Adas Polo (or polow) is an easy Iranian dish. For this recipe, you’ll need 2 main ingredients: Lentils and rice. It doesn’t matter what kind of lentils (green, red, gigantic…) but the rice is better to be Basmati or any other long grain type of rice.
There are many variations of Adas polo عدس پلو ( = Lentils Rice) this is a vegetarian recipe.
This recipe is with saffron tahdig.
Ingredients | 3-4 servings
- 150g/5.2oz Lentils
- 1 Onion
- 350g/12.3oz Basmati rice
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric
- 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
- 2 knobs of Butter
- Clarified Butter
- Pinch of Saffron
For topping
- 3-4 chopped Dates
- a handful of Sultanas (raisins)
Video Recipe:
Preparation
– Cook the lentils in a pot with water and salt for ⏳ 30 minutes.
➡️ The lentils should maintain their shape (be careful to not overcook)
– Make saffron water: In 1/3 cup, add a pinch of ground saffron, pour hot boiling water, wait for 5 mins, when saffron gives its full color to water and becomes red it’s ready.
– dice an onion.
– In a pan, add clarified butter and fry them.
– Add turmeric and salt and the cooked lentils followed by cinnamon.
– Stir fry for some minutes, then turn off the heat.
– Pour half of saffron water to the mix of lentiles.
Making rice & combine with lentils:
– Wash the rice.
– In a big pot, boil salted water and add the rice to it (just like pasta).
⏳ When water starts to boil, and the rice grows in size and floats on the surface, drain the rice (do not rinse)
Final pot
– Place a non-stick pot on medium heat.
– Pour half cup of boiling water and clarified butter with the rest of the saffron water.
– Add the layers: first goes a layer of rice (for a good tahdig), followed by a layer of lentils. Continue, till all the ingredients are finished.
➡️ The heat should be on medium for the first ⏳ 5 minutes.
– With the bottom of a spoon make deep holes in the lentils rice.
– Melt 2 knobs of butter in a cup of salty boiling water.
– Pour it over the pot.
– Cover the pot with the lid and a clean kitchen cloth (= damkoni) to absorb the humidity.
– Cook on low heat, for ⏳1 hour and it’s done.
Toppings
– Fry the chunks of dates for 2 minutes on medium heat.
– Next add sultanas raisins (they are softer and burn quicker).
– Stir fry for a minute all ingredients and they are ready.
Notes
- Some people like it without the sweet topping so sometimes the topping comes aside from the platter (as you see in the photo it’s not my case! lol)
- For the meaty version: stir 150g/5oz of minced meat with turmeric and chopped onion. Add the meat layer alongside others to the pot.
- Serve Adas polo with pickles, Shirazi salad, and white yogurt.
Noosh-e-jan ☺️ (in Persian: Buon appetite )