Sharifeh saee's sabzi polo (herbed rice)

1 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
4 cups Basmati rice
4 tablespoons Salt
1 pounds Italian parsley
½ pounds Fresh chives or green onion tops
½ pounds Fresh dill
3 Cloves garlic, peeled and minced, optional (up to 4)
1 pounds Cilantro
1 cup Melted butter
4 Leeks, cleaned and left whole
1 teaspoon Powdered saffron

Directions

Rinse rice by swishing in large bowl with abundant water 5 or 6 times or until water is clear. After last rinsing, add salt and fresh water to cover and soak rice 2 to 4 hours.

Wash, dry and finely chop parsley, chives, dill, garlic and cilantro. Mix herbs together in bowl.

Boil 1 quart water in heavy pot. Add salted soaking water, reserving rice.

When water returns to boil, add rice and large handful mixed chopped herbs.

Stir and let rice boil 10 minutes. Stir twice during cooking, gently so as not to break long kernels.

Drain rice in colander (it will still be somewhat hard). Wash off excess salt with 2 cups warm water.

Rinse pot. Mix 3 tablespoons melted butter and ½ cup boiling water in small bowl or cup. Add ½ butter-water mixture to pot, reserving rest.

Using spatula begin adding rice. Scatter 1 spatula of rice into pot, then 1 handful of herbs. When half of rice is layered in pot lay whole leeks on top. Finish layering rice and herbs. Drizzle remaining butter-water mixture over rice. Wrap lid with dish towel to catch excess steam, cover pot and steam rice over low heat 45 minutes. (Casserole can also be covered with foil and placed 350- degree oven 45 minutes.) Mix saffron with remaining melted butter and 1 tablespoon hot water. Stir ½ cup cooked rice into saffron mixture. Set aside.

Carefully lift herbed rice out of pot with spatula and fluff onto serving platter. Scatter saffron-rice mixture over top of rice. Serve leeks on side. Scrape crusty rice, Tah Dig, from bottom of pot and scatter around base of rice. Makes 8 servings. Each serving contains about:

620 calories; 3,843 mg sodium; 62 mg cholesterol; 24 grams fat; 89 grams carbohydrates; 11 grams protein; 2⅖ grams fiber; 35% calories from fat.

Posted to FOODWINE Digest 25 Jan 97 by "Ted D. Conley" <tedconley@...> on Jan 25, 1997.

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