Zereshk Polo (Persian Barberry Rice)
Zereshk Polo (Persian Barberry Rice) is a colorful and flavorful Persian rice dish and the most common dish in dinner party and family gathering.
Zereshk Polo is made with layers of plain basmati rice and sour and sweet barberry-saffron mixture, garnished with slivered pistachios, and served with chicken.
More Persian recipes to try: Shirin Polow or Persian Orange Rice recipe and Fesenjoon or Persian Pomegranate Walnut Stew recipe.
Yield: Serves 4
- 2 cups uncooked basmati rice
- 1 cup dried barberries (also known as Zereshk, you can find at any Iranian store)
- 4 tablespoons sugar (add more or less, depends on your taste)
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 teaspoon ground saffron
- salt
- 2 teaspoons rosewater
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 3 tablespoons slivered pistachios
Dissolve ground saffron in 1/3 cup of boiling water and set aside (click for How to Use Saffron).
Prepare the plain rice (click for Persian Rice recipe).
Pick over the dried barberries (zereshk) and remove any stones. Then wash and drain.
In a small pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the barberries and sauté for 1 minute. Add the sugar, cardamom and salt, and cook for 1 minute.
Add the dissolved saffron and rosewater, and cook for 3-5 minutes. Add in the pistachios, stir and set aside.
When rice is ready, in a large bowl mix 1 1/2 cups of cooked rice with the barberry mixture.
To serve, place a layer of plain rice on a serving dish then a layer of barberry-rice mixture. Repeat the layers until done.
Serve with Cooked Chicken.
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