Kadoo Polo Sistani - Persian Lamb and Zucchini (Courgette) Rice

Kadoo Polo Sistani as the name suggests, is from the Sistan and Baluchestan Province - the second largest of the 31 provinces of Iran. A mix of rice, courgettes (zucchini), lamb, and spices creates a wonderfully delicious and flavorful dish that is comforting and satisfying. Each component brings its unique qualities to the dish.

The Baluch people are an ethnic group primarily residing in the Baluchestan region, which spans southeastern Iran, southwestern Pakistan, and southeastern Afghanistan. In Iran, they are known as the Baluch or Balochi people.

Baluch cuisine reflects the region's nomadic and agricultural heritage, characterised by simple yet flavorful dishes that use local ingredients. It combines hearty meats, aromatic spices, and fresh ingredients to create delicious and satisfying meals.

One of the popular spices of the Sistan region of Iran is “Achar”. This traditional spice is believed to replace onions and tomatoes in the cold seasons. In the past, food items such as tomatoes and onions were either unavailable or expensive during winter.

Achar is used in dishes such as meat broth, and various red stews such as Gheymeh stew and rice. Nowadays, this spice is available throughout the year, but in the past, it was prepared in late summer to be a supply for the cold season and included whole wheat flour, grated onion, ground coriander seeds, ground cumin, ground fenugreek seeds, ground celery seeds, black pepper, red pepper, and turmeric.

Here is a short video of the cooking process on my Instagram.

Cook the most popular Persian dishes at home with the help of my e-book.

Time

Prep: 10 min Cook: 3 h Total: 3 h 10 min

Ingredients (serving 4)

500g / 1.1 lbs lamb leg or shoulder, cut the meat into 2.5cm / 1 inch small cubes + bone marrow (optional)

600g courgette/zucchini, chopped or sliced into small pieces

1 onion, finely chopped

100g brown raisins

8 tbsp dried dill / 1 1/2 cups fresh dill, chopped

1 cinnamon stick

4 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tbsp ghee

1 tbsp butter

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp saffron (optional), bloomed with 3 ice cubes

Salt to taste

Method

1. Sear the lamb pieces over high heat in 2 tbsp vegetable oil until golden brown on each side. Remove the meat from the pan.

2. Gently caramelise the onion over low to medium heat in the same oil you seared the meat in.

3. Keep the heat on low and return the meat to the pan with the caramelised onion, turmeric, black pepper, ground cumin, and ground coriander and combine everything well. Add 500ml / 2 cups of freshly boiled water (you can also add the saffron water for more aroma and colour). Season with salt and let the stew simmer for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Add more boiled water if needed at any time.

4. Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp of vegetable oil and fry the zucchini slices on both sides until golden brown. Remove them from the pan and set them aside.

5. Wash the raisins and fry them in 1 tbsp butter for 30 seconds to 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove them from the pan and set them aside. The raisins shouldn’t be fried for longer, because they would bloat and burst.

6. Once the meat is cooked, add the golden chopped zucchini to the pan and let everything simmer together for another 5 minutes. Adjust the salt and turn it off.

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.

1. 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.

2. Add the rice to the pot and keep the water boiling. Let the rice parboil until the rice corns are starting to soften on the outside but still have a bite in the centre. For this dish the rice should parboil less than when preparing plain rice because it will steam in the sauce. 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 from 3 to 7 minutes.

3. 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.

Layering the rice and sauce

1. Add 2 tbsp of ghee to a non-stick pot with a lid and place it over medium heat. Then add a layer of parboiled rice, followed by some dried or fresh dill and some sauce, including a few chunks of meat. If you added bones to the sauce discard them now. Continue with a layer of rice and so on, until all the ingredients are used up, finishing with a layer of sauce and dried dill.

2. Poke a few holes halfway through the rice with the back of a wooden spoon. Cover the lid with a clean kitchen towel and close it firmly. Reduce the temperature to low and let the rice steam for 50 to 60 min.

3. Serve your Kadoo Polo Sistani with yoghourt or pickles, Enjoy!

I hope you enjoyed this recipe. I’d love to see your Kadoo Polo! Feel free to tag me with @igotitfrommymaman on Facebook or Instagram so I can take a look and give you a thumbs up!

If you have any questions please let me know in the comments, I’m always happy to help. Let’s stay in touch via Instagram, Facebook or Pinterest.