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Sabzi Polo – Persian Herb Rice سبزی پلو

Sabzi Polo – Persian Herb Rice سبزی پلو

A delicious herbed rice that is served traditionally on Norooz - the Persian New Year.

Course gluten-free, herbs, norooz dishes, Rice Recipe
Cuisine iranian cuisine, iranian food, persian cuisine, Persian Food
Keyword Sabzi Polo – Persian Herb Rice سبزی پلو
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Servings 5 people
Author Labsalliebe

Ingredients

INGREDIENTS SABZI POLO

  • 500 g persian rice
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 100 g flat leaf parsley
  • 100 g cilantro
  • 1 bunch of spring onions
  • 100 g dill
  • 1 bunch of chives
  • 1 bulb of garlic

INGREDIENTS INFUSED SAFFRON

  • 1/2 tsp saffron

INGREDIENTS TAH DIG

  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 100 g Ghee or a mixture of oil and butter

Instructions

PREPARATION SABZI POLOPREPARE

PREPARE RICE

  1. 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

  1. In the meantime, pick the parsley, cilantro, and dill from the stem, wash, and drain well in a colander.

  2. Dry the herbs well with a dish towel and chop coarsely with a large kitchen knife finely.

  3. Cut the chives and spring onions first into fine rings and then chop.

  4. Peel the garlic and chop it finely as well.

PREPARE INFUSED SAFFRON

  1. Grind saffron in a mortar, add 25 ml of boiling water, and stir well.

  2. Cover with a small plate, and set aside.

COOK HERBED RICE

  1. Bring at least 3 liters of water with one tablespoon of salt in a large pot to a boil.

  2. Meanwhile, drain the washed rice in a colander.

  3. Once the water boils, add rice and cook for about 5- 7 minutes until al dente.

  4. Add herbs and garlic, and mix well until rice and herbs are well combined.

  5. Drain herbed rice in a colander.

PREPARE TAH DIG

  1. 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.

  2. Once it’s boiling, add 2 tbsp infused saffron and stir well.

  3. Spread herb rice on the bottom of the pot.

  4. Mound the remaining herbed rice, top with the remaining ghee (or butter-oil mixture), sprinkle with cinnamon.

  5. Using the handle of a wooden spoon, poke five holes in the rice pyramid to the bottom of the pot.

  6. Wrap the pot lid in a clean dish towel and close tightly, do not open until the end of cooking time.

  7. Set to lowest temperature to allow the herbed rice to steam.

  8. After about 60 minutes, the herbed rice with the crispy Tah Dig is ready.

PREPARE SAFFRON RICE

  1. 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

  1. 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.

  2. 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

  1. You can serve the herb rice as a cake on a large plate and add the saffron rice separately.

  2. 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.