Baghali Polo (Broad Bean and Dill Rice)
Ingredients
- 3 cups basmati rice
- salt
- 500 g frozen broad beans, (baghali)
- vegetable oil
- butter
- 2 large potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
- 3 bunch fresh dill (finely chopped), or 1 cup dried dill
- a pinch of ground saffron
Instructions
- Wash and rinse the rice with cold water until the water runs clear. Soak the rice in 6 cups of cold water mixed with 6 tablespoons of salt, and set aside for a couple of hours. Drain but don’t rinse the rice. Make sure that you don’t use your hand or a utensil during this process. Basmati rice is very delicate and can easily break.
- Thaw the frozen broad beans in water, and remove skin from each broad bean.
- In a large non-stick pot, add 6–8 cups of water and 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, and bring to a boil. Add the drained rice to the boiling water, and cook the rice for about 7 minutes until it is parboiled or al dente—the grain needs to be soft from the outside and firm in the centre. Drain and rinse the parboiled rice in cold water.
- Wash and dry the pot. In same pot, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil; then arrange the potato slices in a single circular layer and fry on high heat for a couple of minutes.
- Begin to layer the pot with a third of the parboiled rice, followed by a layer of half of the broad beans and dill. Repeat the steps with another layer of a third of the parboiled rice and the rest of the broad beans and dill. The final layer should be the remaining parboiled rice.Make three holes in the layers of the rice with the handle of a spatula or wooden spoon.
- In a small cup, mix half cup of hot water with 3 tablespoons of butter and a pinch of saffron; sprinkle the mixture over the rice. Once the rice starts to steam wrap the pot lid with a towel and then reduce the heat to low (this absorb all the excess condensed liquid and allows the rice to become fluffy); cook for about 45–50 minutes.
- Serve with saffron chicken or saffron lamb shanks, and don’t forget the crispy and crunchy potatoes at the bottom of the pot, it is usually the most sought after part of the dish.
Notes
Tip: Alternatively, you can use dried broad beans instead of frozen broad beans—just make sure to soak overnight.