Persian cooking: recipes · Polo & dami: rice dishes

Valak Polo والک پلو

Spring rice from Shiraz with valak (wild garlic herb), often with fish or meat.

⏱ 90 min

Ingredients

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  • 900 g basmati rice
  • 450 g wild garlic (instead of valak)
  • 2¼ bunch dill
  • 115 g butter
  • 11¼ tbsp oil
  • salt (to taste)

Method

  1. Finely chop the wild garlic and dill.
  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. Mix the rice with the herbs, put in the oiled pot and 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. Serve with fried fish or meat.