Persian Lentil Rice Addes Pilaf Food

PERSIAN LENTIL RICE - ADDES PILAF

Steps:

• Soak rice in water for 3-4 hours, then cook in salted water for 10-15 minutes using a non-stick pot until it just softens.
• Drain water and empty the pot.
• Bring 2-3 cups of water to boil.
• Wash lentil and add to water with a bit of salt.
• Cook over medium heat for about 15-20 minutes until tender.
• Peel and thinly slice onions.
• Fry in oil until slightly golden.
• Add ground beef or lamb, salt and black pepper, and fry over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
• Add one cup of hot water and cook until water has been mostly absorbed.
• Wash raisins and dates.
• Pour 1/2 cup of water and some oil in the non-stick pot.
• Pour in half of the rice.
• Follow with meat, lentil, and raisins.
• Add in remainder of rice.
• Cook over low heat for about 20 minutes.
• Dissolve saffron in 1/3 cup of hot water and pour over the rice.
• Mix well before serving.

LENTIL PILAF

Steps:

• Clean the lentils with fresh cold water to avoid foaming when cooking.
• Mix 2 cups of lentils with the 8 cups of water and 1 tablespoon of salt.
• Heat on high, uncovered for approximately 30 minutes, mixing slightly every 10 minutes, removing any foam that may have come up.
• After the lentils turn tender and soft (not melted), make sure there is only about 2 cups of water remaining (add or remove water).
• Add the half cup of rice. Cook for 10 mins at medium fire.
• Simultaneously with the rice, fry the chopped cup of onion in the olive oil and vegetable oil until golden brown (should be about 10 minutes).
• After the 10 minutes pass, slowly pour the oil and onion over the lentils and rice. Lower the heat to Low, and let it lay for 10 minutes (do NOT mix).
• After the 10 minutes pass, add the quarter cup of vinegar and mix everything.
• Cover with a thick clean kitchen towel and leave covered for about 10 minutes.
• After the 15 minutes pass, you should have a thick pilaf of lentils and rice, with onions showing up here and there.

ADAS POLO - PERSIAN RICE WITH LENTILS

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, bring salted water to a boil and simmer lentils on low for 20 - 30 minutes, or until tender. Drain water from lentils and set aside.
• In a pan, saute the onions and garlic in oil. Add raisins, dates, and spices, except saffron. Mix well and set aside.
• Cook rice as you would like. For a sure-fire way, I use my rice cooker. Rinse the rice under cold water until the water runs clear. Add to rice cooker and cover with 2 cups water. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and a drizzle of oil. Cook. Once rice is done, transfer cooked rice to a large bowl.
• In the same pot (or your rice cooker), add oil to just cover the bottom surface. Add potato slices.
• Add a layer of rice.
• Add a layer of lentil-raisin mixture.
• Continue layering, ending with a final layer of rice.
• Cover and cook (on medium heat in a pot or just hit "cook" button on your rice cooker) for 10 minutes.
• Drizzle melted butter and saffron water over your rice.
• Cover the top of your pot or rice cooker with a tea towel to prevent steam from escaping, and top with lid.
• Cook on low for 30 minutes. You want to make the potatoes crispy, so they must cook slowly. In the rice cooker, I continuously hit the cook button so this process (called tadig) can happen. It's totally worth it!
• Serve.

ADAS POLOW (PERSIAN RICE AND LENTILS)

Steps:

• Place the rice in a bowl, and cover with water. Soak the rice for about 3 hours, and drain off the water. Bring the rice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 4 cups water to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the rice is partially cooked, about 10 minutes. Drain the liquid from the rice, and set the rice aside.
• Bring 2 more cups of water and a pinch of salt to a boil in a saucepan, and stir in the lentils. Bring to a boil, and cook over medium heat until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and fry the onions, stirring frequently, until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Set the onions aside. Dissolve the saffron in 1/3 cup of hot water, and set aside.
• In a large nonstick pot with deep sides, heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil until shimmering, and spoon in half the rice to cover the bottom of the pot. Top the rice with the lentils, and cover the lentils with the remaining rice. Reduce heat to low, cover the pot, and cook until the rice is completely tender and there is a golden brown, crusty layer of rice on the bottom of the pot, about 20 minutes. Pour the saffron water over the rice and lentils, cover, and allow to cook until absorbed, about 10 more minutes.
• To serve, spoon the polow into a serving dish, and peel off and place pieces of the crusty rice layer on top of the polow. Decorate the polow with dates, raisins, and fried onions.

PERSIAN RICE PILAF

Steps:

• Bring water and salt to a rolling boil in a large saucepan.
• Add cinnamon stick, cloves, cracked peppercorns, cardamom seeds, and juniper berries.
• Add two cups of basmati or other long-grain rice, slowly, so the water doesn't stop boiling. Cook for about eight to ten minutes, stirring from time to time to keep the rice from sticking to the bottom, until the rice is just barely done.
• Pour everything into a strainer or colander and let the rice drain. Leave the spices in the rice.
• While the rice is boiling, chop the dried fruit. Throw the fruit on top of the rice draining in the colander.
• Thinly slice one-half of a large onion and sauté it until golden in 5T of unsalted butter with several pinches of saffron or one teaspoon of turmeric.
• While onions are cooking, grease a round casserole with a bit of butter and turn the spiced rice and fruit into a large bowl.
• Turn the golden onions into the bowl and mix everything up.
• Spoon the mixture into the casserole and pat the rice firmly in place with the back of a spoon.
• Drizzle 3 Tbsp of melted butter over the top and cover with two thicknesses of aluminum foil and seal the edges well. Add a lid if your casserole has one. Set the casserole in a preheated 350°F oven and let it bake for an hour.
• Then remove it from the oven and let it sit for 15 minutes or so before removing the foil and unmolding it onto a platter. (Lay the platter on top of the rice and, using a thick dishcloth or potholders, flip the thing over).
• Surround with the Persian chicken.

ADAS POLO (PERSIAN LENTIL RICE W/CARAMELIZED ONIONS AND RAISINS)

Steps:

• Wash lentils thoroughly. Add water to a medium-sized pot and boil uncovered over medium-high heat for 10 to 15 minutes or until done (don't overcook).
• Drain lentils in a colander, saving the liquid. Dissolve the saffron in a small amount of hot water and add to the lentils. Set aside.
• Wash the rice thoroughly. To a separate pot add water, half of the oil and salt and bring to a boil. On high heat, boil the rice until slightly soft (10 to 15 minutes). Drain rice in a large colander and rinse with warm water.
• Select a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Coat the bottom of the pot with the remaining oil and add 1/3 of the rice. Add 1/3 of the lentils and mix well. Repeat until all the rice and lentils are mixed in the pot.
• Shape the rice-lentil mixture into a pyramid and cover with a lid and steam over a medium to medium-low heat for about 30 to 40 minutes.
• Slice the onions thinly and lightly caramelize over low heat with oil. Check the onions every 5 to 10 minutes. Stir the onions and scrape up any fond that forms on the bottom of the skillet (30-40 minutes).
• Add the remaining ingredients and cook for about 5 more minutes. Serve the lentil rice on a serving platter and top off with the caramelized onion mixture.