Holiday

Baghali Polo (Rice With Favas & Dill)

by:
March 15, 2016
4
5 Ratings
Baghali Polo (Rice With Favas & Dill)
Photo by James Ransom
  • Serves 4 to 6
Author Notes

From The New Persian Kitchen. —Louisa Shafia

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 3 cups water
  • Sea salt
  • 2 cups white basmati rice, soaked in cold water for 1 hour
  • 2 tablespoons butter or unrefined coconut oil, at room temperature
  • 1 pound pound fresh fava beans, shelled and peeled, or 1 pound frozen lima beans, thawed
  • 2 tablespoons ghee or grapeseed oil
  • 2 cups tightly packed minced fresh dill
  • 1/2 teaspoon saffron, ground and steeped in 1 tablespoon hot water
Directions
  1. Drain the rice and rinse under cold water until the water runs clear. In a stockpot, bring the water to a boil with a pinch of salt. Add the rice, return to a boil, then turn down the heat to its lowest setting. Cover and cook for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the rice rest for 5 minutes, then dot with the butter and fluff with a fork. The rice should be dry and fluffy.
  2. While the rice cooks, prepare the favas. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and prepare a bowl of ice water. Drop the favas into the boiling water, return to a boil, and cook for 
2 minutes, or until just tender. Drain, and shock in the ice water.
  3. Heat the ghee in a skillet over medium heat and sauté the favas for 3 minutes, until heated through. Add the dill and cook for about 1 minute, until just wilted. Combine the favas and rice in a large bowl and drizzle in the saffron. Mix gently, season with salt, and serve.
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Louisa Shafia
My cookbook The New Persian Kitchen is a winner of Food52's Piglet award. I love cooking Iranian rice and hearing people crunch on the crispy tahdig from the bottom of the pot. I'm passionate about sharing the ingredients and techniques for making Persian food in my writing, cooking classes, and online store, Feast By Louisa where you can find my Persian Spice Set, Tahdig Kit, and other goodies.

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2 Reviews

Rxh
Rxh April 17, 2022
Wow this looks and sounds amazing unless you are Persian and have had the real thing. Why not just use the correct ingredients and process? If you’re looking for something authentic that’s based on thousands of years of our culture then try this recipe https://michelinmom.com/staycation-spring/baghali-polow-with-potato-tahdig
 
Donald
Donald April 3, 2021
My favorite of all the Persian rice dishes.
Thankfully in Los Angeles you can buy twice peeled frozen Fava beans, so this comes together in a snap. Also easy with leftover plain basmati rice. Perfect with fried fish.