Today my cat was diagnosed with a kidney problem and I felt like I’m breathing under the water for the whole day. The hardest part of being an expat, an immigrant, is not missing the food or the culture, it’s missing the people -or in this case the pet- that you love and you’re not able to spend the hard times with. Alone the whole day, I couldn’t stop whispering to myself: ‘he’s gonna be alright, he’s gonna be alright’. As he’s my baby, my love, my tasty Loobia Polo.
Loobia polo is one of the hearty delicious rice-combinations that can act as a perfect comfort food in these kind of hard days. It serves best with
Pickled vegetables (Torshi), cucumber tomato salad (Salad Shirazi), or yogurt are common sides to be served with this dish. And how about a nice bowl of Mast-o-khiar? Potherbs and leafy greens such as basilic, mint, parsley and cress also complete the taste of the dish perfectly.
In order to make this dish, you prepare the meat and bean sauce, then parboil the rice, and finally combine the two and let the rice soak up the sauce while they are steaming over low heat. This process takes a bit of time, but not much effort. So feel free to try it im a gloomy day and enjoy the incredible taste.
Ingredients
2.5 cup white rice (long-grain basmati rice is recommend)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion medium, chopped
2 cloves garlic grated
500 g ground lamb
1 teaspoon curry powder (if you don't have Persian spice mix at hand, which I guess you don't)
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
0.5 teaspoon ground cumin
0.5 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1.5 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon black pepper
Salt as needed
500 g fresh or frozen green beans cut into 1.5 cm or
3 tablespoon tomato paste
0.5 Fine Saffron powdered and dissolved in 1/8 cup hot water
Potato or lavaş bread for crust or Tahdig
Instruction
Put the chopped onions in a cooking pot at medium heat and add 2 tablespoon -or more if you want to experience the real Persian cuisine-. Sauté the onions for a few minutes. Add the garlic and continue to sauté until the onions are light golden brown. Then add the turmeric and mix a bit.
The ground lamb must be well sautéed so that there is no large lump in the meat. Add all the spices and stir for 2 to 3 minutes.
Next add the tomato paste and mix it well. If the mixture is too thick, may add some water. Then add the green beans, cover and let it simmer until the beans are ¾th done. It should be moist, but not watery. Then set the mixture aside.
Rinse the rice in water several times until the water is clear and not starchy.
Bring about 6 cups of water and 1 tablespoon of salt to a boil. Add the rice and allow it to boil at medium high heat for about 3 to 5 minutes until the grains are soft, as in al dente stage. Then drain the rice and softly pour cold water on it.
In a large cooking pot, pour some oil. I’m not gonna bother with some made-up amount here. You should have a 1-2 mm layer of oil covering the bottom of the pot. Then put a layer of sliced potato -washed and dried ofcourse- or lavaş bread. You can also brush some oil on the upper surface and don't forget some salt if you’re using potatoes.
Place the cooked rice with the meat mixture in several alternating layers. Sprinkle saffron water and a pinch of cinnamon all over the top layer.
Place the lid on top of the pot and put it on on medium heat for 10-15 minutes to have a super crispy tahdig at the bottom of the pot. Then reduce the heat to the low setting and let it simmer for about 30 minutes or more if needed, to finish cooking the rice properly. Then you can turn off the heat and serve.
Bon Appetit! نوش جان!
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