Here’s one of my favorite lunches for when I don’t have much in the fridge. The two main ingredients are pantry staples and the whole dish comes together in an hour. Adas polo directly translates to Lentil rice, but the name isn’t doing it justice. Though it doesn’t require a lot of effort and more than a handful of ingredients, it is super satiating and comforting. It still has a wow factor thanks to the Tahdig which are those beautiful golden potatoes on top of the rice. So this dish is a great recipe to make when you have friends or family over. Another reason why you’d love this dish is because you can enjoy it with a sweet or savory topping! A lot of families like to fry up sultanas or dates but some also top this dish with minced meat or fried onions. This dish is also great with a tangy side like pickles or yogurt.
For this dish, don’t overcook the rice or the lentils. They shouldn’t be fully cooked when you drain them as they’ll continue cooking while we steam them. Second, we need to use long-grain rice. Short-grain rice is just too starchy and won’t hold its shape.
Persian Lentil Rice (Adas Polo)
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour
Serving: 3-4 portions
Ingredients
- 1/16th teaspoon saffron
- 1 cup(200g) long-grain rice, I used Jasmine
- 1 cup(210g) brown lentils
- 5-6 tbsp oil, I used olive oil
- 1 large white onion
- 1 tsp turmeric
- Salt and black pepper
- 1 medium-sized potato*
Topping:
- 1-2 tbsp butter or oil
- 6 dates
Notes:
- The size of the potato depends on how big the bottom of your pot is. You need enough ¼ inch potato slices to cover the bottom of the pot. Alternatively, you can also use lavash or any flatbread to line the bottom of the pot.
- For the perfect Tahdig, you need a non-stick pot to ensure that it doesn’t stick. But I didn’t have a non-stick pot with me and tried lining a stainless steel pot with parchment paper and it worked beautifully!
Instructions:
1. Place the saffron in a cup with 2-3 ice cubes, set aside. Wash the rice 2-3 times and let it soak until needed. Wash and drain the lentils. Cook the lentils in a small pot until just tender. You don’t want it to be mushy, mine took 20 minutes. Once cooked, drain and set aside. Save the lentil water for soups!
2. Meanwhile, cut the onion in half and then slice it lengthwise, as you would for caramelized onions. Heat up 2-3 tbsp of oil in a skillet and toss in the onions. Sprinkle some salt to help them release their moisture. Saute on medium heat until golden, around 5 minutes. Once golden, add the seasoning, and saute until fragrant, around 30 seconds. Turn off the heat and toss in the drained lentils. Give them a good mix and set aside.
3. Fill a medium-sized pot (preferably non-stick) with water and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, add a tsp of salt and toss in the rice. Cook until al dente, around 6 minutes. Drain immediately and rinse the rice with water. Meanwhile, wash, peel, and cut your potato widthwise into ¼ inch disks, set aside.
Add enough oil to cover the bottom of the non-stick pot off the heat. Add 2-3 tsp of the brewed saffron and twirl it around the pot. Arrange the potato disks in the pot until the bottom is covered. For this process, if you don’t have a non-stick pot and worry that the potatoes might stick, line the bottom of the pot with parchment paper.
4. Now spoon in 2-3 heap tbsp of the lentil mixture, and spread it around. Follow up with 2-3 heap tbsp of rice and repeat this layering process until there are no remaining lentils or rice. You should finish with the rice on top. Use the bottom of a spoon to puncture 5-6 holes in the mixture. This helps the rice steam evenly. Drizzle any excess saffron extract on top. Cover the lid with a clean cloth and place it on top. Now place the pot on medium-high heat for 3 minutes and then lower the heat. Let the rice steam for 25 minutes. This should be done on a small burner so the bottom doesn’t burn.
5. As the rice is steaming, we can make our topping. Pit the dates and cut them into quarters. Heat up 1-2 tbsp of butter or oil in a small pan. Once the butter is melted, toss in the dates and let them fry in the butter until toasted, around 2 minutes.
6. After 25 minutes, turn off the heat and let the pot rest for 1 minute before taking off the lid. Take the lid off and run a knife around the edges of the rice to separate the crispy rice from the pot. Place a large plate (preferably with edges) on top of the pot, and carefully flip it over.
Now all that’s left to do is enjoy that crunchy potato tahdig, the fluffy aromatic rice, the caramelized buttery dates, and my favorite part, the crunchy lentils sticking to the potatoes.
