Loobia Polo
Rice with green beans and beef
Servings: 4
Ingredients
For the loobia mixture
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 500 g stewing steak (diced into 1 inch chunks)
- 1 large onion (diced finely)
- 1 large clove garlic (minced or crushed)
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tbsp tomato purée (heaped tablespoons)
- 500 g frozen runner beans (defrosted and sliced into 1 inch pieces)
- 1/8 tsp ground saffron (bloomed in 200 ml of water)
- Salt and Pepper (to taste)
For the rice
- 500 g white basmati rice (rinsed until the water runs clear and soaked overnight in water plus 2 tbsp of salt - ensure the water covers the rice by a minimum of 2 inches)
- 1 white tortilla wraps cut into heart shapes using a cookie-cutter or any other shape you prefer
- 1 tbsp salt
- Water (as directed below)
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil (plus extra if you are making flatbread tahdig as pictured)
- 1/4 tsp ground saffron (bloomed in 2 tbsp of water)
- 2 tbsp melted butter or ghee
Instructions
For the loobia mixture
- Place a large frying pan or equivalent on a medium / high heat and add 1 tbsp of vegetable oil. Seal the beef and them remove from the pan and set aside for now.
- Add the remaining 2 tbsp of vegetable oil to the pan and add the onions. Cook until they turn golden. Then add the garlic, turmeric and cinnamon and stir until evenly distributed.
- Add the beef back into the pan and the tomato purée and stir in. Add the green beans and bloomed saffron water and stir until everything is evenly distributed. Lower the heat and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated and the mixture has a stickier texture. Season with salt and pepper to taste and then turn the heat off and leave the mixture for when you are ready to mix with your rice.
For the rice
- Fill a large non-stick saucepan with water and 1 tbsp of salt. Bring the water to a boil.
- Drain the rice and then add to the saucepan. Gently stir the rice to make sure it does not stick to the pan. Every minute give the rice a gentle stir and take a grain of rice and check the texture – either between your fingers or using your teeth. What you want is the rice to be soft on the outer layer but still firm in the centre. It can take any time from 3 to 7 minutes with the quantity of rice in this recipe. Once the parboiled rice reaches the correct texture, turn your heat off and drain the rice in a colander or sieve. Sprinkle a little cold water on the rice to halt the cooking process. Taste the rice – if it is very salty then rinse the rice further with a little water.
- Place the empty saucepan on the stove. Add 2 tbsp of oil and your bloomed saffron to the pan and give it a mix. Then arrange your oiled tortilla wrap shapes on the bottom of the pan making sure they do not overlap. Spoon about a 1-inch layer of rice into the saucepan.
- Then layer your rice and loobia mixture and mix gently. Build up the layers into a pyramid shape away from the sides of the pot. Make 5 holes in the rice with the bottom of a spoon. Pour 2 tbsp of water and the melted butter / ghee over the rice. Cover the pot with a lid and cook on a high heat until the rice starts steaming. Then lower the heat to the minimum flame, wrap the lid of the pan with a tea towel and place on the pan and steam for another 45 minutes.
- Once the rice is cooked, turn the heat off. Gently fluff the rice a bit to combine the loobia mixture and rice and spoon out onto a serving dish. Place the heart-shaped tahdig and and rice tahdig around the rice or on a separate dish. Pairs well with Salad Shirazi, fresh herbs and / or yoghurt or Torshi.