LOOBIA POLO BA HAVIJ
 
 
Author:
Recipe type: Stew & Rice
Cuisine: Azeri/Persian
Serves: 5-6
Ingredients
  • FOR THE MEAT
  • 1 ½ pounds cross rib roast, cubed to 1 inch pieces
  • ½ large onion diced medium
  • 1 TBSP butter
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • 2 ½ cups cold water
  • FOR THE STEW
  • 1 ½ large onion diced medium
  • 3 TBSP vegetable oil
  • 1 pound fresh green beans
  • ¼ cup water
  • One 10-ounce bag of shredded carrots
  • 2 TBSP butter
  • 3 TBSP tomato paste
  • 2 TBSP fresh lemon juice
  • 1⅛ tsp kosher salt
  • 1/16 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
  • ⅛ tsp ground cumin
  • ⅛ tsp ground cinnamon
  • Dash optional saffron
  • 1 ½ cups water
  • FOR THE AROMATIC RICE
  • Enough cold water to fill a 6-Qt stockpot up to 3 inches from the top
  • ¼ cup salt
  • 2 ½ cups uncooked basmati rice
  • 1 ½ tsp Persian Rice Spice blend
  • FOR THE TAH DIG:
  • Enough pieces of Lavash (Persian flat bread) to cover the bottom of the pot (or an 8-inch flour tortilla cut into 6 wedges)
  • 3 TBSP vegetable oil
  • 1 TBSP margarine
Instructions
  1. Wash the fresh green beans. Cut off the tips. Slice the beans into ½ inch pieces and add with ¼ cup cold water to a medium stockpot. Bring water to a boil and simmer over medium low heat for 10-15 minutes, or until the beans are tender and all of the water is cooked off. Remove from the stockpot and set aside.
  2. Add the cubed meat, butter, diced onions, turmeric powder and ground black pepper to the stockpot. Saute over medium high heat for 10 minutes. Stirring frequently until the meat is browned and the juices start bubbling.
  3. Add 2 ½ cups cold water to the meat and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low, cover the stockpot and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the meat is tender. Remove from the heat and set aside.
  4. Peel and dice 1 ½ large onions. Fry the onions in 3 TBSP veg oil over medium high heat in a large nonstick skillet. When the edges start getting golden brown, reduce the heat to medium and fry until uniformly golden brown. Set aside.
  5. Add the green beans, shredded carrots, 2 TBSP butter, and 3 TBSP tomato paste to the fried onions. Saute over medium high for 4-5 minutes until carrots are tender. Add 2 TBSP fresh lemon juice, 1⅛ tsp kosher salt, 1/16 tsp freshly cracked black pepper, ⅛ tsp cumin, ⅛ tsp cinnamon, dash of optional saffron, the cooked meat and broth, and 1½ cups water. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer over medium low heat for 1 hour, or until all the ingredients are tender and the sauce has been reduced and thickened.
  6. Serve over Aromatic Persian Rice.
  7. TO MAKE THE AROMATIC PERSIAN RICE
  8. Please follow the instructions for Persian Steamed Rice on my How-To page, up to the point where you pour the par boiled rice into the fine-mesh sieve and rinse under cold water.
  9. Heat the oils in a nonstick 6-Qt stockpot over medium heat. Add the Lavash pieces or flour tortilla wedges.
  10. Use a slotted spoon to transfer ⅓ of the rice to the pot and cover the bread pieces. Sprinkle ½ tsp rice spice evenly on the rice. Then add half of the remaining rice and sprinkle with ½ tsp rice spice. Then add the rest of the rice to the pot and sprinkle with the rest of the rice spice. Sprinkle a dash of optional saffron to the top for a touch of aroma and color. Cover the pot with a kitchen towel or a Damkesh and steam over medium low heat for 45 minutes to an hour, or until steam rises and the Tah Dig is golden brown.
  11. To serve, add the steamed rice to the serving platter. Use a slotted spoon to top the rice with some of the khoresh (leave most of the sauce in the pot); then repeat with one more layer of rice and khoresh. Have everyone help themselves to the extra khoresh and sauce on the side.
Notes
INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE TRADITIONAL PRESENTATION: Add some of the steamed rice to the serving platter, add some stew, then add more rice and again more stew. So you would have layered two layers of rice with two layers of the stew. Serve with extra stew on the side. Remove the Tah Dig from the pot with a spatula and serve it on another platter.
Recipe by Persian Mama at https://persianmama.com/green-bean-carrot-stew-on-rice-lubia-polo-ba-havij/