Rice plays an important role in the diet of Iranians, and that is why, all kinds of polo such as Lubia Polo, Morasa Polo, and sabzi polo are very plentiful in Iranian cuisine. Sabzi Polo is one of the tastiest Iranian Polo, which is usually served with fish, chicken or fried meat; sabzi polo with fish is a significant and popular food that is regarded as a significant Iranian tradition to serve on the night of Nowruz. Sabzi polo is prepared with rice, vegetables (chives, dill, parsley, coriander, fenugreek and fresh garlic), saffron, salt and oil, and it is a very special and nourishing food. Of course, some people are interested in serving this polo with chicken or meat on Nowruz night; but the common choice to eat with sabzi polo has been fish for a long time.
Sabzi Polo ingredients
- Basmati rice
- Finely chopped fresh dill
- Chopped fresh parsley
- Chopped fresh coriander
- Chopped fresh Tareh (chives/scallion)
- Ground saffron
- Salt
Fried fish ingredients
- Whitefish fillets
- Turmeric powder
- Ground pepper
- Garlic powder
- Salt
Instructions
1. To prepare sabzi polo with fish, first, chop the onion into slices and put it in a suitable bowl. Next, grate the garlic and add it to the bowl along with fish spices, salt, black pepper and turmeric.
2.At this stage, cut the head and tail of the fish, then remove the skin and cut the fish into fillets and put them in a bowl containing flavoring ingredients.
3.Now cover the lid of the bowl with cellophane and put it in the refrigerator for an hour so that the fish gets flavored. In the meantime, it is the suitable time to prepare sabzi polo. For this purpose, soak the rice in lukewarm water and salt beforehand.
4.At this stage, wash the vegetables, which usually include chives, parsley, coriander, dill, fenugreek and fresh garlic leaves, then chop them in medium form (not too fine, not too big) and set aside.
5.At this stage, fill a suitable pot halfway with water and put it on high heat until the water boils. Next, add a tablespoon of salt and a tablespoon of liquid oil to the boiling water, then add the soaked rice.
6.Now wait for 5 to 10 minutes until the initial cooking of the rice is done. Drain the rice when the rice grains are soft on the outside and hard in the middle. After removing the pot of rice from the heat, add half of the vegetables to the rice.
7.At this stage, rinse the rice and vegetable mixture with lukewarm water. Next, put the pot you have prepared for cooking sabzi polo on low heat and add some oil.
8.Now pour a little of the rice and vegetable mixture on the bottom of the pot and pour some of the remaining vegetables and dry dill on it. In the same way, pour rice and vegetables into the pot layer by layer. Finally, open the middle of the rice with a spatula.
9.Then pour some brewed saffron on the rice and put the lid of the pot so that the rice cooks for an hour. After the fish is flavored, take it out of the refrigerator and remove the flavorings from it.
10.At this stage, put a suitable pan on the heat and add a little oil. Next, fry both sides of the fish with gentle heat, and if desired, add a little saffron to the fried fish at the end so that they have a better color.
11.Once the sabzi polo is completely cooked, mix it in the pot until they are homogenous, then put it in a dish and decorate it with saffron rice. In the end, serve sabzi polo with fried fish.
🔗(what are the different types of Iranian appetizers?)
Important tips for cooking sabzi polo with fish
1.Avoid putting the boiling rice on low heat and set the gas flame on medium to high.
2.Avoid leaving the pot lid when the rice is boiling and allow the rice water to boil again.
3.While the rice is boiling, stir the rice several times at intervals and carefully separate the grains and be careful not to crush the rice.
4.Utilizing fresh garlic will give the rice a great taste and aroma, be sure to add fresh garlic.
5.Some people prefer to add some grated onion to the rice besides the chopped garlic.
6.The vegetable utilized for sabzi polo must not be chopped too finely.
7.Before chopping, make the vegetable dry in order to prevent leaking water while chopping.
8.It is better to make use of fresh vegetables to prepare sabzi polo. Keep in mind that vegetables lose some of their beneficial vitamins and minerals during chopping, frying and preparing.
9.The vegetables utilized in Iranian sabzi polo include chives, dill, parsley and coriander; But you can also make use of a little fenugreek and fresh garlic for extra flavor. The proportion of chives, parsley and coriander shall be equal, and a little more dill must be added to the vegetables.
10.In some recipes, first the chopped vegetables are roasted in a bit of oil until they are a little fried. Keep in mind that the vegetables must just be fried for a few minutes and they should not change their color.
11.If you don’t have fresh vegetables at hand, you can utilize a few spoons of dried dill.
12.Instead of yogurt, serve fish with raw or steamed vegetables, pickles or salads.
13.Water, lemon juice and mint syrup are the best options to eat with fish.
14.Fresh parsley can also be utilized for decoration.