Adas polow is one of the traditional Iranian dishes that I grew up with. It is a good meal to prepare when you don't have a lot of time on your hands yet you want something delicious with some nutritional value that is easy to make. Lentil rice is not considered as a fancy Iranian cuisine and it is not usually served in formal gatherings. However, you can make it for your family, close relatives and friends. That's what I do. This dish could be made with or without meat. Vegetarians can omit adding the ground meat to the rice.

 

Ingredients:

 

2 cups rice

1 1/2 cup dried lentils

1 pound ground meat (lamb or beef), I used beef in this recipe.

1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped

1-2 tablespoons oil for sauteing onions

3 tablespoons oil for rice

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/4 teaspoon ground saffron, dissolved in 2-3 tablespoons of hot water

1/3 teaspoon cinnamon

Salt and pepper to taste

Water

 

Toppings:

 

For toppings you can use 1/4 cup of raisins and 1/4 of chopped dates, if you like sweet rice. It's optional. It softens the dates and raisins and brings out the flavor if you saute them lightly with a little bit of oil.

 

Method:

 

Heat 1-2 tablespoons of oil in a medium size saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and saute until the onion is translucent. Add 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric and stir. 

Brown ground beef. Add salt and pepper to taste. I usually start with adding 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/3 spoon of pepper. Add cinnamon and mix well. 

Adjust the seasoning. When ground meat is cooked set it aside.

Pick over the lentils and rinse. Place in a pot and add about 2 cups of water, bring to boil. Then lower the heat to medium, cover the pot and cook for about 20 minutes. Set aside.

After you pick over the rice, rinse a couple of times with cool water and let it soak in 4 cups of salt water for a couple of hours. 

In a large non-stick pan, bring 4 cups of water to a rapid boil. 

Drain rice and pour into boiling water. Bring water to back boil for 10 minutes. Test to see if the rice is ready. Rice should be firm in the center and soft on the outside. Drain and rinse with cool water.  

Wash the pot and return to heat. Add a couple of tablespoons of oil. With a large spatula, place a layer of rice into the non-stick pot, place a layer of meat , then a layer of lentils, then another layer of rice, continue building it into a pyramid shape. Spread the liquid saffron over the rice. In order to release the steam make 2-3 holes in the rice with the bottom of the spatula. 

Cover and cook for 10 minutes on medium-high heat until rice is steaming, lower heat and steam the rice for another 30-40 minutes.

For making smaller portions you can easily cut down the suggested measurements. You can use 1 cup of rice, 2/3 cup of lentil and 1/2 pound of meat and one medium size onion.

 

Serve warm on a large platter. This dish is best served with either plain yogurt or yogurt with cucumber (mast-o-khiar).

 

Enjoy!

 

 

 

Recipe and photo by: Azita