Baghali Polo Recipe (Persian Dill rice With Lima Beans)

Baghali Polo or Persian dill rice with lima beans is one of the most famous Persian foods. You can hardly find a person who does not like Baghali Polo. This fantastic mixed rice is served with lamb or chicken. Baghali Polo ba Mahicheh is dill and lima bean rice with lamb shank. It is one of the most common main courses in Persian ceremonies or Parties. As the name shows, our today’s food is made of rice, dill, lima beans, and bloomed saffron. Join me to cook this delicious food.

Baghali Polo ingredients

Cooking Baghali Polo has two parts. One of them is cooking mixed rice, and the second part is cooking the chicken or meat served with Baghali Polo.

In Baghali Polo section, we need Persian rice or basmati rice, fresh or dried dill, lima beans or fava beans, butter, and salt.

Then it is your choice to choose between chicken or meat to serve with Baghali Polo. You can cook the chicken in the tomato sauce like the chicken in Zereshk Polo ba Morgh or cook it with saffron sauce. Also, you can use beef or lamb. I prefer using a lamb shank or neck part. Today I am cooking lamb shank in tomato sauce. We need lamb shank, onion, garlic, tomato paste, salt, black pepper, and turmeric.

Baghali Polo recipe

For making Baghali polo, we need to wash and soak the rice. For washing and soaking the rice:

1. Pour 3 cups of rice into a bowl of water and stir them.
2. Drain the water, add fresh water again to the rice, and stir.
3. Repeat it till the water is clear after stirring.
4. Add two tablespoons of salt to the bowl of clear water and the rice, and let them soak for an hour.

Bring a pot of water with one tablespoon of salt and heat it till boiling. When the water is boiling, pour the soaked rice into a colander. then pour it into the boiling water. Add 1 1/2 cups of green lima beans to the boiling water. Let them boil till the rice comes up and rice and lima beans are almost soft. Pour rice and lima beans into the colander. Splash cold water on them.

Note: If you use dried lima beans, wash and soak them like rice. Then cook them separately until making them soft.

Bring a non-stick pot, pour six tablespoons of vegetable oil in the pot. Place a flatbread or layered potato in the pot for Tahdig. Splash a little water on the flatbread. Then pour half of the parboiled rice and lima beans on the flatbread. Place 2 cups of chopped fresh dill or 1 cup of dried dill on the rice. Pour another layer of rice and lima beans on the dill. The rice should be like a pyramid in the pot. Make two or three holes in the rice to let the steam rises better. Pour ½ cup of water around the rice and five tablespoons of vegetable oil on the rice. Cover the pan and let them steam for 5 minutes on high heat and 45 minutes on low heat. Our Baghali Polo is ready!

How to cook Mahicheh (lamb shank in tomato sauce)

For making Mahicheh:

1. Chop a medium-sized onion into small pieces.
2. Saute the onion with four tablespoons of vegetable oil till making them golden-brown.
3. Add 1 tablespoon of turmeric to the onion and stir them.
4. Place 1 kg lamb shank on the onion.
5. Heat the meat till making its all sides brown.
6. Add two halved garlic cloves, one cinnamon stick, four tablespoons of bloomed saffron, and one chopped onion to the meat. You can also add vegetables like carrots and potatoes to the meat.
7. Pour water with a tablespoon of tomato paste in the pot till it covers the meat.
8. Cover the pot and let the lamb shank cook for about 1 ½ hours.
9. Put a fork in the meat carefully, and if it is tender, our meat is ready. Otherwise, let it cook for some minutes covered till the meat is tender.
10. Add 1/2 tablespoon of salt and 1/2 tablespoon of black pepper to the meat and stir its broth when the meat is prepared.
11. Heat the pan for 15 minutes.
12. Check the broth; heat it without cover for a while if it is too watery.

Our delicious lamb shank in tomato sauce is ready!

How to serve Baghali Polo ba Mahicheh?

For serving dill rice with lima beans:

1. Add 50 gr butter to the rice and mix them gently.
2. Pour four tablespoons of rice into two tablespoons of bloomed saffron and make golden rice for garnish.
3. Serve Baghali Polo into a platter.
4. Pour golden rice on the Baghali Polo.
5. Serve lamb shank in another platter and pour some tablespoons of meat broth on them.
6. Pour the remaining meat broth into a bowl.
7. Divide the Tahdig into equal parts for everyone.

Enjoy your dish!

We hope you try and prepare your Baghali Polo at home and enjoy it. Tell us what you serve with your food and how it tastes. We would be glad to hear more from you. 

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