Couleur…its basically caramel food color). You can also prepare the sugar coloring (explained below).

Ingredients (3-4 servings):
1 cup Maash (Mung beans) — its best to wash them and soak them for at least 30 minutes prior to cooking
3 cups rice — wash the rice and soak in water (add salt to the water). Soak for at least 1 hour prior to cooking.
Eggs, chicken, or meat (optional) — whichever you choose to serve with the rice, or serve without any additions

Directions:
In a large pot bring water to a boil and add the Maash to it. Allow the Maash to boil for 10 to 15 minutes (or until a little soft).
Add the rice and allow the rice to come to a boil. Use a strainer empty the contents of the pot into it. Add some water to the pot along with oil and heat it up. In a separate pot add some water and oil, along with the sugar coloring. Note: If you dont have a sugar coloring, you can add a tablespoon or two of sugar into the heated water and oil and allow it to cook/fry a little (it will turn brown in color).

Add the rice to the pot (with the heated oil and water mixture) then pour the contents of the other pot (oil, water, and sugar food coloring) on top of the rice. Use a spatula to stir the contents and then place a towel/cloth on the lid of the pot and cover the rice. Once steam escapes the sides of the pot you can turn the burner temperature down to low (all this time the burner should have been on high/medium-high). Allow it to cook for 20-30 minutes on low (or longer for more Tah Dig (crispy rice)).

You can cook chicken or meat to serve the dish with, or you can fry some eggs in butter, or oil to serve with the rice. Many times I add sugar to the rice, or serve it with yogurt. Its all up to you!

If you like sweet dishes and like carrots then you should try Havij Polo (Rice with Carrots).

Ingredients (4-6 people):

4 cups rice
oil
4-6 large carrots
water
1 lb chicken — I used chicken breasts
1 medium onion
1 tablespoon liquid saffron
salt
pepper
turmeric
1/2 cup sugar — you can add more if you like

Directions:
Wash and rinse the rice, then soak in water for a few hours. Add salt to the water you are soaking the rice in.

Chop up the onion finely, add to a pan, and fry in oil until it begins turning golden brown in color. At that point add chicken pieces to the pan and saute. Add turmeric, salt, and pepper to the chicken and stir. Finally add half a cup of water to the pan and place a lid on it to allow the chicken to cook for 30 minutes.

Wash the carrots and peel off the outer skin, then grate the carrots. In a pot heat some oil and then add the grated carrots and fry them a bit in the oil. Add the sugar and 3/4- 1 cup water and the saffron to the pot. Allow the carrots to cook until most of the water is gone.

Prepare the rice by bringing it to a boil and straining it. Once the rice is strained add some water and oil to the pot and bring it to a boil. Add half the rice to the pot then place the cooked chicken pieces on top and add the carrots on top of the chicken. Pour the rest of the rice on top of the carrots and add a bit more oil and some of the chicken stock. Place a towel on top of the pot and allow steam to escape prior to turning the heatdown to low. Allow the rice to cook for an hour. When you are ready to serve the dish, mix the rice with the carrots and chicken when placing in a platter.

Serve with maast, torshi, or salad shirazi.