Zereshk Polo Ba Morgh Recipe (Persian Barberry Rice)

This Zereshk Polo Ba Morgh recipe focuses on the three details that matter most: separate rice grains, tender chicken, and glossy barberries that stay bright and tart. It also keeps the original recipe video and photography. For another sour-fruit Persian rice dish, see the Albaloo Polo recipe.

Ingredients

Measure and prepare the ingredients before starting. The recipe card at the end contains the same ingredient data for printing and structured search results.

• 1/4 teaspoon saffron
• 2 ice cubes
• 2 medium-size onion
• 2 medium-size potatoes
• 1 bell pepper
• 4 cups water
• 4 pieces chicken
• 1 tablespoon turmeric
• 1/2 tablespoon curry
• 1 tablespoon bloomed saffron
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 3 1/2 cups rice
• 1 cup barberry
• 2 tablespoons bloomed saffron

How to make Zereshk Polo Ba Morgh

Braise the chicken first, then parboil and steam the rice while the sauce reduces. Prepare the barberries last because they scorch quickly.

1. Place 1 or 2 ice cubes in a tiny glass.
2. Add 1/4 teaspoon of ground saffron.
3. Let it rest till melting the ice cubes.
4. Heat the frying pan and add a few oils.
5. Sauté chicken pieces in the oil till their color changes into golden-brown.
6. Turn chicken pieces to the other side and fry that side.
7. Peel 2 medium-size onions and chop them into small pieces.
8. Add oil and chopped onions to the frying pan, and fry the onions till making them golden.
9. Add 1 tablespoon of turmeric, 1 tablespoon of salt, red chopped bell pepper, 1 tablespoon of black pepper, and 1/2 tablespoon of curry to the onions and mix them.
10. Dilute 2 tablespoons of tomato paste with a glass of water and add it to onions. Tomato sauce is ready!
11. Place sautéed chicken and potatoes (any vegetables you prefer) in the tomato sauce.
12. Pour 1 1/2 tablespoons of bloomed saffron on chicken pieces.
13. Add water until almost covers chicken and vegetables.
14. Let them cook for 80 minutes when the chicken is soft, and the sauce gets strong.
15. Wash 1 cup of barberries, and soak them in cool water for an hour.
16. Sauté barberry in butter and add a tablespoon of sugar to make it sour and sweet.
17. Add a tablespoon of bloomed saffron to barberries
18. To wash the 3 1/2 cups of rice, you should pour the rice into a bowl of water and move the rice around the bowl with your hand.
19. Drain the water and add fresh water again. Repeat this move until the water becomes clear.
20. Add salt to the rice in the clear water and let them rest for near 1 hour.
21. Bring a pot and add water into it till half of the pot and let it boil.
22. Drain the water from the rice and pour the rice into the boiling pot. Let the water boil.
23. When the rice comes up, and the rice becomes soft, pour it into a colander and splash cold water on the rice.
24. Put a non-stick pot on the heat, add 4 tbsp vegetable oil and half a cup water, and pour the half-cooked rice into the pot. Allow the rice to steam for 35 minutes.
25. Rice is ready! If rice is dry, add 2 or 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil or butter to it.
26. Pour 8 tbsp cooked rice in bloomed saffron and stir them to make the rice golden.
27. Add barberries to the golden rice.
28. Serve the rice to a platter and pour golden rice (saffron rice) with barberry on top of white rice. (You can garnish the white rice with golden rice and barberry)
29. Serve chicken and vegetables separately on another platter.
30. Pour the sauce into a bowl. If the sauce is watery, heat the sauce and make it more concentrated.

Recipe video

The original video is preserved for readers who prefer a visual walkthrough.

Watch the Zereshk Polo Ba Morgh video

How to keep barberries bright and rice fluffy

Rinse barberries in cool water and warm them over low heat only until glossy. Parboil rice until the outside is tender but the center still has a little bite, then drain and steam without packing the grains tightly.

Serving and storage

Serve the chicken and concentrated sauce beside or beneath the rice, then spoon saffron rice and barberries over the top. Refrigerate leftovers promptly in shallow containers and reheat until steaming hot.

Frequently asked questions

Can I reduce the sugar?

Yes. Sugar is optional and should only soften the sharpness of the barberries; start with a small amount and taste.

Can I use chicken thighs?

Yes. Bone-in thighs stay moist during braising, while breasts need closer timing to avoid drying out.

Zereshk Polo Ba Morgh recipe card

Zereshk Polo Ba Morgh Recipe (Persian Barberry Rice)

Recipe by Cooking County

5.0 from 1 vote

Course: Main courseCuisine: PersianDifficulty: Medium

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

25

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

30

minutes

Soaking time

60

minutes

Total time

2

hours 

55

minutes

Persian saffron rice topped with tart barberries and served with tender braised chicken.

Ingredients

• Bloomed saffron

• 1/4 teaspoon saffron

• 2 ice cubes

• Chicken with tomato sauce (morgh)

• 2 medium-size onion

• 2 medium-size potatoes

• 1 bell pepper

• 4 cups water

• 4 pieces chicken

• 1 tablespoon turmeric

• 1/2 tablespoon curry

• 1 tablespoon bloomed saffron

• 1 tablespoon salt

• 1 tablespoon black pepper

• Saffron barberry rice (zereshk polo)

• 3 1/2 cups rice

• 1 cup barberry

• 2 tablespoons bloomed saffron

Directions

• Bloomed saffron
• Place 1 or 2 ice cubes in a tiny glass.
• Add 1/4 teaspoon of ground saffron.
• Let it rest till melting the ice cubes.
• Chicken in tomato sauce (morgh)
• Heat the frying pan and add a few oils.
• Sauté chicken pieces in the oil till their color changes into golden-brown.
• Turn chicken pieces to the other side and fry that side.
• Peel 2 medium-size onions and chop them into small pieces.
• Add oil and chopped onions to the frying pan, and fry the onions till making them golden.
• Add 1 tablespoon of turmeric, 1 tablespoon of salt, red chopped bell pepper, 1 tablespoon of black pepper, and 1/2 tablespoon of curry to the onions and mix them.
• Dilute 2 tablespoons of tomato paste with a glass of water and add it to onions. Tomato sauce is ready!
• Place sautéed chicken and potatoes (any vegetables you prefer) in the tomato sauce.
• Pour 1 1/2 tablespoons of bloomed saffron on chicken pieces.
• Add water until almost covers chicken and vegetables.
• Let them cook for 80 minutes when the chicken is soft, and the sauce gets strong.
• Barberry (zereshk)
• Wash 1 cup of barberries, and soak them in cool water for an hour.
• Sauté barberry in butter and add a tablespoon of sugar to make it sour and sweet.
• Add a tablespoon of bloomed saffron to barberries
• Rice (polo)
• To wash the 3 1/2 cups of rice, you should pour the rice into a bowl of water and move the rice around the bowl with your hand.
• Drain the water and add fresh water again. Repeat this move until the water becomes clear.
• Add salt to the rice in the clear water and let them rest for near 1 hour.
• Bring a pot and add water into it till half of the pot and let it boil.
• Drain the water from the rice and pour the rice into the boiling pot. Let the water boil.
• When the rice comes up, and the rice becomes soft, pour it into a colander and splash cold water on the rice.
• Put a non-stick pot on the heat, add 4 tbsp vegetable oil and half a cup water, and pour the half-cooked rice into the pot. Allow the rice to steam for 35 minutes.
• Rice is ready! If rice is dry, add 2 or 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil or butter to it.
• Golden rice with barberry (saffron rice with barberry)
• Pour 8 tbsp cooked rice in bloomed saffron and stir them to make the rice golden.
• Add barberries to the golden rice.
• Serving
• Serve the rice to a platter and pour golden rice (saffron rice) with barberry on top of white rice. (You can garnish the white rice with golden rice and barberry)
• Serve chicken and vegetables separately on another platter.
• Pour the sauce into a bowl. If the sauce is watery, heat the sauce and make it more concentrated.

Recipe Video

Notes

• You can serve zereshk polo and chicken with salad Shirazi, zeytoon parvardeh, and mast-o-khiar (Persian yogurt with cucumber).

Sources

Dish identity, ingredients, and timing were cross-checked against Zaffaron’s Zereshk Polo Ba Morgh reference.