Iranian Albaloo Polow Recipes

ALBALOO POLO

Steps:

• Cook rice in a large pot of salted water as you would pasta, boiling until just cooked through with some bite in center, 7 to 9 minutes. Drain in a fine-mesh sieve, then rinse with cool water; drain again. In a small bowl, steep saffron in hot water until liquid is bright orange, 5 minutes.
• Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add one-third of cooked rice, spreading it to edges of pan in an even layer. Scatter half of preserves on top of rice, then poke 4 holes through rice with the bottom of a wooden spoon. Cut 1 tablespoon butter into small pieces; place on holes. Spoon half of remaining rice on top, followed by remaining preserves; poke 4 more holes and dot each with remaining 1 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces. Stir saffron mixture into remaining rice; add to pot as final layer. Wrap lid with a clean kitchen towel and cover pot. Reduce heat to low and cook until rice is tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Fluff with a fork and season with salt; serve.

IRANIAN ALBALOO-POLOW

Steps:

• Wash the cherries and remove the stones. Add sugar. Use less sugar if you are using normal cherries rather than sour or black cherries. Bring to boil and cook over medium heat for 15-20 minutes.
• Remove from heat and allow to cool down completely. Remove the extra syrup.
• Peel and thinly slice the onions. Wash the chicken breasts, add the onions, salt and black pepper, and a glass of hot water, and cook over medium heat for 20-25 minutes.
• Allow to cool, then filter the chicken juice and save for later use.
• Follow instructions for preparing Polow until the rice is rinsed.
• Mix half of the rinsed rice with the cherries.
• Pour 2 spoonfuls of cooking oil and half a glass of hot water in the pot. Peal and cut the potatoes in about 1 cm thin slices and spread the potato slices on the bottom of the pot.
• Follow with the cherry-rice and cover with half of the remaining rice.
• Spread chicken over the rice, and cover with the remaining rice. Shape into a cone.
• Mix 2-3 spoonfuls of cooking oil with the cherry syrup and chicken juice and pour the mix over the rice.
• Cover the pot and cook over low heat for about one hour.
• Dissolve the saffron in a bit of hot (but not boiling) water or soak the threads in the hot water for several minutes prior to use (this helps release the beneficial components).
• When the rice is cooked, remove some of it and mix it with the dissolved saffron.
• When serving, spread saffron-rice over Albaloo-Polow.

ALBALOO POLO - PERSIAN RICE WITH SOUR CHERRIES

Steps:

• Pit your cherries and place them in a saucepan over medium heat. Add sugar, stir, and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Place a bowl under a colander and drain the cherries.
• Return the drained juices to the pot and let reduce for about 10 minutes. (Don't worry if the end result is jelly-esque.) Set aside.
• Melt 2 tablespoons butter in your saucepan. Add 1 tablespoon advieh and stir.
• Turn off the heat and add the cherries, mixing well so they coat in the seasonings.
• In a large pot, add the yogurt, saffron, 1/2 tablespoon canola oil, and enough water to just cover the surface of the pot. Then, build your first layer of basmati rice.
• Then, place half of the cherry mixture on top of the rice. Gently stir to mix the sour cherries with the rice.
• Repeat with another layer of rice and the remainder of your cherries.
• Finish with the last layer of rice. With the back of a spatula, make some holes in the rice around the circumference of the pot, making sure to stop before the bottom layer.
• Cover and cook on high for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a small sauce pan and add 1 tablespoon of the reserved cherry syrup you made earlier and 1 teaspoon of advieh. Pour this over the rice.
• Place a towel on the top of the pot, cover, and cook on medium-low for 1 hour.
• Serve with slivered pistachios on top.

ADAS POLOW (PERSIAN RICE AND LENTILS)

Steps:

• Place the rice in a bowl, and cover with water. Soak the rice for about 3 hours, and drain off the water. Bring the rice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 4 cups water to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the rice is partially cooked, about 10 minutes. Drain the liquid from the rice, and set the rice aside.
• Bring 2 more cups of water and a pinch of salt to a boil in a saucepan, and stir in the lentils. Bring to a boil, and cook over medium heat until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and fry the onions, stirring frequently, until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Set the onions aside. Dissolve the saffron in 1/3 cup of hot water, and set aside.
• In a large nonstick pot with deep sides, heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil until shimmering, and spoon in half the rice to cover the bottom of the pot. Top the rice with the lentils, and cover the lentils with the remaining rice. Reduce heat to low, cover the pot, and cook until the rice is completely tender and there is a golden brown, crusty layer of rice on the bottom of the pot, about 20 minutes. Pour the saffron water over the rice and lentils, cover, and allow to cook until absorbed, about 10 more minutes.
• To serve, spoon the polow into a serving dish, and peel off and place pieces of the crusty rice layer on top of the polow. Decorate the polow with dates, raisins, and fried onions.

ZERESHK POLO (PERSIAN BARBERRY RICE)

Steps:

• Soak rice in water to cover for at least 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, place 1 pinch saffron and 1 pinch sugar in a mortar and grind to a fine power. Transfer to a cup and fill 3/4 full with hot water. Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Wash the chicken pieces, pat dry, and place in a deep baking tray. Coat with 2 tablespoons olive oil, advieh, garlic paste, and remaining saffron. Cover with aluminum foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven until chicken is no longer pink, about 1 hour.
• While the chicken is baking, drain the soaked rice, add to a pot, and cover with 4 cups of water. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil if desired to stop the grains from sticking to each other and 1 teaspoon salt. Boil the rice until tender yet firm to the bite, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain in a colander.
• Put the pot back on the stove and add remaining oil. Lay the sliced potato in the base (to protect the rice, but also to create a delicious edible crust of rice and potato). Top with the drained rice and cover with a lid. Cook until the rice begins to steam, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn the heat to low, and leave to steam, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Heat 1/2 of the butter in a frying pan and add barberries. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes; add 1 tablespoon sugar and 2 tablespoons of the saffron water. Stir briefly, then remove from heat. Place a layer of rice on a serving platter, followed by a sprinkling of barberries and a little saffron water. Keep layering. Leave some barberries for the top. Arrange the chicken quarters around or on the top of the platter then spoon the saffron rice and barberries on top.