Easiest Way to Cook Perfect Shirin-Polow, Iranian Sweet Rice and Chicken

Shirin-Polow, Iranian Sweet Rice and Chicken. This rice pilaf is famed for its thick, crisp tah dig crust and crown of sweet garnishes. Shirin Polo is a glorious Persian Rice speckled with saffron and topped with golden carrots, slivered almonds, pistachios, raisins and candied citrus. Shirin Polow (Shirin: Sweet, Polow: Rice) is a traditional Iranian rice recipe commonly made during the Persian New Year or Nowruz celebration period.

Shirin polo, when produced in a more elaborate and meticulous incarnation, is called "javaher polo" or jeweled rice, a dish fit to be served on festive occasions, including weddings. This Shirin Polo recipe is my mother's go-to-simplified-version for just a nice. Shirin Polo is a glorious sweet Persian rice speckled with saffron and topped with golden carrots, raisins, slivered almonds, chopped pistachios and homemade candied citrus zest. You can have Shirin-Polow, Iranian Sweet Rice and Chicken using 16 ingredients and 13 steps. Here is how you achieve that.

Ingredients of Shirin-Polow, Iranian Sweet Rice and Chicken

1. Prepare 1 kg of chicken breast without skin, boneless.
2. It's 1 1/4 cup of sugar.
3. Prepare 1/2 cup of almonds, peeled, thinly sliced.
4. It's 1/2 cup of pistachios, thinly sliced.
5. Prepare 1 cup of orange peel, thinly sliced.
6. It's 2 of onions, thinly sliced.
7. It's 3 of carrots, cut into thin sticks.
8. You need 4 tablespoons of butter.
9. It's 5 tablespoons of vegetable oil.
10. You need 1/2 teaspoon of saffron.
11. It's of salt to taste.
12. You need of black pepper to taste.
13. Prepare of Rice.
14. It's 500 g of long grain rice, soaked in warm water for 2 hours then drained.
15. It's 6 tablespoons of vegetable oil.
16. Prepare 1 tablespoon of salt.

This festive rice is usually served at the weddings, Nowruz and other special ceremonies. Najmieh Batmanglij 's Shirin polow recipe. She is chef, culinary historian and teacher , the leading authority on Iranian cuisine. Place the chicken in a bowl with the turmeric and mix in throughly.

Shirin-Polow, Iranian Sweet Rice and Chicken step by step

1. In a pan, heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and fry the onions in it until tender, then add in the chicken and fry until the chicken starts changing colour on all sides..
2. Pour a glass of water over the chicken and onion, season with salt and pepper then leave over medium heat for 20 minutes..
3. Add more water if necessary so that when the chicken is cooked, you should have half a cup of chicken broth remaining. Remove pan from heat and set aside..
4. Reserve 3 tablespoons of sugar for later use and dissolve the remaining sugar in a cup of water. Place over a medium flame and bring to a boil..
5. Pour the half cup of chicken broth over the water and sugar. Add in the saffron and 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Stir and set aside..
6. Place the sliced orange peel in a saucepan, cover with water then bring to a boil. Remove from heat; wash with cold water then drain and set aside..
7. In a skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter, add in the carrots and fry until they are soft..
8. Place the orange peel back into the saucepan; add in the fried carrots and the reserved 3 tablespoons of sugar, cover with water and cook for a few minutes. Drain and set aside..
9. To prepare the rice, pour 1 cup of water in a cooking pot and bring to a boil. Add in the rice and salt. Mix and keep on low heat until rice is soft. Then drain in a colander and wash the rice with warm water..
10. Put 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil in the cooking pot then put half of the rice back into the pot. Place the chicken onion mix on the rice and then cover with another layer of rice..
11. Spread half of the orange peel and carrot mix and half of the almonds and pistachios over the rice, then make another layer with the remaining rice and pour over it the sugar and chicken broth. Simmer, with the lid on for 30 minutes..
12. When done, flip the pot over a wide serving platter. The rice should be golden and molded into the shape of the pot..
13. Garnish with the remaining orange peel and carrot mix, pistachios and almonds. Serve hot..

This looks like a beautiful and tasty dish. I always like a sweet and savory combination. The ingredients used in making shirin polow can vary from household to household with a… This would have to be one of my all time favourite Persian meals. It's sometimes referred to as jewelled rice because of it's wonderfully colourful appearance and it's usually served as a celebratory meal on. According to him, this type of rice is commonly found at Persian festive occasions.