Baghali Sheveed Polow – rice with fava beans and dill

(serves 3-4)

Baghal means broad beans in Persian and sheveed means dill leaves. I usually add chopped chicken or lamb pieces to this delicious dish.

Ingredients:

1. 4 cups of long grain white rice.

2. 200 grams of butter.

3. Fresh lima beans cut in half (remove skin first)

4. 2 onions – finely chopped.

5. 500 grams of boneless chicken pieces or 500 grams of cubed lamb pieces.

6. Salt and pepper to taste.

7. Turmeric – half a teaspoon

8. 3 cups freshly chopped dill (dried dill works well too).

Addresses:

I usually soak rice for at least half an hour (if it’s new rice) or 1 hour (if it’s old rice) in warm water and a little salt before cooking.

Take a medium pot and fry the chopped onions in about 4 tablespoons of butter until they turn a beautiful golden color. Add the dill leaves and sauté for a few minutes. The scent of dill leaves fills the kitchen and trust me, it makes your mouth water.

Add the chicken/lamb along with the turmeric, season with salt and pepper and sauté until the meat changes color. Add the halved broad beans. Boil until meat or chicken is tender. Be careful with chicken because it can easily overcook and break into small pieces. You could add the chicken a bit later, which I recommend. Check if the lima beans are cooked.

Add the rice to this boiling mixture and make sure the water level above the rice is only a couple of inches. Mix the rice well with this and put it on high heat and keep stirring from time to time so that the rice doesn’t cake or stick to the bottom. Switch to medium heat about halfway through and when most of the water has evaporated, turn it to a simmer. Pile the rice into a small hill in the center of the pot and poke holes all over with a skewer to help it steam more.

Add thick slices of butter all over the top of the rice and cover with the lid. This delicious rice will be ready in about 15-20 minutes.

To make the saffron rice mix to decorate the served rice:

Take some saffron in a heat resistant glass and add some hot water. Let it sit in the rice while it cooks. The heat brings out the beautiful aroma of saffron. After the rice has cooked, put this saffron in a bowl and add some of the cooked rice and mix to give the rice a beautiful golden yellow color. Decorate the rest of the rice with this saffron mixture.

Advice:

Serve the hot rice decorated with a mixture of rice and saffron.

This exotic Persian dish is often served with yogurt and salad. You can serve it with steak, grilled chicken, or lamb chops if you haven’t cooked the rice with chicken or lamb.