AI-generated image
Mash polo
Rice with mung beans and dill
ماش پلو (mash polo): layered rice with mung beans, dill and caramelised onion
Mash polo is cooked in Tehran and the southern cities of Fars and Bushehr on autumn evenings, sometimes with a little minced meat, often without; this vegan version leans on sweet, slow-fried onion and a lot of dill. Parboiled rice is layered with soft mung beans and herbs, steamed until fluffy, and finished with saffron and crisp golden onions. Serve it with yogurt, if you eat dairy, or salad shirazi and torshi. The common mistake is overcooking the beans before layering; they should hold their shape, or the rice turns muddy. Chef's tip: parboil the rice only until the grains bend but still have a hard white dot in the middle.
- Total time
- 95 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 10 ½ oz basmati ricerinsed and soaked for 1 hour in salted water
- 4 oz mung beansrinsed
- 3 onionsthinly sliced
- 6 tbsp sunflower oil
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 ⅜ oz fresh dillchopped, or 2 tbsp dried
- ¼ tsp saffron threadsground and steeped in 3 tbsp hot water
- 1 tbsp saltfor the rice water
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (3)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Simmer 4 oz mung beans in plenty of water until just tender, with a little bite. Drain.
20 minStep 2: Heat 3 tablespoons of 3 tbsp sunflower oil in a frying pan over a medium-low heat and fry 3 onions slowly until deep golden and sweet. Stir ½ tsp ground turmeric and ¼ tsp ground cinnamon into half of them and keep the other half for the top.
20 minStep 3: Bring a large pot of water to the boil with 1 tbsp salt. Drain 10 ½ oz basmati rice, add it and boil for 6–7 minutes, until the grains bend but still have a hard white centre. Drain and rinse with lukewarm water.
8 minStep 4: Put the rest of 3 tbsp sunflower oil in the base of the pot with 3 tablespoons of water. Layer the rice with the beans, spiced onion and 1 ⅜ oz fresh dill, building it into a cone.
3 minStep 5: Poke a few holes in the rice with the handle of a spoon, wrap the lid in a tea towel, cover tightly and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes, then on the lowest heat until the grains are fluffy and a crust has formed.
40 minStep 6: Drizzle ¼ tsp saffron threads over part of the rice, then spoon onto a platter, topping with the reserved onion and pieces of tahdig.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 470 kcal
- Protein
- 15 g
- Carbs
- 80 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 9 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does mash polo take?
- About 95 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 75 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of basmati rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Paneer biryaniRice and moong dal in coconut milk
A mild, creamy biryani: rice and husked green gram roasted in ghee, then cooked in coconut milk with peas, carrots, potatoes, peanuts and cashews, and finished with soft fried paneer and a fresh coriander yogurt. Serve hot, garnished with more fried cashews and paneer.
Indian
Khao kluk kapiShrimp paste rice
Everything on this central Thai plate is arranged in little heaps around a mound of rice tossed with garlic and fermented shrimp paste: sticky caramelised pork (moo wan), threads of sour green mango, shallots, chillies, sliced long beans, crisp dried shrimp and ribbons of thin omelette. You mix a bit of each into every spoonful, so salty, sweet, sour and hot arrive together. It's a favourite at Bangkok's curry-and-rice shops and a clever way to use up yesterday's rice at home; lime wedges and cucumber cool it down. Chef's tip: use day-old jasmine rice straight from the fridge, because freshly cooked rice clumps and smears the shrimp paste instead of coating each grain.
Thai
Hyderabadi chicken dum biryani
Hyderabad's biryani grew up in the kitchens of the Nizams, and the kacchi style is its proudest form: the chicken goes into the pot raw, in a thick yogurt, mint and fried-onion marinade, and cooks only in the steam trapped under part-cooked basmati. In the old city it is wedding and Eid food, ordered in huge copper deghs, and at home it's the Sunday showpiece, served with mirchi ka salan and a cooling raita. Because the meat cooks without being stirred, small bone-in thigh and drumstick pieces work best. Chef's tip: marinate overnight in the fridge — the yogurt tenderises the chicken and the flavours go right to the bone.