Shirin-Polow

Shirin-Polow

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A rice dish made with rice, chicken, sugar, almonds, pistachios,

orange peel and saffron.

Ingredients: (4 servings)

basmati or long-grain rice, 500 grams

chicken, 800 grams

cooking oil

butter, 2 spoons

almonds, 50 grams

pistachios, 50 grams

orange peel, 100 grams

sugar, two spoons

large onions, two

sugar, 500 grams

saffron, 1/2 teaspoon

salt

black pepper

Directions:

Soak rice in warm water for 2 hours. Wash chicken. Peel and thinly slice onions. Fry in oil until slightly golden. Add chicken pieces and fry until color changes. Add a glass of hot water, salt and pepper and cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes. Add more hot water during cooking if necessary. About 1/2 glass of water should be left at the end. Romove chicken bones.

Save three spoons of sugar for later use. Add remaining sugar to a glass of hot water and bring to a boil. Add chicken juice, 2-3 spoons of oil and saffron, and mix well.

Thinly slice almonds and pistachios. Soak almonds in cold water for an hour. Thinly slice orange peels. Boil for a few minutes, drain and repeat. Soak in cold water for an hour, drain, and repeat. Finally boil for a few minutes with three spoons of sugar, and drain.

Prepare rice using the recipe for polow. When rice is rinsed, pour a bit of oil and hot water in a pot, and add 1/2 of rice. Spread chicken pieces over the rice, and cover with 1/2 of remaining rice. Spread half of almonds and orange peel over rice and cover with remaining rice. Pour sugar and chicken-juice mix prepared earlier over rice. Cover and cook over low heat for about 30 minutes. Add remainder of almonds, orange peel, and pistachios, and mix well.

Roxana & Farzin Mokhtarian

F.Mokhtarian@ee.surrey.ac.uk

Adas Polow

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A rice dish made with rice, raisins, saffron, dates, lentils and

ground lamb or ground beef. The meat may be omitted for a

vegetarian version.

Ingredients: (4 servings)

lentils, 400 grams

long-grain or basmati rice, 500 grams

ground beef or lamb, 400 grams

dates (pitted), 100 grams

raisins, 120 grams

saffron, 1/2 teaspoon

onions, 2 large

cooking oil

salt

black pepper

Directions:

Soak rice in water for 3-4 hours, then cook in salted water for 10-15 minutes using a non-stick pot until it just softens. Drain water and empty the pot.

Bring 2-3 cups of water to boil. Wash lentil and add to water with a bit of salt. Cook over medium heat for about 15-20 minutes until tender.

Peel and thinly slice onions. Fry in oil until slightly golden. Add ground beef or lamb, salt and black pepper, and fry over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Add one cup of hot water and cook until water has been mostly absorbed.

Wash raisins and dates. Pour 1/2 cup of water and some oil in the non-stick pot. Pour in half of the rice. Follow with meat, lentil, raisins, dates and raisins. Then add in remainder of rice. Cook over low heat for about 20 minutes. Dissolve saffron in 1/3 cup of hot water and pour over the rice. Mix well before serving.

Roxana & Farzin Mokhtarian

F.Mokhtarian@ee.surrey.ac.uk

Albaloo Polow

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A rice dish made with rice, black cherries, chicken, sugar, and saffron.

Ingredients: (4 servings)

long-grain or basmati rice, 500 grams

chicken, one medium-size

black cherry (or cherry), 1kg

sugar, 1 kg

onions, 2 medium

saffron, 1/2 teaspoon

cooking oil

salt

black pepper

Directions:

Wash black cherries (or cherries) and remove the stones. Add sugar. If you are using cherries rather than black (sour) cherries, less sugar can be used. Bring to boil. 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 onions. Wash chicken. Add onions, salt, black pepper, and a glass of hot water, and cook over medium heat for 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool, then remove bones. Filter the chicken juice and save for later use.

Follow instructions for preparing Polow until rice is rinsed. Pour 2 spoonfuls of cooking oil and half a glass of hot water in a pot. Follow with half of the rinsed rice and the black cherries (or cherries), and mix well. Cover with half of 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 black cherry (or cherry) syrup and chicken juice. Pour the mix over rice. Cover the pot and cook in an oven or over low heat for about one hour.

When cooked, remove some of the rice and mix with saffron dissolved in a bit of hot water. When serving, spread saffron-rice over Albaloo-Polow.

Roxana & Farzin Mokhtarian

F.Mokhtarian@ee.surrey.ac.uk

Morasah-Polow

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A festive rice dish made with rice, chicken, raisins, barberries,

almonds, pistachios, orange peel, and saffron.

Ingredients: (4 servings)

basmati or long-grain rice, 500 grams

chicken, 800 grams

cooking oil

butter, 2 spoons

barberries (dried), 80 grams

almonds, 50 grams

pistachios, 50 grams

raisins, 50 grams

orange peel, 100 grams

sugar, two spoons

large onions, two

saffron, 1/2 teaspoon

salt

black pepper

Directions:

Morasah-Polow is an elaborate rice dish which means jeweled rice and is usually made at weddings.

Wash barberries and raisins with cold water and drain. Fry separately in oil over medium heat for a few minutes. Add some sugar to barberries during frying. Thinly slice almonds and pistachios. Soak almonds in cold water for an hour. Thinly slice orange peels. Boil for a few minutes, drain and repeat. Soak in cold water for an hour, drain, and repeat. Finally boil for a few minutes with a few spoons of sugar, and drain.

Prepare rice using the recipe for polow. When rice is rinsed, pour a bit of oil and hot water in a pot, and add 1/2 of rice. Spread chicken pieces over the rice, and cover with 1/2 of remaining rice. Spread half of almonds and orange peel over rice and cover with remaining rice. Pour chicken-juice and a bit of oil over rice. Dissolve saffron in a bit of hot water and also pour over rice. Cover and cook over low heat for about 30 minutes. Add remainder of almonds and orange peel, raisins, barberries, and pistachios, and mix well. Pour two spoons of melted butter on top, and serve.

Roxana & Farzin Mokhtarian

F.Mokhtarian@ee.surrey.ac.uk