Javaher Polo (Jeweled Rice)
Why This Recipe Works Fluffy rice bedazzled with nuts and dried fruits, Persian Javaher Polo is simply astonishing. This classic and festive dish is composed of light and fluffy steamed rice that's studded with nuts and dried fruit and served with a golden-brown, crispy crust known as tahdig. Rinsing the rice, soaking it for 15 minutes in hot salted water, parboiling it, and then steaming it to finish cooking creates the fluffiest texture. Combining a portion of the rice with yogurt and oil ensures a nicely browned, flavorful crust, and chunks of butter added during steaming enriches the rice. The yogurt also makes the tahdig easier to remove from the pot, as does brushing the bottom of the pot with a little extra oil and letting the pot rest on a damp dish towel after Cooking. Lightly toasted nuts, soaked barberries, and candied carrots and orange peel serve as the "jewels" and add crunch, sweetness, and tartness. Coloring a portion of the rice yellow with saffron makes for a stunning finishing touch on the artfully decorated and arranged dish. Stunningly tart barberries (zereshk) can be found in Middle Eastern markets and online. If you cannot find them, substitute ¼ Cup chopped pistachios. Greek yogurt can be substituted for the plain yogurt if desired. For the best results, use a Dutch oven with a bottom diameter of 8½ to 10 inches. If you own a nonstick pot, you can use that instead; skip brushing of the bottom and sides the pot 1 tablespoon of oil. To make this recipe vegan, substitute plant-based yogurt for the dairy yogurt.
Ingredients
- 0.25 cupdried barberries
- Pinchsaffron threads, crumbled
- 1Orange, scrubbed and dried
- 2 CupsBasmati Rice
- 7 tsptable, plus salt for soaking rice
- 5 tbspVegetable Oil, divided
- 0.25 cupPlain Yogurt
- 2Carrot, peeled and cut i it into 2-inch-long matchsticks (1 cup)
- 0.5 cupSugar
- 0.5 cupSlivered Almonds, lightly toasted
- 0.25 cupslivered pistachios, toasted lightly
Instructions
- 1
1. Remove any stems from barberries and place in bowl. Cover with cold water. In small bowl, stir together saffron and 1 tablespoon water. Use vegetable peeler to remove strips of zest from orange (reserve flesh for another use). Cut zest into 2-inch-long matchsticks. Place orange strips in medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to boil over high heat. Drain strips in fine-mesh strainer. Repeat boiling and draining 2 more times. Transfer strips to bowl. (Blanched orange strips can be refrigerated for up to 1 week)
- 2
2. Place rice in fine-mesh strainer and rinse under cold running water until water runs clear. Drain well. Place rice and 1 tablespoon salt in medium bowl and cover with 4 cups hot water. Stir gently to dissolve salt; let stand for 15 minutes. Drain rice in fine-mesh strainer.
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3. Bring 8 cups water to boil in large Dutch oven over high heat. Add rice and 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon salt. Boil briskly until rice is mostly tender with slight bite in center and grains are floating toward top of pot, 3 to 6 minutes
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4. Drain rice in fine-mesh strainer and rinse with cold running water to stop cooking, about 30 seconds. Rinse and dry pot well to remove any residual starch. Brush bottom and 1 inch up sides of pot with 1 tablespoon oil.
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5. Combine yogurt, 2 cups rice, and remaining ¼ cup oil in medium bowl. Stir until rice is evenly coated. Spread yogurt rice mixture evenly over bottom of prepared pot, packing it down well.
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6. Mound remaining rice in center of pot on top of yogurt-rice base (should look like a cone or a small hill). Poke 8 equally spaced holes through rice mound but not into yogurt-rice base. Cut 2 tablespoons butter into 8 cubes. Place 1 cube in each hole. Drizzle h cup water over rice.
- 7
7. Wrap pot with clean dish towel and cover pot tightly, making sure towel is secure on top of lid and away from heat. Cook over medium-high heat until rice on bottom is crackling and steam is coming out from beneath lid, 8 to 10 minutes, rotating pot halfway through for even cooking.
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8. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook until rice is tender and fluffy, 30 to 35 minutes longer. While rice cooks, scoop barberries from bowl, leaving any grit behind in water. Pat dry. Melt 1 teaspoon butter in 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add barberries and cook, stirring frequently, until color darkens slightly, 2 to 3 minutes (watch carefully, as barberries burn easily). Transfer to small bowl.
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9. Wipe out now-empty skillet with paper towel and melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Add orange peel, sugar, and 6 tablespoons water, stirring to dissolve sugar. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until carrots are tender and orange peel is translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain carrots and orange in fine-mesh strainer and transfer to bowl. Discard syrup.
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10. Remove pot from heat and place on damp dish towel set in rimmed baking sheet; let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Transfer ¼ cup rice to bowl. Add saffron water and toss until rice is evenly colored.
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11. On large round serving platter, gently spoon remaining rice in large circle (leave crust on bottom of pot intact). Spoon yellow rice in center of platter, shaping it into small circle. Arrange alternating additions of carrot-orange mixture, almonds, pistachios, and barberries so each radiates from "crown" of yellow rice. Using thin metal spatula, loosen edges of crust from pot, then break crust into large pieces. Transfer pieces to separate serving platter. To serve, scoop some of each topping with rice and mix on individual plates, passing crust separately.