Havij Polo Recipe | Persian Saffron Rice and Carrots
Havij Polo Recipe
Carrot pilaf is one of the traditional and old Iranian dishes you can make with minced beef or chicken. This dish combines chicken, rice, carrot, onion, butter, and infused saffron.
Ingredients for four people | |
Basmati rice | 2 cups |
medium onion | 2 |
Boneless chicken breast | 1 |
big carrot | 4 |
Butter | 100 g |
dried barberries | 2 tbsp |
ground saffron | ⅛ tsp |
cinnamon powder | 1 tsp |
Lemon juice | 1 tbsp |
Salt | 3 tsp |
black pepper | ½ tsp |
Turmeric | 2 tsp |
Vegetable oil | 2 tbsp |
Havij Polo Instructions
Step 1
Put the boneless chicken breast in a pot with two glasses of water, one teaspoon of salt, and one teaspoon of turmeric. Peel one of the onions and chop coarsely, then add it.
Step 2
Put the Pot on medium heat and let the chicken breast cook for 45 minutes. Pour the rice into a bowl and wash it with cold water until the color of the water is transparent.
Step 3
Fill a medium pot halfway with water and place over high heat until the water boils. Add a teaspoon of salt to boiling water.
Step 4
Add the rice to the Pot, then let the water boil again. It takes 5 to 10 minutes for the rice to be half cooked. (The cooking time depends on the type of rice)
Step 5
Test a few rice grains between your fingers to know if the rice is half cooked. If rice grains are soft, you can rinse them.
Step 6
Pour the rice into a colander to drain, add the vegetable oil, and Pour the rice in a dome shape in the Pot.
Step 7
Put the lid on the Pot, then put it on low heat to cook the rice for 40 minutes. After cooking the chicken, strain the remaining water in the Pot and set it aside.
Step 8
Cut the chicken into small pieces. Finely chop the remaining onion, heat a pan, and add 50 grams of butter until it melts.
Step 9
Saute the onion for 3 minutes, add the chicken meat, black pepper powder, cinnamon powder, salt, and turmeric, and saute for another 5 minutes.
Step 10
Take the sauteed chicken from the pan, peel, and thinly slice the carrots. Add the remaining butter and wait until it melts.
Step 11
Add carrots to the pan with lemon juice and saute for 7 to 10 minutes until completely soft. Add barberry and sauteed chicken and fry together for another two minutes.
Step 12
After cooking the rice, pour it into the dish you want, pour the mixture of carrots and chicken on it, and serve.