Javaher Polow (Jeweled Rice)

Mixture prior to adding it to the rice

Javaher Polow is a very festive Persian rice served on very important and celebratory occasions. If you're looking for something original that's meant to impress, search no more! This rice is not only beautiful but also sweet yet sour, crunchy yet soft, and simply a perfect combination of very distinct flavors that you simply can't go wrong with! The rice itself is prepared according to the Persian Polow recipe with Saffron and is accompanied by an assortment of orange peel, carrots, barberries, raisins, pistachios, almonds, and hazelnuts. With this impressive list, how can you possibly resist making this dish? The only challenging ingredient in this list might be the barberries. Barberries are a common ingredient in persian cuisine and you might find them in an ethnic store near you; they are called "zereshk" in Persian in case you have to find them by their original name. They are somewhat sour tiny dried berries, most closely resembling cranberries if you absolutely had to substitute. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

2.5 cups basmati rice

1 medium onion thinly sliced

½ cup sliced pistachios

½ cup slivered almonds

½ cup chopped hazelnuts

1 cup barberries (zereshk)

½ cup raisins (red and white)

2 medium carrots, julienned

2 large oranges

½ cup sugar

½ tsp saffron

½ tsp ground cardamom

½ tsp ground cumin

½ tsp crushed rose petals

½ tsp turmeric

2 tbsp butter

vegetable oil

METHOD

1.     Create ½ cup julienne cut orange skin. This can be easily done by using a "julienne cutter" found in many household item stores, or by peeling the skin with a peeler and cutting it into long thin pieces. Soak in cold water for 10 minutes, drain and repeat 2-3 times.

2.     Soak the crushed pistachios, almonds, and hazelnuts in cold water while prepping to allow them to soften.

3.     In a saucepan boil over medium heat ½ cup sugar with 1 cup water until sugar dissolves. Add ½ cup julienned oranges and ½ cup julienned carrots and cook on low heat for 15-20minutes.

4.     In a large skillet melt 2 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp vegetable oil.

5.     In the skillet, saute the onion until golden brown, then add turmeric and mix well. Add the barberries and sauté for 5min on medium-low heat.

6.     Add the raisins (1/2 cup of a combination of red and white raisins) and 1 tbsp of sugar. 

7.   Add the carrot and orange mix, the spices, and the nuts.

8.   Separately, in a large non stick pot boil roughly 8 cups of water, add 2tbsp salt, and add 2.5 cups of basmati rice.

9.   Boil the rice for about 10-15 minutes until it is soft on the outside but still hard in the middle. When it reaches this state drain the rice through a colander and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. 
10.   In the large non stick pot (or persian rice cooker) add some vegetable oil to cover the bottom of the pot and add 1/4 cup water.
12.   Put the half cooked rice in the pot, sprinkle some water on top (~1/4 cup), cover the lid with a kitchen towel to absorb the moisture, cover the pot well and set on medium-high heat for about 10minutes until you see that steam is starting to rise. Then lower the heat to low and let steam for 40min-1hr. Don't open the lid during the cooking process as the steam is essential for the rice to cook. 
13.   When ready, remove the rice from the pot until you reach a more solid layer. Leave the solid layer, place a large plate on top of the pot, and turn the pot upside down along with the plate so that the crunchy part (the tah-dig) falls right onto the plate.
14.   Mix 1/2tsp saffron with 1/2 cup boiling water and let set in a warm place for 10 minutes at least (do this while the rice is cooking). Pour the saffron mixture on the ready rice in the plate. It will cover some, not all of the rice. 
15.  Mix in the mixture of ingredients from step #7 into the rice.
16.   Serve!

Mushroom Risotto

Delicious risotto made from scratch, but so worth it!

INGREDIENTS

6 cups chicken broth, divided

3 tbsp olive oil, divided

1 lb Portobello mushrooms,
    thinly sliced

1 lb white mushrooms,
    thinly sliced

2 shallots, diced

1.5 cups Arborio rice

½ cup dry white wine

sea salt to taste

Black pepper to taste

3 tablespoons chopped chives

4 tbsps butter

1/3 cup grated Parmesan

METHOD

1.       In a saucepan, warm the broth over low heat and maintain warm.

2.       In a large saucepan, warm 2 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat.

3.       Stir in the mushrooms, and cook until soft.

4.        Remove mushrooms and their liquid, and set aside.

5.       In a medium size pot, add 1 tbsp olive oil and stir in the shallots. Cook 1 minute.

6.       Add rice, stirring to coat with oil, about 2 minutes.

7.       When the rice has taken on a pale, golden color, pour in wine, stirring constantly until the wine is fully absorbed.

8.       Add ½ cup broth to the rice and stir until the broth is absorbed.

9.       Continue adding broth ½ cup at a time, stirring continuously, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente, about 15 to 20 mins.

10.  Remove from heat and stir in mushrooms with their liquid, butter, chives, and parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Adas Polow (Lentil and Raisin Rice)

One of my favorite Persian rices, this rice contains lentils, dates, and raisins. It is somewhat sweet and crunchy, and a big party hit as well. This recipe has ground lamb but you can easily leave it out and make it a lighter, vegetarian rice dish. Follow the general guidelines for Polow & Tah-dig when making this dish.

INGREDIENTS

400g lentils

500g rice

400g ground lamb/beef

100g dates

120g raisins

½ tsp saffron

2 large onions

Salt and pepper

Cinnamon

Turmeric

Cumin

METHOD

1.       Cook rice in salted water 10-15min, drain when slightly soft, but not ready yet.

2.       Cook lentils in 2-3 cups of boiling water 15-20mins.

3.       Fry meat with onions, salt and pepper for 10mins, and 1 cup water and cook until absorbed.

4.       In rice cooker or non-stick pot, place ½ cup water, a bit oil, then rice, meat, lentils, raisins, dates, raisins, rice. If cooking on stove, cover lid with kitchen towel to seal tightly, cook initially on high for tah-dig (crunch layer of rice), then lower and cook on low heat for 40mins. 

5.       Cover with saffron when ready.

Four Cheese Risotto

Simple, cheesy risotto. Enough said!

INGREDIENTS

4 cups vegetable or chicken stock

4 tbsp unsalted butter

1 tbsp olive oil

8 shallots, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

1.5 cups risotto rice
 ½ cup White wine

1.5 cups grated parmesan

2 oz gorgonzola, cubed

2 oz fontina cheese, cubed

2 oz taleggio cheese, rind removed and cubed

Handful flat leaved parsley coarsely chopped

Salt and pepper


METHOD

1.       Heat the stock until almost boiling, reduce to barely simmer.

2.       Heat butter and oil over medium heat, add shallots and cook 1-2mins until softened but not browned. Add garlic.

3.       Add rice (vialone, nano, carnaroli, arborio)and stir with wooden spoon until grains are coated and glistening, 1min. Add wine and stir until absorbed.

4.       Add 1 ladle of hot stock and simmer, stirring to absorption.

5.       Continue to add stock in intervals and cook as before until rice is tender but still firm, about 18-20mins. Reserve the last ladle of stock.

6.     Add the reserved stock, the cheeses, parsley, salt, and pepper. Mix well, remove from heat, cover, and let rest for 2mins. Serve sprinkled with parmesan.

Polow and Tah-dig (White Persian Rice)

Polow: the most basic and important part of Persian cuisine is white long grain rice. The rice is sprinkled with saffron, a very expensive but incomparable spice, and when preparing it, the bottom layer turns out crunchy and is everyone's favorite part of the rice called Tah-dig. Many variations exist to the tah-dig which can either be plain rice, contain potatoes, or other home made inventions. This rice is often served with kebabs or stews and makes for a perfect companion to many dishes. Check out the "Persian" or "Stew" sections of this website for things to pair your rice with.  

INGREDIENTS

2 cups Basmati Rice

½ tbsp Saffron in 2tbsp water

Oil

Salt

1-2 Potatoes (optional)

METHOD

1.       Wash rice with cool water a few times, soak in 4 cups of water, add 2-3 tablespoons salt and set aside for couple of hours (this step can be skipped).

2.       In a large non-stick pot that has a tight fitting lid, bring 4 cups of water to a rapid boil. Add the rice and boil for about 10 minutes, until rice is firm in the center and soft on the outside.

3.       Strain and rinse with cool water.

4.       Wash the pot and return to heat, add 2-3 tablespoons oil and a bit of water. Make sure entire bottom of pot is covered, if not, add some more. Add a couple of drops of saffron, any other spices you might like in the tah-dig, and if using potatoes, places several slices on bottom of pot.

5.       With a large spatula place the rice into the non-stick pot, building it into a pyramid shape. In order to release the steam make 2-3 holes in the rice with the bottom of the spatula.

6.       Place small glass recipient with saffron and water mix in the top of the rice, stabilize it so it will steam along with the rice and you will get maximal flavor from the saffron.

7.       Cover the lid with a kitchen towel, cover the pot, and cook for 10 minutes on medium-high heat until rice is steaming. Kitchen towel is essential as it helps trap the steam if you are not using a rice cooker.

8.        When the steam starts to come out lower heat and steam the rice for another 40 min - 1 hr.

9.       Serve rice on a platter; sprinkle the saffron on top.

10.   Turn pot over to remove the crusty bottom (tah-dig) and serve on a separate plate as seen in picture.