Adas Polo (a food cooked with rice and lentil) is one of the popular Persian foods. The ingredients for this food are lentils and rice that is cooked with different foodstuffs such as mincemeat or chicken, raisins and dates. Lentil is a rich source of iron and plant-based protein and is so essential to maintain body health. Most of the time Adas polo serves with raisins and dates.
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup lentils
- 200 grams ground beef
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 pinches good quality saffron threads
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 cup Medjool dates pitted (optional)
- For the rice
- 6 1/3 cups water
- 2 cups basmati rice washed and drainedrice
- 6 1/3 cups of water
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 7 tablespoons vegetable oil
Instructions
Step1
Soak your lentils with fresh water before boiling to remove any dust or debris.
Step 2
Wash the raisins and pat dry on kitchen paper.
Step 3
Cook on a stovetop, using 3 cups of water to 1 cup of dry lentils. Be sure to use a large enough saucepan as the lentils will double or triple in size. Bring to a boil, cover tightly, reduce heat and simmer until they are tender. For whole lentils, cook time is typically 15-20 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
Step 4
In a large pan, heat the vegetable oil. Fry the onion until it’s golden. Add the ground beef and cook until it’s light brown. Add the salt, cinnamon, turmeric, and saffron. Stir until ground beef is cooked completely. Reduce the heat and add the raisins and dates and stir. Set aside.
Step 4
Pour 6 cups of water in a large nonstick pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the rice and salt, leave to simmer, uncovered, on a medium heat, until all the water has been absorbed and holes start to appear on the surface of the rice (approximately 10 minutes).
Step 5
Tip the rice into a shallow dish. Gently fold the lentil and raisin mixture into the rice and add 3 tablespoons of the liquid saffron.
Step 6
Return the saucepan to the heat. Add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Spoon the lentil and rice mixture over the layer of potatoes. Keep the rice in a pyramid shape and away from the sides of the pan as much as possible. Wrap the lid in a clean tea towel and place it firmly on the pan. Leave to steam on a low heat for 50 minutes to 1 hour.
Step 7
Transfer the rice to a serving dish.
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