Recipe: Rice and Lentils with Meat (Adas Polo Ba Gusht) (Persian)

RICE AND LENTILS WITH MEAT (ADAS POLO BA GUSHT)

2 medium onions, sliced
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 pounds beef or lamb cubes or chicken pieces
1/2 teaspoon plus 4 tablespoons salt, divided use
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon turmeric Water, as needed
1 cup lentils
3 cups uncooked rice
1/4 cup melted butter
1/8 teaspoon saffron, dissolved in 2 tablespoons warm water (optional)

Saute onions in 2 tablespoons butter; remove onions; set aside.

Sprinkle meat with 1/2 teaspoon salt, cinnamon and turmeric. . Brown on all sides in butter remaining in skillet from sauteing onions.

Add 2 cups water to meat; bring to boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer 1 hour or until meat is quite tender.

Boil lentils in enough water to cover them plus 2 tablespoon salt about 10 minutes or until tender but not soft. Drain and set aside.

Rinse rice several times in warm water to remove starch. Bring 8 cups more water and 2 tablespoons salt to boil in large pot. (Pot should be large enough to allow rice to roll around freely as water boils.)

Drain water from soaked rice and add rice to boiling water. Boil 5-10 minutes or until kernels are no longer crunchy but still quite firm. Stir occasionally to prevent grains from sticking together. Drain rice in colander.

Mix together lentils and rice.

Place some of melted butter on bottom of pot or casserole dish. Sprinkle half of rice mixture in pot; top with meat and cover meat with onions; cover meat and onions with remaining rice mixture. Pour over the top any juices remaining from having cooked the meat.

With handle of wooden spoon, perforate rice in several places all the way to bottom of pot and evenly pour over rest of melted butter. (More butter can be added.)

Cover underside of pot lid with a dish towel (which absorbs the moisture that would otherwise accumulate on the lid and drip back into rice, making it soggy) and place lid tightly on pot.

Cook approximately 10 minutes over medium heat, then reduce heat and allow to steam another 30 minutes or so. The heat can then be turned very low and the dish kept warm until serving time. (Rice can also be steamed in a moderate oven for 30 minutes, then turned low until serving time.)

Rice cooked atop stove will form a golden crust, which can be loosened to be removed and served in one piece by soaking the bottom of the pot, lid closed, in cold water a few minutes. If you use a nonstick pot, soaking the pot is not necessary.

For optional decoration:
Take about 2/3 cup of the cooked rice and mix it well with the dissolved saffron so that the rice picks up the color evenly. When the plain rice has been placed on a serving platter, sprinkle the saffron-flavored rice over the top and serve.

Makes 5-6 servings
Adapted from source: Persian Cuisine: Traditional, Regional, and Modern Foods by M.R. Ghanoonparvar