Rice is a staple of the Iranian diet. Different methods are applied in cooking rice. Chelow is a plain rice that is steamed. You can serve chelow with stews like ghormeh sabzi, khoresht karafs, khoresht gheimeh and all kinds of meat and kebabs. Polow is  a persian dish that is cooked with vegetables, meat, chicken, and various kinds of beans like loobia polo and baghali polo. How to make a colorful and tasty loobia polo?

Ingredients

• 3 cups rice
• 3 cups green beans(chopped)
• 1 cup carrot in small cubes cut
• 300gr ground beef
• 1 medium onion
• 2 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 tomatoes
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

Step 1

Chop an onion, and saute in oil until they are soft.

Step 2

Then add the ground beef and saute to change the color of the meat. After changing the color of the meat, add the chopped tomatoes and stir until the water is soaked out.

Step 3

Add tomato paste, chopped green beans, 3 glasses of water, salt and pepper.

Step 4

Place the lid on pan and cook on a very medium heat and bring it to boil. After the water is soaked out, set the sauce aside and let it cool.

Step 5

Rinse rice until the water went clear. Place rice in a large pan filled with water. Add some salt and let it cook. The rice is done after 6 to 8 minutes when it begins to rise to the top and the water comes back to a boil. Check the rice is cooked at the end by trying a grain. Break one grain in half. Rice should be soft on the outside but hard in the middle. Pour rice into the colander to drain; then set aside.

Step 6

In a large pot heat 2 tablespoon of oil or butter. Arrange potato slices or Lavash naan.  Spread a layer of rice, then place a layer of loobia polo sauce.

Step 7

Make several alternating thin layers of rice, loobia polo sauce. Pour 2 tablespoon bloomed saffron over the rice.

Step 8

Place the pot on medium-high heat directly on the stove top. Cover the pot and cook until rice begins to steam. Then lower the heat and cook for one hour until the crust forms.

Zereshk polo with chicken is undoubtedly the most common persian dish in dinner party or family gathering. The secret of preparing a delicious and mouthwatering zereshk polow is lots of sauteed onion and saffron.

There are two methods for cooking chicken for zereshk polo morgh recipe. You can first cook chicken in water with onions and spices and then fry it. But in another method that is used here, the chicken is first fried in a little bit of oil and then cooked with sauteed onion and other ingredients that make it’s sauce.

Ingredients

• 4 chicken pieces(thighs or chicken breasts)
• 4 cups of rice
• 1 cup barberry(zereshk)
• 2 tablespoon of tomato paste
• 1 onion
• 4 teaspoon bloomed saffron
• 2 tablespoon Butter
• Oil
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

Step 1

Fry chicken pieces in oil until golden.

Step 2

Wash the barberries in warm water, drain and set aside.

Step 3

Put chickens in the pot. Chop the onion and saute it in oil until it is soft. Then add tomato paste, lemon juice, salt and pepper and stir for a few minutes. Pour the mixture on the chicken and add 2 cups of water and cover the pot. Bring to the boil and skim off any foam on the surface and allow chicken to cook with gentle heat for about 2 hours. 10 minutes before you take the chicken out of the pot, pour 2 teaspoons of bloomed saffron onto the chicken.

Step 4

The sauce for this recipe should be thick. If the sauce is too thin, remove the chicken from pot and boil to reduce until thick.

Step 5

Rinse rice until the water went clear. Place rice in a large pan filled with water. Add some salt and let it cook. The rice is done after 6 to 8 minutes when it begins to rise to the top and the water comes back to a boil. Check the rice is cooked at the end by trying a grain. Break one grain in half. Rice should be soft on the outside but hard in the middle. Pour rice into the colander to drain; then set aside.

Step 6

In a large pot heat 2 tablespoon of oil or butter. Arrange potato slices or Lavash naan. Pour the rice back into the pot.

Step 7

Place the pot on medium-high heat directly on the stove top. Cover the pot and cook until rice begins to steam. Then lower the heat and cook for one hour until the crust forms.

Step 8

Put 2 tablespoons of butter or vegetable oil in a small frying pan on a medium heat. Add barberries to the pan and saute for 4 or 5 minutes.

Step 9 

Take 5 or 6 table spoon of cooked rice and mix it with 2 teaspoon of liquid saffron and set aside.

Dolmeh felfel is one of the varieties of dolmeh. “Dolmeh” is a Turkish word meaning “stuffed”. Grape leaves dolmeh(dolmeh barg), eggplant dolmeh(dolmeh bademjan) zucchini dolmeh, tomato dolmeh are different types of dolmeh. But the unique taste of the bell pepper makes the dolmeh felfel one of the most popular dolmeh recipes. This delicious food is one of the best traditional Iranian cuisine. And because of its charming appearance, it is suitable for parties at family gathering.

Ingredients

• 1 cup rice
• ½ cup yellow split peas
• 5 colored bell peppers
• 300gr ground beef
• 2 onions
• 1½ cups fresh herbs(scallion, summer savory, tarragon, mint, parsley, coriander)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tomatoes
• 3 cups water
• Salt, turmeric and black pepper
• Oil

Instructions

Step 1

It is better to soak the yellow split peas from the night before.

Step 2

Place the yellow split peas that has been soaked from the night before, with some water inside the pot, put it over medium heat until half cooked.

Step 3

Rinse rice until the water went clear. Place rice in a large pan filled with water and let it cook. The rice is done after 6 to 8 minutes when it begins to rise to the top and the water comes back to a boil. Check the rice is cooked at the end by trying a grain. Break one grain in half. Rice should be soft on the outside but hard in the middle.

Step 4

Take bell peppers head with a knife and empty it in such a way that it does not damage the bell peppers wall.

Step 5

Take onion and peel it and cut it to small cubes. Put a little oil in the pan and put on heat. Now add the onions and saute until golden.

Step 6

Add the ground beef to the onions. Saute a little and then pour the turmeric, salt and pepper. Add tomato paste and stir it until golden or brown. Now cover pan and allow the meat to cook a little over the heat. (About 15 minutes is enough)

Step 7

Add chopped vegetables to the meat. You do not need to saute vegetables. Then add rice and cooked yellow split peas to meat and stir slowly to mix together. Be careful not to squash rice and yellow split peas. Now the dolmeh felfel stuffing is ready.

Step 8

Peel off and dice another onion. Inside the pot, which is supposed to cook the dolme felfel, put a little oil on and add the onion and saute it. Dice 2 tomatoes. Add the abacus of the eggplants that you have left empty, along with tomatoes in the pot. Now add salt, pepper and turmeric, and stir slightly for 2-3 minutes. Then pour 3 cups of water into the pot. You can add a little tomato paste to the sauce. If you like sour foods you can add a little abghoore(sour grape juice) to the sauce for better taste.

Step 9

Bring the sauce to boil, lower the heat and place peppers in the pot. Cover the pot and let the dolmeh cook well. After 1 hour, your delicious dolme felfel is ready.

We all have a decent person in our life who have been motivated us to do a job or something good, for example, motivating for cooking, and we always remind that person by smelling the aroma or the special taste of a meal. A taste of food that may have passed several generations to reach us. My grandmother believed that every season have their own food! That is, depending on the type of food, such as vegetables and fruits, that season also changes the variety of food. One of these foods, which is very dependent on the season, abdoogh khiar or persian cold cucumber and yogurt soup.

Ingredients

• 500gr yoghurt
• 3 cucumbers, diced
• 100gr raisin
• 100gr walnuts
• 2 tablespoons scallion
• 2 tablespoons dill
• 2 tablespoons summer savory
• 2 tablespoons tarragon
• 2 tablespoons basil
• 2 tablespoons mint
• 1 tablespoon crushed dried rose petals
• Crushed dried bread
• Water
• Ice cubes

Instructions

Step 1

Stir the low-fat yogurt thoroughly. If you want to add that cream.

Step 2

Add water to yogurt and stir slowly.

Step 3

Crush the walnuts and add raisins, salt and pepper to the yogurt.

Step 4

Dice cucumbers and add vegetables and dried rose petals to other ingredients.

Step 5 

Add ice cubes before serve. Serve with crushed dried bread.

Kookoo sibzamini is one of the most popular persian cuisine. Along with kookoo sabzi, it is one of the most consumed snacks among persian families. You can serve this delicious meal as a light dinner or lunch. With the amount of ingredients in this recipe, you can cook kookoo sibzamini for 4 people. Simply increase or decrease the amount of ingredients if you want to make more or less.

Ingredients

• 1 large onion
• 3 eggs
• 5 medium potatoes
• Fresh parsley
• Salt, pepper and turmeric
• Oil

Instructions

Step 1

Wash the potatoes first, then put them into a suitable pot. Then add a few glasses of water to the pot and put it on the heat until the water comes to a boil and the potatoes remain in the boiling water for 45 minutes to cook.

Step 2

After the potatoes are cooked, allow them to cool slightly then remove their skin. Next, grate the potatoes with a large grater, then pour into a large, well-placed bowl.

Step 3

In the next step, peel the onion and grate individually, then gently squeeze them and drain extra water and add it to the bowl containing the potatoes. In the next step, break the eggs into a separate bowl and stir well.

Then add some salt, black pepper and turmeric to the eggs. Adding parsley is optional. If you want to add fresh parsley leaves, add it to the eggs and mix well.

Step 4

Next, add the egg to the potato bowl and mix well. Now the batter is ready and then you need to fry it, put a pan on the heat for this purpose.

Step 5

Pour some oil into the pan and allow the oil to heat up. Drop in a small spoonful of batter; if it sizzles in the oil, the pan is ready. Make small round shape patties or spoon the potato mixture into the oil.

Fry potato patties on both sides until golden brown. Serve with tomatoes, pickle and bread.

Estamboli polo or dami gojeh is one of the easiest delicious foods that you can make it with simple ingredients. After frying onions, tomatoes and potatoes, pour rice and water into the pot and let it cook. Estamboli polo is usually served with salad shirazi or yogurt. You can also fry some potatoes differently and use some fried meatballs and serve it with rice.

Ingredients

• 1 large onion
• 5 tomatoes
• 1 large potato
• 3 cups of rice
• 2 tablespoon tomato paste
• salt, pepper and turmeric

Instructions

Step 1

Soak rice from an hour ago. At the beginning, dice the onions.

Step 2

In a large skillet or pan heat oil or butter over medium-high heat until hot. Saute onions until gold. Add turmeric and stir for 2 minutes.

Step 3

Dice the tomatoes and add two teaspoons of tomato paste to the onion. Stir for 10 minutes until the tomatoes are soft.

Step 4

Dice potatoes and add it to tomato sauce and stir for about 5 minutes.

Step 5

Drain rice water. Add rice to tomato sauce. Add 2 parts boiled water to 1 part rice.

Step 6

When the water is steaming, lower the flame and close the lid of the pot and let it brew.

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.

Mirza ghasemi is a tomato and eggplant appetizer dish and it’s super easy to make at home. This is one of my favorite appetizers. It is especially good in summer when you can find the best quality eggplants and tomatoes. So here’s mirza ghasemi recipe.

Ingredients

• 4 large eggplants
• 3 tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste(optional)
• 3 eggs
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Oil

Instructions

Step 1

Roast eggplants in the oven, grill or on the stove. Peel eggplants and cut the top off.

Step 2

Mash eggplants with a fork or finely dice them with a knife.

Step 3

Mash or finely chop cloves of garlic.

Step 4

Puree tomatoes in blender.

Step 5

Heat pan and add oil. Sauté the garlic until golden Then add salt, pepper and turmeric.

Step 6

Add mashed eggplants and cook for 15 minutes on medium heat.

Step 7

Add pureed tomatoes and tomato paste. Cover and cook for another 15 minutes on medium heat.

Step 8

Add eggs to the mixture and stir it all together. Cook it for another couple of minutes.

Baghali Polo ba Mahiche or Persian dill and fava bean Rice is one of the amazing Persian foods and is usually served at parties such or wedding ceremonies. A delicious rice dish that is served with chicken, lamb shanks, lamb neck or minced meat. In the preparation of Baghali Polo, you can use fresh, frozen and dried fava beans. The dill adds flavor and aroma to Baghali Polo, and you can use it fresh or dry, but we suggest the use of the freshest ingredients. Are you ready for an easy and simple Baghali Polo recipe?

Ingredients

• 3 cups rice
• 300gr of lamb shanks
• 3 tablespoon Dried dill
• 1 cup green lima Beans
• 1 big onion
• 2 tablespoon bloomed saffron
• Salt, pepper and turmeric
• Oil

Instructions

Step 1

Cut the onions to small pieces and stir with a little oil and 2 tablespoons of butter to soften.

Step 2

Then add the lamb shanks. Lower the heat and leave in the pot and let the meat cook for 10 minutes and Turn lamb shanks over after 10 minutes.

Step 3

Add a little black pepper and a little turmeric to the lamb shanks.  Add one cinnamon root to the pot, then add a few glasses of water (note that the water should cover the lamb shanks), let it cook for 3 hours on low heat, until the lamb shanks are cooked through.

Step 4

Rinse rice until the water went clear. Place rice in a large pan filled with water. Add some salt and let it cook. The rise is done after 6 to 8 minutes when it begins to rise to the top and the water comes back to a boil. Check the rice is cooked at the end by trying a grain. Break one grain in half. Rice should be soft on the outside but hard in the middle. Pour rice into the colander to drain; then set aside.

Step 5

If you use fresh fava beans, first Shell them and place them in boiling water and simmer until the beans are tender.

Step 6

In a large pot heat 2 tablespoons of oil or butter. Arrange potato slices or Lavash naan. Spread a layer of rice, then place a thin layer of dill and cooked fava beans.

Step 7

Make several alternating thin layers of rice, dill and fava beans. Pour 2 tablespoon bloomed saffron over the rice.

Step 8

Place the pot on medium-high heat directly on the stovetop. Cover the pot and cook until rice begins to steam. Then lower the heat and cook for one hour until the crust forms.

Reshteh polo is one of the Persian foods that you just can’t say ‘no’ to. In many cities of Iran, the Reshteh Polow is made as to the dinner of the Nowruz (Persian new year). Reshteh polo is cooked and served according to the taste of people with different ingredients. Reshte polo is cooked with saffron chicken, meatballs, turkey meat or smoked fish, lentils, raisins, barberry, and dates in various parts of Iran.

Ingredients

• 2½ cup of rice
• 30gr reshteh (toasted noodles)
• butter or vegetable oil
• ½ teaspoon bloomed saffron
• Salt
• Water
• 1 large yellow onion
• ½ cup raisins
• ½ cup dates

Instructions

Step 1

Cut reshte into small sized pieces. Set aside. Rinse rice under cool water before cooking. Let rice soak in 4 cups of water for couple of hours, you can reduce the cooking time rice. Add 2 or 3 tablespoon of salt to rice.

Step 2

Pour 5 cups of water into a large non-stick pot and let it boil.

Step 3 

Drain the rice water and slowly pour it into a pot of boiling water. Increase the heat until the water and rice are boiled, add the noodles into boiling water and let it cook for about 7 to 10 minutes. Test the rice to be ready. The rice should be soft outside and firm inside. Noodles should also be slightly soft and slightly stiff. Then rinse rice and reshteh with cool water.

Step 4

Rinse the pot and place it on a heat, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of oil or butter and 1 to 2 tablespoon of bloomed saffron in a saucepan. Use a large paddle spoon to pour the rice into the pot and into the pyramid form.

Step 5

Without placing the lid, place the pot on the flame for about 5 to 7 minutes, when the steam starts to come out, then pour a cup of water and put the lid on the pan and lower the flame and let it cook it for 45 minutes.

Step 6

In a medium-sized pan, sauté onion with oil until golden. Add raisins, dates and saute lightly for 5 minutes. Set aside.

Step 7

After rice has cooked, mix some bloomed saffron with some rice and sprinkle on it.

Step 8

Serve reshteh polow on a platter and and garnish with fried onions, raisins and dates and goosht ghelgheli(small meatballs).