Adas Polo (Persian Lentil Rice)

🥘 Ingredients

• lentils 1 cup
• raisins 1 cup
• barberries 1 cup
• water 3 cups
• vegetable oil 2 Tbsp
• onion 1
• salt ½ tsp
• cinnamon ½ tsp
• turmeric 1 tsp
• saffron 2 pinches
• salt 1 ½ tsp
• basmati rice 2 cups
• saffron 3 Tbsp

1. 1

   Rinse lentils with cold water before boiling to remove any dust or debris. You can soak the lentils for one to two hours to speed up the cooking process.
2. 2

   Wash the raisins and barberries and pat dry on kitchen paper.
3. 3

   Cook on a stovetop, using 3 cups of water to 1 cup of lentils. Be sure to use a large enough saucepan as the lentils will double or triple in size. Bring to a boil, cover tightly, reduce heat and simmer until they are tender. For whole lentils, cook time is typically 15-20 minutes. Then set aside.
4. 4

   In a large pan , heat the vegetable oil . Fry the onion until it’s golden. Add the salt , cinnamon , turmeric , and bloomed saffron . Reduce the heat and add the raisins and dates and stir. Set aside.
5. 5

   Pour 6 cups of water into a large nonstick pot and bring to a boil over high heat with salt . Add basmati rice into a pan filled with boiling water. After 6 to 8 minutes when it begins to rise to the top and the water comes back to a boil. Check the rice is cooked at the end by trying a grain. Break one grain in half. Rice should be soft on the outside but hard in the middle. Pour rice into the colander to drain; then set aside.
6. 6

   Scoop one-third of the rice into the pot. Layer with one-third of the cooked lentils. Repeat until you're out of rice and lentils and shape it into a pyramid. Add 3 tablespoons of the bloomed saffron . Cover the pot and cook until rice begins to steam for 30 to 40 minutes .
7. 7

   Transfer the rice to a serving dish .