Adas Polo – Persian Lentil, Raisin and Date Rice
Adas Polo is a delicious Persian rice dish that’s adorned with lentils, raisins and dates. The lentils provide a source of protein, while the raisins and dates give the dish its natural sweetness.
It makes a wholesome vegetarian meal. However, if you’re not satisfied with the meatless version, you can add minced/ground beef or lamb to it. That’s what I did this time so that I could tell you how. But if you want my honest opinion, Adas Polo doesn’t need any meat.
You can download this recipe as a printable PDF for a small fee here.
Cook the most popular Persian dishes at home with the help of my e-book.
Time
Prep: 15 min
Cook: 1 h 15 min
Total: 1 h 30 min
Ingredients (for 4 portions)
400g / 2 cups basmati rice
100g / 1/2 cup lentils
1 large onion
8 dates (I used Medjool dates)
115g / 3/4 cup brown raisins (keshmesh poloei)
300g / 10.5oz mince/ground beef or lamb (optional)
8 tbsp vegetable oil
3 tbsp melted ghee or butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder + 1/4 tsp for meat
1/4 tsp black pepper (optional for meat)
1/4 tsp onion powder (optional for meat)
1/4 tsp saffron
3 ice cubes to bloom the saffron
2 tbsp salt + extra to taste
Method of cooking Adas Polo
Bloom the saffron
Transfer the ice cubes to a glass and sprinkle the ground saffron over them. Set it aside to bloom. Alternatively, combine the saffron with a few tbsp of freshly boiled water and let it sit in a warm place.
Cook the lentils
Wash the lentils and cook them in simmering water for about 20 to 30 min. The cooking time may vary from brand to brand. It’s important not to overcook them because they will steam further, together with the rice.
Once just cooked, drain them and set them aside.
Parboil the rice
Bring a large enough pot of water to boil and dissolve 2 tbsp salt in it. Don’t worry, you will rinse most of the salt off later.
Wash the rice in a bowl by adding cool water to it, moving it around with your hand, draining the water, and repeating this process 3 to 4 times to remove the rice starch as much as possible. This results in fluffier, less sticky rice.
Add the rice to the pot and keep the water boiling. Let the rice parboil until the rice corns are soft on the outside but still have a bite in the center.
How long this process takes depends on your rice. I’m using Tilda Pure Basmati Rice and it takes 4 minutes for the rice to cook to this stage. It might take anything from 3 to 7 minutes.
Once your rice is parboiled, drain it in a strainer and immediately rinse it with cold water to interrupt the cooking process and wash off any excess salt.
Layer and steam the rice
Place a non-stick pot over medium heat. Cover the bottom with 4 tbsp vegetable oil.
Now add one layer of rice to the pot, then add a thin layer of lentils and sprinkle with a little cinnamon powder. Continue layering this way, until all the rice and lentils are used up.
If you like, you can sprinkle a tbsp of melted ghee or butter over the rice.
Poke a few holes halfway through the rice with the back of a wooden spoon. This helps the moisture evaporate and allows the rice to cook evenly. Once you see steam rising from the rice, cover the lid with a clean kitchen towel, press it firmly on the pan and reduce the heat to low.
Let the rice steam for 45 to 50 min over low heat.
Prep the other ingredients
If you’re adding minced/ground meat to your Adas Polo, fry it in 1 tbsp of vegetable oil until golden brown. Season it with onion powder, black pepper, cinnamon and salt. You can add a few tsp of saffron water to give it some extra special taste and colour.
Finely slice the onions and gently fry them in 3 tbsp of vegetable oil for about 20 minutes until golden. Add a few teaspoons of saffron water and combine well.
Halve the dates and remove the stones.
Heat 2 tbsp of butter in a pan. Fry the dates for about 1 minute. Remove and set them aside.
Wash the raisins and Fry them in the same pan for 30 seconds. Remove and set them aside. The raisins shouldn’t be fried for longer, because they’d bloat and burst.
Combine the ingredients
After 45 to 50 min the rice is steamed and ready. Remove the lid and replace it with an upside-down plate. Carefully flip the pot over. If the tahdig doesn’t come out of the pot easily, you can submerge it in a sink filled with a little cool water. This usually does the trick.
Transfer the tahdig onto a separate plate. Remove about a quarter of the rice and combine it with the saffron water, until it’s turned evenly yellow.
Arrange the lentil-raisin rice with the saffron rice and the meat (if using), onions, raisins and dates. Enjoy!
I hope you enjoyed this recipe! If you have any questions please let me know in the comments, I’m always happy to help.
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