The following is a recipe for a very delicious and virtually hassle-free popular Iranian main dish.
Zereshk Polo ba Morgh (Saffron Chicken with Barberry Rice):
Arguably, the most popular Persian dish. It is easy to make and the main ingredient saffron makes the food rich in flavour.
Ingredients:
- 500 grams of Basmati or long-grain rice
- 1/2 of a chicken
- 75 grams of cooking oil
- 50 grams of dried barberries (zereshk)
- 1 tbsp of sugar
- 1 whole piece of pita bread
- 1 medium onion
- 3/4 teaspoon of crushed Saffron
- 1 tsp. of tomato paste
- Salt
- Black pepper
Directions for Rice:
- Wash the rice and soak it in a bowl with warm water and salt (2 handfuls) for 2 hours.
- After the rice has soaked, add it to a big pot of boiling water.
- Once the rice is half cooked, drain it into a strainer.
- Add some oil to the bottom of the pot.
- Mix a small portion of the teaspoon of saffron with 3-4 tablespoons of boiling water, stirring gently until saffron is completely dissolved.
- Add saffron mixture to the bottom of the pot as well.
- Place one layer of pita bread at the bottom of the pot, covering the entire area.
- Make sure the stove is at medium heat. Slowly begin to add the rice to the pot.
- Once all the rice is in the pot, gently form the rice into a mountain shape, and use the back of a wooden spatual to poke holes on the top of the rice (Make sure you don't make the rice compact so it doens't get mushy).
- Drizzle a little oil into the holes.
- Steam the rice for 5-7 minutes on medium heat. Reduce the heat to low (or medium-low), place the lid on the pot and let the rice steam for 20-30 minutes. For best results, wrap the lid with a cloth before placing it on the pot.
- Serve the rice in a large shallow dish.
- Crush a tiny bit of saffron with 2-3 tablespoons of boiling water in a small bowl.
- Add some rice to the bowl and mix until it turns yellow.
Directions for Chicken:
- Wash and clean the chicken pieces thoroughly.
- Cook the chicken, chopped onions, tomato paste, salt, and very little water in a pot over medium heat until chicken is half cooked.
- Place most of the saffron in a cup and add 3-4 tablespoons of boiling water to it. Stir the saffron mixture gently, until dissolved.
- Add 1 cup of water and the saffron mixture to the pot and stir gently.
- Place lid on pot and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes. Stir contents in pot.
- Put heat to medium-low, place lid on pot and cook for another 15 minutes or until chicken isthoroughly cooked (make sure to not overcook chicken.
- You can determine when the dish is ready when there is only half a cup of liquid left in the pot).
- Soak the barberries in cold water for 5 minutes. Wash the barberries carefully and drain the water.
- Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the frying pan under low heat.
- Add the barberries to the oil, and stir gently. While stirring, add sugar.
- Once the barberries become slightly larger, remove ingredients from the heat (Barberries will not taste good if they are overcooked or burnt).
- Place rice in a shallow dish and place the cooked barberries on top.
- Serve the chicken in a separate dish.
The copyright of the article Persian Food Recipes in Persian Food is owned by Maryam Nayeb-Yazdi. Permission to republish Persian Food Recipes in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
