Baghali Polo (Persian Dill and Fava Bean Rice)

Step 1

Rinse and soak the rice. Rinse the rice with cold water in a fine mesh sieve until the water runs clear. Place in a bowl and cover with cold water with two inches clear above the rice. Leave to soak for a minimum of 1 hour, preferably overnight.

Step 2

Parboil the rice. Approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes before you want to serve your dish, begin cooking your rice. In a large non-stick pot, combine 6 cups of water and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Drain and add the rice, stir, and cook uncovered until al dente, about 5 minutes.

Step 3

Bloom the saffron. While the rice boils, add the saffron to a ¼ cup water and set aside.

Step 4

Stir in fava beans and dill. Add fava beans to the pot of rice, followed by the dill. Gently stir into the rice to distribute evenly. Turn the heat off and drain the rice into a colander. Rinse out the pot you cooked the rice in and place on the stove.

Step 5

Prepare the tahdig. Pour vegetable oil into the pot. Do not turn on the heat yet. Into a small bowl, add 2 cups of the cooked rice, dill, and fava bean mixture and 2 tablespoons of bloomed saffron water. Mix until it has turned golden. Add this rice mixture to the bottom of the pot and pat down flat with the back of a spoon.

Step 6

Spoon the rest of the rice into the pot. Then, layer by layer, add the remaining rice mixture with a drizzle of olive oil on each layer, creating a loose mountain shape peak in the pot. Pour the remaining saffron water over the top of the rice. Poke 5 holes evenly across with the end of the spoon.

Step 7

Steam the rice. Put the lid on the pot and turn the heat to high (you should hear the rice start to crackle). Once steam starts to rise, about 3 minutes, reduce heat to the lowest setting. Take a tea-towel, wrap it around the lid, and place it back on the pot. Steam for a minimum of 1 hour.

Step 8

Finish and serve. Remove the lid. The rice on the bottom of the pot should be crispy, this is called the tahdig, and the rice on the top should be fluffy. Gently fluff the top rice with a fork. Then spoon into a serving dish. Lift the tahdig and serve in a separate dish in one piece or break up and place around the edge of the rice.