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Albaloo Polo – Colorful Sour Cherry Rice with Lamb Meatballs

Albaloo Polo – Colorful Sour Cherry Rice with Lamb Meatballs

Course Rice Cooker Recipes, rice dishes, sour cherries
Cuisine iranian cuisine, iranian food, persian cuisine, Persian Food
Keyword Albaloo Polo – Colorful Sour Cherry Rice with Lamb Meatballs
Servings 4 people
Author Labsalliebe

Ingredients

INGREDIENTS LAMB MEATBALLS

  • 500 g 1 lb ground lamb
  • 1 large yellow onion
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp ground cardamom
  • 1 tsp sumac
  • ½ tsp ground nutmeg
  • Salt and pepper to taste

INGREDIENTS BLOOMED SAFFRON

  • ½ tsp saffron threads
  • 25 ml hot water or
  • 1 Ice Cube

INGREDIENTS RICE

  • 4 cups Basmati rice
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp ghee or clarified butter

INGREDIENTS SOUR CHERRY RICE

  • 500 g fresh sour cherries or 400g jarred or frozen
  • 3 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • Salt and pepper to taste

INGREDIENTS LAVASH TAH DIG

  • 1 Lavash bread
  • 1 tbsp Ghee
  • 2 tbsp. bloomed Safran

INGREDIENTS GARNISH (OPTIONAL)

  • 1 handful slivered almonds
  • 1 handful slivered pistachios

Instructions

PREPARATION OF LAMB MEATBALLS

  1. Preheat your oven to 430°F (220°C).
  2. Grate the onion, squeeze out the excess juice, and discard the liquid.
  3. Mix the onion and spices into the lamb until you get a smooth, even mixture.

  4. Shape into small meatballs and place on a baking sheet.

  5. Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 35–40 minutes, flipping occasionally or prepare them in a pan with a little oil.

PREPARATION BLOOMED SAFFRON

  1. Grind the saffron threads with a pinch of sugar and either steep in 25 ml of boiling water .

  2. or place on an ice cube to let them dissolve. Set aside

PREPARATION RICE

  1. Wash the rice several times until the water runs clear. Soak it with 1 tsp salt for 1 hour.
  2. Bring 2 liters of salted water to a boil. Parboil the rice for 5–7 minutes until just tender. Drain.

PREPARATION SOUR CHERRIES

  1. Pit the cherries.

  2. In a pot, simmer them with sugar and cinnamon for 10 minutes.

  3. Strain, saving the juice.

  4. Reduce the cherry juice for 10 more minutes to make a syrup.

THE MAGIC OF LAVASH TAHDIG

  1. In the same pot or in a rice cooker, add ghee, 50ml water, and ⅔ of the saffron water.
  2. Place the lavash bread on the bottom of the pot. At the bottom of the pot, a golden saffron crust forms, we call this Tahdig, and it’s everyone’s favorite part!

LAYERING

  1. Layer the rice and cherries in the pot.

  2. Top with a layer of plain rice. Form a small mound.

  3. Poke 5 holes in the rice with the handle of a wooden spoon.
  4. Cover with a towel-wrapped lid and steam over low heat for 60 minutes.

COLORING THE RICE

  1. Once the rice is done, divide it into three bowls.

  2. Leave one white.
  3. Mix one with the remaining saffron water.
  4. Mix one with the cherry syrup.

DECORATING THE RICE

  1. Arrange the different rice colors side by side on a platter,

  2. or layer the cherry rice first and top with the saffron rice.

  3. Garnish with the reserved cherries, slivered almonds, and pistachios.

Recipe Notes

Serve With: Mast-o Khiar (Persian Yogurt & Cucumber Dip)