Persian cooking: recipes · Rice (polo)
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
- 1000 g chicken thighs
- 1¼ onions
- 1¼ tsp turmeric
- 1¼ tbsp tomato paste
- 1¼ pinch saffron threads, ground and dissolved in 4 tbsp hot water
- 500 g basmati rice
- 75 g barberries (zereshk)
- 1¼ tbsp sugar
- 38 g butter
- 2½ tbsp pistachios, chopped
- 3¾ 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.