Reshteh Polo Recipes

RESHTEH POLO (PERSIAN NOODLE RICE)

Steps:

• Place rice in a medium bowl and cover with tepid water. Gently swish it around with your finger to activate the starches, then tip the bowl to drain water. Repeat this process until water runs clear, about 7 rinses. Cover rice with cold water, add 1/2 tablespoon salt, stir gently, and soak for 1 hour. Drain rice without rinsing.
• Crush saffron threads to a powder in a small mortar and pestle. Transfer to a small bowl with 2 tablespoons boiling water. Stir, cover, and set saffron water aside.
• Fill a 5-quart nonstick pot with 9 cups water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add 3 tablespoons salt and stir until dissolved. Break roasted noodles into thirds and add to the boiling water with the rice. Stir once gently, and watch carefully as it cooks so water does not boil over. Taste water for salt and adjust accordingly. Cook until the first rice grain pops up to the surface. Set a timer for 4 minutes and cook, scooping off any foam from the surface, until the timer goes off. Test rice and continue to cook until tender on the outside but still firm to the bite on the inside, 6 to 8 minutes more.
• Drain rice and noodles in a colander and rinse quickly with lukewarm water and a spray faucet to rinse off extra starch. Taste and gently rinse again if too salty. Set aside to drain completely. Wash and dry the pot.
• Place the clean pot over medium heat. Add oil, 1 tablespoon saffron water, and a pinch of salt; swirl the pot until the bottom and lower sides are coated with the oil mixture. Tightly overlap potato slices in a single layer covering the bottom of the pot to create the tahdig layer.
• Gently scatter rice-noodle mixture over the tahdig in a pyramid shape, making sure potatoes are completely covered and moving noodles away from the sides of the pot. Gently poke the handle of a wooden spoon into the rice and noodles a few times, being careful not to hit the tahdig; this will allow steam to escape while cooking. Cover and cook until you see steam escaping from the sides of the lid and tahdig starts to set, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine 1/4 cup boiling water with 2 tablespoons melted butter and remaining saffron water. Lay a kitchen towel out on a heatproof surface.
• Test the tahdig by quickly tapping the side of the pot with a wooden spoon. When the pot sizzles, remove it from the heat. Remove the lid and place it on the kitchen towel, being careful that none of the condensation drips into the pot. Wrap the towel around the lid and secure the ends at the top by the handle so they will not hang near the heat source. Drizzle the butter mixture over the rice and cover with the towel-wrapped lid.
• Place a heat diffuser on a burner over low or medium-low heat and return the pot to the stove. Cook until crispy, rotating the pot a few times, about 35 minutes. Remove from the heat and place on a damp kitchen towel; let sit, uncovered, for 5 minutes so tahdig will release easily.
• Meanwhile, melt 3 tablespoons butter in a small pan over medium heat. Add dates, raisins, and cinnamon; sprinkle with a little salt. Cook and stir until dates are glistening and soft, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Gently scatter rice on a platter and remove potato tahdig pieces and serve on the side. Sprinkle raisin-date sauce over top.

RESHTEH POLO | PERSIAN NOODLE RICE

Steps:

• For making Reshteh polo with chicken, you need to cook the chicken breasts first. To do so, fry the onions with a mixture of oil and butter. Roast the chicken with 2 tablespoon of onions and condiments like pepper, turmeric and salt. When the chicken changes color to white and a bit golden, add some (about a glass) water to it, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer.
• When the chicken is cooked finely, almost 5 millimeters of the liquid is left in the pot. Rest the chickens of the pot and let them cool a bit. Then shred the flesh and return the meat to the previous pot. Add some butter, brewed saffron and roast them a bit.
• Add the cinnamon to the roasting shredded chicken breasts. Let the particles absorb the remaining water then remove the meat and put aside. The chickens should not be too dry.
• Clean out the pot you cooked the meat in and pick another one. Pour water in both and bring to the boil. Add some salt and oil to the water, put Reshteh noodles and rice separately in the bowls. Better to break the noodles beforehand. Parcook noodles (as in Macaroni) and rice. Rinse the Reshteh noodles and add them to the parboiling rice and stir. Rinse them all and put aside.
• Pick a pot and grease with oil. Cover the surface of the pot bottom with the potato rounds to have potato tahdig, or pieces of bread instead. Pour half of the rice and noodles into the pot and spread it evenly over the bottom. Spread the meat mixture evenly over the layer of rice. Then spread the remaining rice evenly over the meat. Top the rice mixture with a little butter and turmeric then steam the polo. Pour the brewed saffron on top of the content. In order not to have dried noodles, add half a cup water to the pot. (Traditional Reshte Polo itself does not contain chicken breast. Adding shredded meat is optional.)
• Place the pot on high heat for 5 minutes, then reduce to low and steam for about 45 minutes. Then remove the pot from the heat.
• Meanwhile polo is steaming, prepare the raisins. Grease a pan with some butter and roast the raisins in it. If you want, sprinkle some cinnamon on raisins while roasting. If you do not like raisins, replace it with barberries. Soak the barberries for 15minutes and rinse afterward. Heat some butter or oil in a pan and roast them. If sour taste of barberries bothers you, add ½ of teaspoon sugar to them and stir. Use them for a garnish. Your polo is ready.

ASH RESHTEH

Steps:

• For the soup: Place the chickpeas and pinto beans in separate medium bowls, cover with cold water by 2 inches and soak at room temperature for 8 hours.
• When the chickpeas and beans are ready, drain them and transfer to separate 2-quart saucepans, cover with cold water by 3 inches and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour, then drain. If the water comes below the beans before they're completely cooked, add more water to cover.
• When the chickpeas and beans are almost ready, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until they start to get golden and soften, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute. Add 1/2 teaspoon of the turmeric and 2 teaspoons salt and stir to combine.
• Add the cooked chickpeas and beans and 6 cups water and bring to a simmer. Stir in the lentils, spinach, parsley and cilantro, then simmer, covered, until the lentils are tender, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, add the remaining 3 tablespoons oil, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon turmeric and the dried mint to a small skillet. Turn the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mint starts shimmering and sizzling, about 5 minutes.
• When the lentils are ready, add the mint mixture and reshteh to the pot. Stir together and bring to a simmer, then cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the noodles are soft, but not mushy, 15 to 20 minutes. The soup should be thick, similar to chili (see Cook's Note). If it's too thick, add 1/2 cup water and simmer 5 minutes more.
• If the finished soup looks watery, mix 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour with 1/3 cup water, then stir it in and simmer until the soup thickens, 5 to 10 minutes.
• For serving: Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon of the turmeric and cook, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes more. Set the onions aside.
• Heat another 1 tablespoon of the oil in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden and crisp, about 2 minutes. Set the garlic aside.
• Combine the dried mint and remaining 2 tablespoons oil and 1/2 teaspoon turmeric in a small skillet. Turn the heat to medium and cook until the mint becomes shimmery, toasted and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Set the mint aside.
• Ladle the ash reshteh into a large tureen or individual bowls and top as you like with Kashk and the reserved onions, garlic and mint.
• Scoop the yogurt into a large pot and add 2 cups water. Whisk until the water is fully incorporated and there are no lumps. Place the pot over medium heat and stir constantly until the yogurt comes to a boil, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the yogurt is pretty thick and has lightly splattering bubbles, about 1 1/2 hours. The yogurt will separate and most of the water should be evaporated. Raise the heat to medium-high and stir constantly until the mixture is quite thick and lumpy and the color is light beige, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool for 20 minutes.
• Pour the kashk into a nut-milk bag and squeeze out and discard as much liquid as possible; you want to end up with dry pulp. Place the kashk in a blender, add 1/2 cup water and blend on high speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add an additional 1 tablespoon water if needed to create a smooth consistency similar to mayonnaise. Add 3/4 teaspoon salt and blend to incorporate. The kashk should taste somewhat salty and sour. Add more salt, if needed.
• The kashk will keep, refrigerated in an airtight container, for up to 5 days. Stir before using.
• You can also freeze the kashk for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator, then stir before using.

RESHTEH POLO

Steps:

• For the rice and noodles: Sprinkle the saffron on the ice cubes and set aside to melt. This will be your bloomed saffron.
• Rinse the rice in a bowl a few times until the water runs clear. Drain and set aside.
• Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the vermicelli and saute until the noodles turn deep brown but do not burn, 6 to 8 minutes. Set aside.
• Fill a 6-quart pot halfway with water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons salt and the rice. Simmer over medium heat until the rice is al dente (if you press a grain between your thumb and index finger, it should break but still be firm in the center), about 7 minutes. Add the vermicelli to the pot and cook for 1 minute. Drain the rice and vermicelli in a colander and rinse briefly with cold water. Reserve the pot.
• Peel the potato and cut it into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Add the vegetable oil to the reserved pot and sprinkle with the turmeric. Arrange the potato slices over the bottom of the pot. Spoon a third of the rice and vermicelli mix over the potatoes and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of the cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Repeat with half of the remaining rice and vermicelli mix and another 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and pinch of salt. End with the remaining rice and cinnamon and another pinch of salt.
• Set the pot back medium heat. Poke 5 holes in the rice using the end of a wooden spoon. Wrap the lid in a kitchen towel and cover the pot. Cook until the rice is tender and the potatoes are easily pierced with a paring knife with no resistance, 25 to 35 minutes.
• For the toppings: Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Saute the raisins until plump and shiny, about 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl. Heat the vegetable oil in the same skillet. Add the onions and saute until golden and tender, about 10 minutes.
• When the rice mixture is ready, transfer 1/2 cup of it to a bowl, add 2 tablespoons of the bloomed saffron and mix with a spoon. Spoon the remaining rice onto a platter and arrange the potatoes around it. Top with the saffron-flavored rice, onions and raisins.

RESHTEH POLO - PERSIAN RICE WITH NOODLES

Steps:

• In a large pot, saute onion until nice and golden.
• Remove pits from dates and dice them.
• In another pot, saute the reshteh noodles in butter until golden. Keep an eye on them, as they burn easily.
• Prepare your basmati rice according to my "Persian Rice" recipe. When you add the rice to the water, add the reshteh noodles too.
• Once the onion is nice and golden, add one tablespoon butter. Add turmeric and cinnamon. Give the pan a nice stir.
• Add dates and raisins. Give the pan a stir.
• Add orange peel. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Note: if the ingredients seem kind of dry, add a tablespoon of butter.
• After draining your rice and reshteh noodles, place 2 tablespoons canola oil in the bottom of the rice/reshteh pot and add enough water to cover the bottom.
• Add one layer of rice/reshteh noodles to the pot.
• Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of advieh spice (or bouillon).
• Place half of the date-raisin-orange-peel-onion mixture on top.
• Repeat with another layer of rice/reshteh noodles and the remainder of the date-onion mixture.
• End the layering with the rice-reshteh noodles.
• With the end of the spatula, make 5 holes to circumference the rice.
• Cook covered on high for 10 minutes.
• Ground the saffron and dissolve in 1/4 cup of hot water. Add 1 tablespoon butter t the saffron and mix well. Pour the saffron mixture over the rice.
• Cover the top of the pot with a towel and cover with the lid. Steam rice on low for one hour.
• Once the rice is done, place the rice in a dish and sprinkle the almonds and pistachios on top.
• At the bottom of your pot you will find a crunchy rice delicacy Persians love, called tadigh. Break it into pieces with a spatula or spoon and serve in a separate dish.

RESHTEH POLO (TOASTED VERMICELLI RICE)

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a medium-sized, preferably non-stick saucepan with a lid, over a medium heat. Add the onions and cook for around 8 mins, until softened, then add the vermicelli and turn to coat in the oil. Tip in the butter and stir until melted. At this point you want the butter to help toast the vermicelli to a lovely even brown colour without burning the butter or the vermicelli.
• Once the vermicelli is browned (not just golden) add the rice, some salt and pepper, and mix well together until evenly combined. Pour over 800ml cold water, cover with a lid and cook on a medium heat (low if using gas) and cook for 30 mins, until the rice on top is cooked. Fluff up with a fork and serve. It's desirable to have 'tahdig', which is Persian for a crunchy rice crust that you can serve in pieces atop the rice.