Maash Polow - Rice with Mung Beans

ماش پلو Maash Polow (rice with mung beans) is a delightful summer dish, light, simple, and delicious. At the start of each summer, I like to go through my pantry and take stock of the grains, peas, and beans tucked away in jars, bags, and containers, deciding what should be used before the hot, humid months settle in. That's when I came across a forgotten jar of mung beans I had bought a couple of months earlier. Mung beans are wonderful in soups and salads, but they are especially delicious when cooked with rice, sautéed onions, and a generous pinch of turmeric, slowly over low heat.

I've used a slightly different method for cooking this rice. There's no need to pre-soak the rice, which makes the whole process easier and more flavorful. For Maash Polow, I like to use equal portions of rice and mung beans so the dish stays balanced and hearty. If you prefer a softer, more rice texture, you can add another 1/2 cup of rice to the pot. 

Maash Polow - Rice with Mung Beans

Ingredients

Serves 4-6

-2 cups dried mung beans, picked over and washed
-2 cups basmati rice, washed and drained
-1 large onion, peeled and finely sliced 
-1 teaspoon turmeric
-1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
-Oil or butter
-Salt

Method:

1. In a medium pot, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-low heat. Add a pinch of turmeric and mung beans, and sauté for about 10 minutes. Add 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce to medium-low, cover, and cook for about 30 minutes, until the beans are soft.
2. In a non-stick pot with a tight-fitting lid, heat 4 tablespoons of oil or butter. Add the chopped onions and saute until they turn golden. Stir in the turmeric and cumin. 
3. Add the cooked mung beans to the onions. Mix gently, and let them cook together for 5-7 minutes.
4. Pour in rice and add enough water to cover it by 2 inches. Season with salt. Bring to a boil, then place a clean kitchen towel between the lid and the pot (to absorb the excess moisture). Cover tightly and cook over low heat for 45 minutes

Serve warm on a platter with plain yogurt or mast-o-khiar. Mung bean rice is delicious on its own, but even better paired with saffron chicken or tiny Persian-style meatballs.

Enjoy!

Halva for All Occasions

Recently, a good friend of ours lost his very sweet and dear mother and I offered to make حلوا halva for the memorial gathering which was being held at their house. I always make halva when someone that I care about passes away. This must be one of the things I've picked up from my mother and have learned growing up in a rather traditional home where wheat flour halva is considered a symbol of bereavement and "funeral food." In my mind, the taste and the smell of halva is much associated with painful feelings of loss and sometimes unforgettable tragedies. This may be one of the reasons or perhaps the main reason that we don't usually make halva as a regular sweet for our everyday consumption, as much as it tastes good and could easily be categorized as a comfort food. Personally, I find going into the kitchen, taking a heavy bottomed pan, grabbing a thick wooden spatula, turning on the heat and making warm, soft and sweet halva both therapeutic and somewhat healing. Also, you get to serve it to others who may fondly remember the departed as they take a spoonful of halva and wish their relatives much patience and the deceased an everlasting peace.

With just a few ingredients, halva is relatively easy to make. All you need is flour, butter, sugar, some saffron and rose water. It does, however, requires some time, patience and your undivided attention but at the end it is worth all the effort you put in.

I've made halva twice since that day, mostly because there was some whole wheat flour left and I didn't want to have the bag sitting in my refrigerator indefinitely. My mother used to make halva with grape syrup but since I couldn't find grape syrup (shireh angoor), I used honey and substituted a cup of vegetable oil for a stick of butter. I was so pleased with the results that I'm planning to make halva more often, no occasion necessary! They keep well in the freezer too. I think halva makes a great 4:00 o'clock snack. It can easily replace any junk food snacks. Halva is a fulfilling "real" food and a melt-in-your mouth home-made sweet that is very rich so a small amount will satisfy your hunger and cravings.  There are many varieties of halva, some like sweet and buttery halva while others may like it to be just moist enough to go down smoothly and with only a hint of sweet. It all depends on your taste and preferences. I had previously posted a Halva recipe.

I wonder: what do other cultures and families cook when someone passes away? What kind of food do you serve?

Halva

Ingredients:

2 cups flour, sifted (I used whole wheat flour), No bleached flour please.
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup vegetable oil,  (you can use another cup of butter, instead)
1 cup honey, (you can use a cup of sugar, instead)
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon powdered saffron *optional
1/2  cup rosewater

Method:

1.  In a small pot bring water to a gentle boil over medium heat, add sugar, honey and saffron. Stir well until sugar and honey are melted and the liquid thickens a little bit. Turn the heat off, you can set it aside or keep it on the stove to keep warm. 
2. Place a heavy bottom pan or a non-stick pan on medium heat, add the sifted flour and toast it lightly. You don't want to change it's color but to take away the raw flour taste and smell, continue stirring for 8-10 ten minutes over medium heat until you notice a hint of golden brown on some of the edges of the flour.
3. Add the butter and mix thoroughly. Add the vegetable oil gradually while stirring to prevent the flour from burning.
4. Pour the rose water into the honey-sugar liquid and gently add it to the pot. Mix well, cover and  cook on low heat for 10 minutes.
5. Serve on a platter, make it into little balls, try them sandwiched between wafers or serve them with lavash.

Enjoy!

Koofteh Shevid Baghali - Persian Dill & Lima Beans Koofteh

کوفته شوید باقالی  koofteh shevid baghali is made with ground meat, rice, baby Lima beans and fresh dill, made into a ball with tasty fillings in the center for that additional burst of nutty and sweet flavor. This delicious one-dish meal is worth every bit of effort and time that goes into preparing it. To me, some meals are works of art that you can't help but marvel at and appreciate the ingenuity that brought about its creation. This koofteh happens to be one of them.

As I rinse the rice, pick apart the feathery dill tips, steam the beans and put the dinner together, I am filled with gratitude and a heartfelt appreciation that I get to make a dish that is as homey as it can get, share it with people that I deeply care about, later put my head down on a pillow in a safe place each night, and send my kids to school in the morning. Isn't this what we all want and every human being deserves? I wish every person a safe home, a loving family, good friends, food on the table, and good health.

Koofteh Shevid Baghali - Persian Dill & Lima Beans Koofteh

Ingredients:
Makes about 18 Koofteh

1 cup of rice, rinsed, there's no need to soak
1 pound ground lamb or beef 
1 pound baby Lima beans (fresh or frozen) if frozen, thawed
2 bunches dill, remove the hard stems and discard, wash and finely chop, makes about 2 cups (use less if you prefer)
3 medium-sized onions (grate one onion for the mixture and the other two need to be thinly sliced)
3 eggs
2 tablespoons flour (I used chickpea flour)
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon turmeric
Oil for frying
Water
Salt and pepper to taste

Fillings:

Raisins, chopped walnuts, barberries, fried onions

Method:

1. Place rice in a medium-size pan, add 2 cups of water and a tablespoon of salt, cook for 7-10 minutes on medium heat, drain. Set aside.
2. Cook the beans for 5-7 minutes or until soften on medium heat with 2 cups of water and a dash of salt. Drain and set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl combine rice, meat, lima beans, dill, eggs, flour, a grated onion, minced garlic cloves, 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric, salt, and black pepper. Mix thoroughly yet gently.
4. Take about 1/3 of a cup of the mixture and shape it into a ball. Place about 1/2 teaspoon of the filling of your choice in the middle and close. Set aside.
5. heat 3 tablespoons oil in the meantime, in a wide heavy-bottomed pot, saute sliced onions over medium heat until transparent. Add 1/3 teaspoon turmeric, 3-4 cups of water, bring to a gentle boil, and place the koftas in the pot one by one. Add more water if needed. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook for an hour on medium to low heat. 
6. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

You can also bake this in a 350 degrees preheated oven for an hour. Serve warm with yogurt, salad, or pickles and warm lavash or pita bread. I posted my favorite recipe for Herbed Koofteh a while back, please check it out if you're interested.

Enjoy, peace and blessings!