Lentil Rice (Adas polo)

Lentil Rice (Adas Polo)

Polo in Farsi means rice and those who have had the chance to taste Iranian food know how delicious it is. It is a very different way of making rice and there are many things you can do with it. Lentil rice (Adas polo in Farsi) is one of them. It is an everyday dish that Iranians enjoy due to it's simplicity and taste. It combines nuts and raisins with lentils and rice together with spices, a rare combination for those used to the traditional Western diet making this dish an adventure. Iranian cuisine is known as one of the richest in the world, having thousands of years of history and involves the combination of fruits and vegetables together with meat or poultry in many dishes. The original recipe uses of ground lamb or beef and is slightly different from my version which is plant-based making it deliciously healthy since you get both your carbs, proteins and nutrients in one meal. Just like any other Iranian dishes, Adas Polo is accompanied by some yogurt (I use soy yogurt) and fresh herbs (sabzi). 

I encountered Adas Polo at my aunt's house while I was living in Iran many years ago. It was strange at first since it looked so simple but it tasted wonderful. My dad explained to me that this was an everyday dish especially if the host invited many people since it is relatively easy to prepare compared to other Iranian dishes, which take up many hours of work. Years later, when I moved to Germany, it was the first dish I thought of to make when my friends were over and I spontaneously decided to make dinner. Back then I made it with ground meat and so it took longer to prepare but I have two friends who helped me out. They loved it! As the years progressed and my dietary habits changed, I've developed this recipe to save time and make the dish healthier. I added garlic and barberries and I use red onions for its color and benefits while I left out the meat, replacing it with more lentils and nuts instead.

Since the procedure for making this dish might be a bit difficult to follow, I'm posting a picture in some of the steps to show you how it is done.

Adas Polo ingredients.

Lentil Rice (Adas Polo) recipe:

Ingredients (for 3-4 persons):

2 cups basmati

1 cup cooked lentils

½ cup raisins

½ cup chopped almonds

¼ cup barberries (optional)
3 pcs. chopped dates (optional)

2 medium-sized onions chopped

2 garlic cloves chopped

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp turmeric

½ tsp black pepper

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp saffron

2 tablespoons of oil

3 medium-sized potatoes cut in 1 cm slices (optional) or thin flat bread (optional)

The potatoes can add extra flavor to your Polo.

Directions:

1. Put the rice in a pot and wash it twice. Let it soak for at least an hour before cooking.

2. Rinse thoroughly. Then fill up the pot again with about 4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Let it cook on high heat for exactly 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, drain the rice of excess water. Set aside.

Draining the rice is common procedure for making Iranian Polo.

3. Put a tablespoon of cooking oil on a pan. When the oil gets hot, toss in the onions and garlic. Stir fry for 5 minutes on medium heat. Then add the salt, turmeric and black pepper. Give it a good stir and simmer for another 5 minutes (You can do this soon after you put the rice to cook on top of the stove).

4. Add the almonds, raisins and cinnamon to the pan and mix with well with the rest of the ingredients. Add the lentils and the barberries and stir everything together.

5. Put the same pot you used for the rice back on the stove on low heat. Add a tablespoon of oil to coat the bottom of the pot but first make sure there is no water or rice left in the pot. You can also use a new pot to make things easier.

Put the potatoes or flat bread first if you have them. Everything is done in layers for this dish.

6. Place the sliced potatoes or flat bread at the bottom of the pot and then add a half of the cooked rice on it. Note: If you don't have any of these, it's also okay, you will just end up with a rice crust at the bottom of the pot instead. This is what you call in Farsi, 'Tah Dig', literally meaning bottom of the pot and Iranians love it saying it is the best part of the Polo!

Put the rice in the pot, on top of the potatoes (or bread). If you don't have the potatoes or bread, put the rice in directly.

7. Take the mixture in the pan and put it all in the pot. Then, add the rest of the rice to the pot. Including the potatoes at the bottom of the pot, you should have four layers in total (potatoes, rice, Adas mixture, rice).

The Adas mixture should be between layers of rice.

8. Take a kitchen towel and wrap it around the cover of the pot, secure it with either a clothespin or a rubber band, then use it to cover the pot. In Iran, there are customized 'towel covers' but since they are not readily available elsewhere, a kitchen towel is a good option. 

9. Let it cook on very low heat for 40-45 minutes until you can see the rice edges pointing up and the rice is cooked.

It is important to keep the cover on to avoid letting the steam out.

10. While waiting, put the saffron on a little bowl and add 1 tablespoon of boiling water and stir it until the water turns golden yellow. When the meal is cooked, take two tablespoons of white rice from the pot and mix it with the saffron water on the bowl until all the rice is yellow. Use this as a topping for your meal.

Leave it in a bowl and just pour some on top of your dish (or tray if serving it Iranian style!)

11. Serve and enjoy.

Tip: This dish goes well with fresh herbs such as mint, coriander, onion chives, thai basil and some soy-yogurt with mint and garlic.