Zereshk Polo by Isabelle Wagner

Zereshk Polo - Barberry Rice

Country of Origin - Iran

INSTRUCTIONS 

Cooking always came easy to my family. So when I found out that my aunt Shermeen was coming into town and was going to make zereshk polo I was overwhelmed with happiness. There was no time to waste once she got to my house, so I pulled out the rice and began to wash it just until the water turned clear. Then into a pot of water, just enough to cover the rice, and then salt. 

This was my least favorite part of the dish. Having to wait two hours for the rice to soak. Although overwhelmed with the idea of making the rice I remembered my grandmother who was the one person that could cook this dish perfectly. She was there that night, not being about to help with dinner though, I wanted to make her proud by making the dish perfect.

While the family argued over how the kids kept getting perfect hands in the card game we were playing while the rice soaked wandered back into the kitchen with Shermeen. The rice was done soaking so we added it to 8 cups of boiling water. Now it was time to make the zereshk. Rinse the zereshk to ensure that any dirt is removed. Then I grabbed a medium-sized pot and put in some butter. I proceed to chop the onions. 

“It doesn't have to be pretty” Shermeen would always tell me. “It will get cooked down anyways so don't waste your time on the small things, worry about how it looks at the end. 

The final product of the zereshk polo was the best part of it. The layered saffron and zereshk make a design in the rice that is mesmerizing to look at. Toss the onions into the pot with the butter and let them become brown in the butter. After adding in the zereshk, sugar, and saffron water. Now the most important step is to only let the zereshk cook for 3 minutes because it can burn very fast. 

By this point, the rice was done cooking so I removed it from the heat and drained it. Now that everything is cooked I realized that the hardness part was ahead of me, the tahdig. A layer of crispy rice and the bottom of the pot that is golden in color and amazing in smell. I grabbed another pot and put 3 tablespoons of grape seed oil and 3 tablespoons of butter on the bottom of the pan. Then I threw in some saffron water. I layered the rice and zereshk to form a horizontal pattern, starting with the rice and then the zereshk. I also added saffron water in between each layer to impress my family with the presentation. I coved the design underneath with a towel-wrapped lid and cooked it on low for 30 minutes. 

Once the 30-minute timer went off and everyone surrounded the kitchen. It was time to flip the rice. With knots in my stomach, I removed the lid and placed a serving plate on top of the pot. With the blink of an eye, I filled the pot and all I had to do was hit the bottom of the pot and then pull it away. I couldn't seem to work up the courage to do it so I gave Shermeen the honor. 

She began to pull the pot up and the rice began to detach from the pot, its golden color starting to be shown. With the final few inches of the pot lifted the beautiful pattern was displayed and everyone jumped with joy. The tahdig was so perfect that it brought tears to my eyes and the eyes of my grandmother. The garnish of the almonds made the dish even more perfect. I had finally shown her that she was a good teacher and that I will continue to pass her teachings on to my children.