December 19, 2008

Zereshk Polow - Rice with Barberries

Zereshk Polow

زرشک پلو Zereshk Polow with chicken makes a great meal for any occasion and is a favorite among most Iranians. Barberry (zereshk), grows in clusters like grapes. They are tangy, tiny, and deep red in color. I prefer to store the barberries in a zip-lock plastic bag in the freezer to maintain its freshness and color.


Zereshk
Zereshk Polow

Zereshk Polow - Rice with Barberries

Ingredients:
Serves 4-6

2 cups basmati rice
1/2 cup dried barberries (zereshk), can be found at most Iranian or Middle Eastern stores
1 teaspoon crushed saffron, dissolved in 3-4 tablespoons of hot water
1- 2 tablespoons sugar
Butter  
Vegetable oil
Salt 
Slivered almonds or pistachios for garnish

Method:
  1. Rinse the rice with cool water a few times. Soak the rice in 8 cups of cool water, add 4 tablespoons of salt, set aside for at least an hour.
  2. Pick over dried barberries (zereshk), wash and rinse a few times, soak in cool water for ten minutes. Drain. 
  3. Place 2 tablespoon of butter and 2 tablespoons oil in a small saucepan, add zereshk to the pan, heat it up over medium-low heat for five minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of liquid saffron and 1-2 tablespoons of sugar to balance the sour taste of zereshk (if you prefer a more sweet taste, add more sugar to the mixture). Mix thoroughly. Set aside. I usually sprinkle very little sugar to this dish. I like the sour taste of zereshk polow.
  4. In a large non-stick pot that has a tight-fitting lid, bring 3 quarts of water to a rapid boil on medium-high heat. Drain and pour into boiling water. Bring water back to a boil for about 7 minutes. Test to see if the rice is ready. Rice grains should be hard in the center and soft on the outside. Drain the rice in a mesh colander and rinse with cool water a few times.
  5. Wash the pot and return to heat, add 3-4 tablespoons vegetable oil, and a tablespoon of liquid saffron. With a large spatula place the rice into the non-stick pot, building it into a pyramid shape. 
  6. To release the steam make 3-4 holes in the rice with the bottom of the spatula. Cook for 7-10 minutes on medium heat until rice is steaming, when the steam starts to come out, pour 2 tablespoons of oil and 1/4 cup of water over the rice, cover, lower heat and steam the rice for 50 minutes.
  7. With a large scoop take some rice and mix in with the remaining saffron and set aside.
  8. Serve rice on a platter, layer with barberries, and the mixture of rice and saffron. 
  9. Gently remove the crusty bottom (tahdig) and serve on a separate plate.

Enjoy!

13 comments:

  1. Azita, I made your recipe (well, a slight cross between your recipe and the one in "Food of Life") for my dear one (who is Iranian) the other night and he enthusiastically approved. :) We love your blog and seek it out when we are looking for Persian recipes, always! Merci, merci, for posting all of these.

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    1. Elise, thank you very much for your kind words! I'm so glad you like my blog.:)

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  2. Where can you get the Zereshk????

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  3. This site and this wonderful dish just showed up in my research about berberine. So here it goes.
    I wished Persian knew that barberry, aka, Zereshk, has a compound called, Berberine. In khorsan region, they know about berberine and use it in the traditional medicinal regimes.
    This compound is a super antioxidant and has many many medicinal effect like anti-obesity, liver protection, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory skin diseases, etc. Regret we Persians consume too much white rice and white bread which eventually kills us, it is called diabetes and atherosclerosis ladies. How about making a zereshk paste, no sugar added please, and apply it on to chicken as a sandwich or turkey during this coming thanksgiving, adding a Persian zest to an American dish. Or just have a spoon or two in a smoothy. I make a paste from zereshk, date, fig, and 100% pomegranate juice. No sugar, ladies. I use few spoon of this majoon every day. You could put it in soups, sandwiches, roasted chicken, or just use it like tomato paste.

    it every day

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  4. Wonderful to see how a private blog can inspire people into Iranian cuisine from all over the world. Thank you so much for helping me!

    All the best from Sweden,
    Sassan

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    1. Sassan, thank you very much for your kind words!

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    2. This looks Great!!!! Thank You!!!!

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  5. How do you cook the chicken that goes with zeresk polo???

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