Loobia Polo
Green bean and beef rice with tomato and cinnamon · لوبیاپلو
- 25 min Prep
- 1 h 20 min Cook
- 6 Servings
- Easy
Rice layered with green beans and beef cooked in tomato, cinnamon and advieh, steamed with a crisp tahdig. A one-pot family favourite.
Loobia polo is the dish many Iranian children name as their favourite: tender green beans and small pieces of meat in a tomato sauce warm with cinnamon, steamed together with rice so every grain takes on the colour.
It is a complete meal on its own, served with yogurt, mast-o khiar or Shirazi salad.
Ingredients
Servings
Filling
Rice
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Instructions
- Fry the onion in the oil until golden, add the turmeric, then brown the meat.
- Add the green beans and fry for 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, cinnamon, advieh and salt and fry 2 minutes more.
- Add 1 cup of water, cover, and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes until the meat is tender and the sauce is thick and clinging.
- Parboil the soaked rice as for chelow, drain and rinse briefly.
- Oil the pot for tahdig. Layer the rice and the bean mixture in the pot, starting and ending with rice, and shape into a mound. Poke steam holes and cook on medium-high for 8 to 10 minutes.
- Dot with butter, cover with a towel-wrapped lid and steam on the lowest heat for 45 to 50 minutes.
- Mix a few spoonfuls of rice with the saffron water, toss everything together gently on the platter, and serve with the tahdig and yogurt.
Tips & variations
- Potato slices make an especially good tahdig for loobia polo.
Where to buy the ingredients
Persian grocers carry the saffron, dried herbs, spices and long-grain rice that Persian cooking depends on:
Rather eat out?
Persian restaurants that serve it:
Chelow with Tahdig