Persian cooking: recipes · Polo & dami: rice dishes
Zereshk polo with chicken زرشکپلو با مرغ
Saffron rice with glossy, tart barberries and tender chicken in saffron sauce. The typical dish for weddings and guests.
Ingredients
- 5000 g chicken thighs
- 6¼ onions
- 6¼ tsp turmeric
- 6¼ tbsp tomato paste
- 6¼ pinch saffron threads, ground and dissolved in 4 tbsp hot water
- 2500 g basmati rice
- 375 g barberries (zereshk)
- 6¼ tbsp sugar
- 190 g butter
- 12½ tbsp pistachios, chopped
- 18¾ tbsp oil
- salt (to taste)
Method
- Soak, parboil and steam the rice as for chelow (see the chelow with tahdig recipe).
- Slice the onion into rings and fry in oil with the turmeric. Add the chicken and brown it, then stir in the tomato paste and half of the saffron water.
- Braise covered with a little water for 45 minutes until the chicken is tender and the sauce has reduced. Season with salt.
- Pick over the barberries, rinse briefly and drain. Toss them in the butter with the sugar for 1–2 minutes; they burn quickly.
- Mix some rice with the remaining saffron water. Arrange the rice on a platter, top with the saffron rice, barberries and pistachios and serve with the chicken.