Monday was the beginning of spring and the same time as our New Year Norooz. On this day, many dishes are prepared with fresh herbs traditionally, for example, Sabzi Polo – Persian Herb Rice سبزی پلو ، Sabzi Polo ba Mahi – Persian herb rice with orange stuffed trout, Kuku Sabzi – Persian Herb Frittata , Ashe Reshteh – noodle soup with herbs, and Sabzi Khordan – Persian herb platter. Sabzi means herbs, and polo means rice, that is herbed rice. Tender fresh herbs are the first signs of spring, and in my Sabzi Polo, chopped dill, parsley, cilantro, scallions, a whole bulb of garlic, ghee, and saffron add a delicious touch to the rice. As in many Persian dishes, the herbs in Sabzi Polo vary, and each family has its favorite recipe.

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MAHI SEFID FROM SEFID RUD – PERSIAN WHITE FISH

Sabzi Polo is commonly served with Mahi Sefid – white fish (Rutilus caspicus). Mahi Sefid comes from the Sefid Rud, a long river which rises from the Zargos Mountains and flows into the Caspian Sea near Rasht. The river is known for its richness in fish, especially Gazalala (trout), Uzunburun (sturgeon), and Mahi Sefid (white fish). For me, Sabzi Polo goes well with any fish such as salmon, sea brasse, sea bass, or sole (fish). Usually, the fish is stuffed, baked in the oven, and served in whole with bitter oranges or lemons. Mahi Dudi – (smoked white-fleshed fish, such as stockfish) also goes very well with Sabzi Polo. My favorite way to eat Sabzi Polo is with Salad Shirazi – Persian tomato and cucumber salad or Mast-o Khiyar – yogurt dip with cucumbers and raisins and Sir.

TAH DIG – BUTTER-SAFFRON RICE CRUST

I love Sabzi Polo with Tah Dig. Tah Dig means the bottom of the pot and turns out when the bottom layer of rice in a non-stick pot forms a crispy crust. Tah Dig should be pretty saffron yellow, crisp and crunchy. There are several ways to prepare Tah Dig, the most common is with crispy rice, it is sometimes also made with sliced potatoes or lavash bread. Tah Dig is broken into large pieces before serving, and is placed separately to the dish.

It is easy to make a perfect Tah Dig. My favorite way to make it is to use ghee. I explain the benefits of ghee here. At the bottom of a non-stick pot pour some clarified butter (ghee), add about 80 ml of boiling water, plus a few tablespoons of infused saffron, mix everything well, bring to a boil once and then top with either rice, potato slices or lavash bread.

HOW TO CHOP HERBS

Pick the herbs from the stems before chopping. I usually leave some stems on as they contain essential oils and the healthful ingredients. The easiest way to chop herbs is to put the leaves into a shredder. When doing this, you should only pulse them briefly. If you leave them in the food processor too long, they will become more pureed instead of a chopped. It works best with this food processor*. I prefer to chop herbs with a large sharp kitchen knife* and then weigh them with a special weighing knife*. It takes a little longer, but the leaves are perfect, and the valuable ingredients are maintained.

INGREDIENTS SABZI POLO

500 g persian rice*

1 tsp salt + 1 tbsp salt

100 g flat leaf parsley

100 g cilantro

100 g spring onions (1 bunch)

100 g dill

50 g chives

1 bulb garlic

1/2 tsp saffron*

1/2 tsp Ceylon cinnamon*

100 g ghee* (or a mixture of oil and butter)

PREPARATION SABZI POLO

PREPARE RICE

Wash the rice with cold water until the water remains clear, and soak it in a bowl of water with one teaspoon of salt for half an hour.

CHOP THE HERBS

In the meantime, pick the parsley, cilantro, and dill from the stem, wash, and drain well in a colander. Dry the herbs well with a dish towel and chop coarsely with a large kitchen knife finely. Cut the chives and spring onions first into fine rings and then chop. Peel the garlic and chop it finely as well.

PREPARE INFUSED SAFFRON

Grind saffron in a mortar, add 25 ml of boiling water, and stir well. Cover with a small plate, and set aside.

COOK HERBED RICE

Bring at least 3 liters of water with one tablespoon of salt in a large pot to a boil. Meanwhile, drain the washed rice in a colander. Once the water boils, add rice and cook for about 5- 7 minutes until al dente. Add herbs and garlic, and mix well until rice and herbs are well combined. Drain herbed rice in a colander.

PREPARE TAH DIG

Place the pot back on stove add half of the ghee (or half of the butter-oil mixture) with 80 ml of boiling water, and bring to a boil once. Once it’s boiling, add 2 tbsp saffron water and stir well. Spread herb rice on the bottom of the pot. Mound the remaining herbed rice, top with the remaining ghee (or butter-oil mixture), sprinkle with cinnamon. Using the handle of a wooden spoon, poke five holes in the rice pyramid to the bottom of the pot. Wrap the pot lid in a clean dish towel and close tightly, do not open until the end of cooking time. Set to lowest temperature to allow the herbed rice to steam. After about 60 minutes, the herbed rice with the crispy Tah Dig is ready.

PREPARE SAFFRON RICE

Before serving, take a large spoon of herb rice from the pot and mix it with the rest of the infused saffron.

SERVING TAH DIG

To help the crust come off the bottom of the pot, fill sink with cold water, place pot in for a short time. Take it out, dry well, lift lid, and place a big plate upside down on top. Using oven gloves in both hands, quickly turn the pot and plate upside down to center the rice on your plate like a cake.

SERVE THE HERB RICE

You can serve the herb rice as a cake on a large plate and add the saffron rice separately. Or if you fail with the cake, then go ahead and serve the herb rice on a big plate top it with the saffron rice, break the Tah Dig into big pieces, and serve it separately.

BEFARMAYID!

Susan

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