Zereshk Polo ba Morgh — Barberry Rice & Chicken

What you’ll need

Ingredients

Ingredient amounts make 4 servings. Nutrition below is for one serving.

• 300 g Dry basmati rice
• 600 g Raw boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 40 g Dried barberries, sorted and rinsed
• 150 g Onion, sliced
• 40 g Tomato paste
• 25 g Vegetable oil: 15 g chicken, 5 g rice, 5 g barberries
• 10 g Sugar
• 0.2 g Ground saffron
• 0.5 tsp Ground turmeric
• 350 ml Water for chicken, plus water for rice
• Salt and black pepper, to taste

Make it

Instructions

1. 1

   Rinse the rice and soak it in water for 30 minutes while you start the chicken. Bloom the saffron in 40 ml hot water taken from the measured water.

2. 2

   Heat 15 g oil in a pot. Brown the chicken for 3 minutes per side, transfer to a plate, and soften the onion in the same pot for 7 minutes.

3. 3

   Add tomato paste, turmeric and pepper and stir for 2 minutes. Return the chicken, add the remaining measured water and half the saffron water. Cover and simmer for 35–45 minutes, until the chicken reaches 74°C and is tender.

4. 4

   Drain the soaked rice, boil in a large pot of water for 5–7 minutes until the outside is soft but the centre is firm, then drain. Put 5 g oil and 30 ml water in the empty pot, add the rice and steam covered over very low heat for 30–35 minutes.

5. 5

   Gently warm the rinsed, drained barberries with the last 5 g oil and sugar for 1–2 minutes; do not brown them. Mix a little cooked rice with the remaining saffron water and the barberries.

6. 6

   Adjust the chicken sauce seasoning. Divide all the rice, chicken and sauce into four servings, and finish each with the saffron-barberry rice.