Morasa Polo Recipe (Persian Jeweled Rice)

This Morasa Polo recipe is designed for an American home kitchen while preserving the defining Persian techniques: washing and parboiling rice, steaming it separately, blooming saffron, removing excess bitterness from citrus peel, and assembling the dish only at serving.

Morasa Polo ingredients

The ingredient list looks long because the jeweled garnish uses several small components. Prepare them in separate bowls before you begin.

• 3 cups (600 g) basmati rice
• 1 lb (450 g) boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
• 2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup dried barberries, rinsed and drained
• 1/3 cup golden raisins
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds
• 1/4 cup slivered pistachios
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced orange peel
• 3 tbsp bloomed saffron, divided
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 to 2 tbsp sugar, optional and adjustable
• 2 tbsp rosewater
• 3 tbsp neutral oil, plus more for steaming
• Fine salt and black pepper, as needed

How to make Persian jeweled rice

Cook the chicken and citrus first, then steam the rice and warm the delicate garnishes near serving time.

1. Rinse the rice until the water is mostly clear. Soak it in salted water for 30 minutes, then drain.
2. Blanch the orange peel in fresh boiling water two or three times, draining and tasting between rounds. Simmer it with the optional sugar and 2 tablespoons water for 5 minutes; set aside.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet. Cook half the onion until golden. Add the chicken, turmeric, black pepper, and salt; sauté until lightly colored. Add 1/2 cup water, cover, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes until cooked through. Finish with lemon juice, cinnamon, and 1 tablespoon saffron.
4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Parboil the drained rice for 4 to 7 minutes, until soft outside and firm in the center. Drain and rinse briefly.
5. Oil the rice pot. Add the rice loosely, make steam holes, cover with a towel-wrapped lid, and steam over low heat for 35 to 45 minutes.
6. Cook the remaining onion until caramelized. In separate sections of a skillet, warm the almonds for 1 to 2 minutes, the raisins for about 30 seconds, and the barberries for 30 to 60 seconds. Keep pistachios raw.
7. Mix a small portion of steamed rice with the remaining saffron. Arrange white rice and chicken on a platter, then decorate with saffron rice, orange peel, onions, barberries, raisins, almonds, and pistachios.

Morasa Polo vs. other Persian fruit rice dishes

Morasa Polo is visually elaborate and combines several fruits, nuts, saffron, and usually chicken. Albaloo Polo centers sour cherries, while Shirin Polo generally leans sweeter and uses its own balance of citrus and nuts. These related dishes should remain separate pages because their ingredients and search intent differ.

How to keep the colors bright

Warm barberries and raisins separately and briefly. Do not fry pistachios, which dulls their green color. Mix saffron into only part of the rice so the platter retains clear white, gold, red, orange, and green sections.

Frequently asked questions

Is Morasa Polo always sweet?

No. Sweetness varies by household. Start with little or no sugar and balance the garnish against sour barberries and citrus peel.

Can I use chicken thighs?

Yes. Boneless thighs remain moist and are forgiving; breasts also work if you avoid overcooking them.

Can I omit nuts?

Yes, but the dish will lose some of its jeweled appearance and texture. Use extra barberries, raisins, and citrus peel if appropriate for your diners.

Morasa Polo recipe card

Morasa Polo Recipe (Persian Jeweled Rice)

Recipe by Ferdos

5.0 from 1 vote

Course: Main courseCuisine: PersianDifficulty: Medium

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

45

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

30

minutes

Total time

2

hours 

15

minutes

Persian steamed rice with saffron chicken, barberries, raisins, candied orange peel, almonds, and pistachios.

Ingredients

• 3 cups (600 g) basmati rice

• 1 lb (450 g) boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

• 2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced

• 1/3 cup dried barberries, rinsed and drained

• 1/3 cup golden raisins

• 1/4 cup slivered almonds

• 1/4 cup slivered pistachios

• 1/3 cup thinly sliced orange peel

• 3 tbsp bloomed saffron, divided

• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric

• 2 tbsp lemon juice

• 1 to 2 tbsp sugar, optional and adjustable

• 2 tbsp rosewater

• 3 tbsp neutral oil, plus more for steaming

• Fine salt and black pepper, as needed

Directions

• Rinse the rice until the water is mostly clear. Soak it in salted water for 30 minutes, then drain.
• Blanch the orange peel in fresh boiling water two or three times, draining and tasting between rounds. Simmer it with the optional sugar and 2 tablespoons water for 5 minutes; set aside.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet. Cook half the onion until golden. Add the chicken, turmeric, black pepper, and salt; sauté until lightly colored. Add 1/2 cup water, cover, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes until cooked through. Finish with lemon juice, cinnamon, and 1 tablespoon saffron.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Parboil the drained rice for 4 to 7 minutes, until soft outside and firm in the center. Drain and rinse briefly.
• Oil the rice pot. Add the rice loosely, make steam holes, cover with a towel-wrapped lid, and steam over low heat for 35 to 45 minutes.
• Cook the remaining onion until caramelized. In separate sections of a skillet, warm the almonds for 1 to 2 minutes, the raisins for about 30 seconds, and the barberries for 30 to 60 seconds. Keep pistachios raw.
• Mix a small portion of steamed rice with the remaining saffron. Arrange white rice and chicken on a platter, then decorate with saffron rice, orange peel, onions, barberries, raisins, almonds, and pistachios.

Recipe Video

Notes

• To prepare this delicious dish with beef or mutton, we can use sliced ​​meat or minced meat to your liking. If you use minced meat, you must combine the minced meat with 1 grated onion. Before mixing, you should remove the extra onion water, add some spices, and knead the ingredients together for 5 minutes. Then, make small meatballs from the meat and onion mixture and fry them in oil.

For Qazvin’s meat-sauce-centered jeweled rice, see Gheymeh Nesar.

Sources

Dish identity and technique were cross-checked against current US results including Lin’s Food: Morasa Polo.