Persian cooking: recipes · Polo & dami: rice dishes

Baghali Polo ba Mahicheh باقالی پلو با ماهیچه

Rice with broad beans and plenty of dill, served with melt-in-the-mouth lamb shank in saffron broth.

⏱ 180 min

Ingredients

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  • 6 lamb shanks
  • 3 onions
  • 1½ tsp turmeric
  • 600 g basmati rice
  • 600 g broad beans (frozen, peeled)
  • 3 bunch dill
  • 3 tbsp saffron threads, ground and dissolved in 4 tbsp hot water
  • 90 g butter
  • 6 tbsp oil
  • salt (to taste)

Method

  1. Braise the lamb shanks with onion, turmeric and salt in water for 2½ hours until soft, adding half the saffron at the end.
  2. Wash the rice, soak in salted water for 1 hour, then parboil in plenty of boiling salted water for 6–8 minutes and drain.
  3. Put oil in the pot and layer the rice with the beans and chopped dill in a pyramid; dot with butter.
  4. Cover the pot with a lid wrapped in a cloth and steam for 10 minutes over medium heat, then 45 minutes over low heat.
  5. Colour some rice with the remaining saffron and serve with the lamb shanks and broth.