Baghali Polo Ba Mahiche or Persian dill and fava bean Rice is one of my favorite Persian dishes that is unbelievably flavorful. It is usually served at parties or wedding ceremonies. A delicious rice-based dish that is served with chicken, lamb shanks, lamb neck, or minced beef.
What Is Baghali Polo?
Baghali Polo is a rice dish full of flavor, and aroma, cooked with fava beans and dill. To serve the fluffy rice mixture is topped with saffron rice. You can use fresh, frozen, or dried fava beans to make this dish. But keep in mind the use of each can make small differences in the recipe. Finally, dill and fava bean Rice is served with tender and juicy lamb shanks cooked in a delicious broth.
Why You Will Love Baghali Polo Mahiche
- Flavorful: Baghali Polow is typically cooked with rice, fava beans, and dill. It is then served with tender and cooked-to-perfection lamb shanks.
- Customizable: Persian dill rice can be served as a delicious lunch or dinner. It pairs well with saffron chicken, lamb shanks, lamb neck, or minced beef.
- Easy to make: Baghali Polo Mahiche is relatively simple to make and will quickly become a family favorite.
Baghali Polo Ba Mahiche Ingredients
- Rice: To make Persian dishes, It is better to use high-quality Iranian rice or long-grain basmati rice.
- Lamb shanks: Soft and tender lamb shanks will perfectly pair with dill and fava bean rice. If you don’t like lamb shanks you may try Baghali polo with chicken!
- Yellow onion: Use white or yellow onion for this recipe.
- Bloomed saffron: When rice is cooked you can mix a few tablespoons of rice with bloomed saffron and use it as the topping.
- Advieh: Persian cuisine is all about flavors, aromas, and colors. Usually, salt, pepper, turmeric, cinnamon sticks, or ground cinnamon are used to cook lamb shanks.
- Fava beans: Fava beans are used in some Persian recipes. Their peak season is in the spring. You can make Baghali polo with fresh, frozen, or dried fava beans. I suggest fresh or frozen beans. If you are using fresh fava beans, just open the pod, remove the beans, and then remove the translucent skin.
- Dried dill: You can typically find dried dill leaves at Iranian grocery stores or use your homemade dried dill.
How to Make Baghali Polo Mahiche?
Cook Lamb Shanks
Wash lamb shanks well. Chop onions and sauté with some oil to soften. Add minced garlic cloves and stir frequently for about one minute. Then add the lamb shanks. Lower the heat, put the lid on, and brown the lamb shanks on all sides.
Sprinkle the shanks generously with salt, pepper, and turmeric. Add 1 cinnamon stick and then add a few cups of boiling water (water should cover the lamb shanks), allow to cook, and soften for about 3 hours on low heat. After 3 hours the lamb should be fully cooked and starting to fall off the bone.
Cook Fava Beans
Fresh, frozen, and dried beans can be used in the preparation of Baghali Polo. I used fresh fava beans in the Baghali Polo recipe but if you used dried fava beans, first soak them for half an hour in water and then rinse to prepare them for consumption.
Pour a few cups of water into the pot and bring it to a boil. Pour fava beans into boiling water to soften slightly. Skim off any foam on the surface. Cook fava bean for about 5-10 minutes. Fresh fava beans become soft very rapidly and you need to be careful but dry and frozen beans take longer to soften. Drain the beans and set aside.
Boil Rice
Rinse rice until the water is clear. Soak rice in a large bowl of water. Add 1 tablespoon salt and stir to dissolve. Let it sit for 2 hours. Drain the soaked rice. Add fresh water into a pot. For every cup of rice add two cups of water. Place the pot on the stove over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.
Add 1 tablespoon of salt to the boiling water. Add drained rice to the pot of boiling water and give a quick stir. The rice is done after 8-10 minutes when it begins to rise to the top and the water comes back to a boil. Check the rice is cooked by trying a grain. Break one grain in half. Rice should be soft on the outside but slightly hard in the middle. Pour rice into the colander to drain; then set aside.
Cook Rice
In a large pot heat 2 tablespoons of oil or butter. Arrange potato slices or Lavash naan. Spread a layer of rice, then place a thin layer of dill and cooked fava beans. Make several alternating thin layers of rice, dill, and fava beans. Pour 2 tablespoons of bloomed saffron over the rice. Cover the pot with a kitchen towel and a lid. Cook rice over low heat until tender and a crust forms.
Expert Tips
- Use fava beans that have vibrant green skin and have not been frozen for too long. The long-term storage of the beans in the freezer can change their color, texture, and flavor.
- I use 2:1 (rice 2 cups and fava beans 1 cup) ratio in this recipe.
- The best meat to serve with Persian dill and fava bean rice is, lamb shanks and lamb neck, of course, you can serve Baghali Polo with chicken.
- Before adding fava beans to rice, place them in boiling water and simmer until the beans are tender.
- The best herb for Baghali Polo is dill. We recommend using it fresh!
- When steaming rice, you can sprinkle ground cinnamon between each layer. Cinnamon can add extra flavor and aroma to the whole dish.
- For the crunchy rice crust (tahdig), you can use lavash bread (cracker bread) or medium-thick potato slices.
- The best side dishes to serve with Persian dill and fava bean rice? Salad Shirazi, pickles, Zeytoon Parvardeh (Persian marinated olives), and chilled Doogh (Persian yogurt drink)
Baghali Polo With Chicken
Fry chicken pieces in hot oil until the skin is crispy and golden. Add chopped onion into the saucepan and fry for a couple of minutes until soft and golden. Then add turmeric, salt, and pepper and stir for a few minutes. Put the chicken pieces in a pot. Pour 2-3 cups of boiling water and cover the pot. Allow the chicken pieces to cook with gentle heat for about 1 to 1.5 hours. Add 2 teaspoons of bloomed saffron 10 minutes before you turn off the heat. Cook rice according to the recipe and serve with saffron chicken.
FAQs
What Is Baghali Polo Ba Mahiche Made Of?
Baghali Polo is a rice dish full of flavor, and aroma, cooked with fava beans and dill. Dill and fava bean Rice is served with tender and juicy lamb shanks cooked in a delicious broth.
What Is the Difference Between Sabzi Polo and Baghali Polo?
Baghali polo is a rice dish cooked with fava beans and dill. Sabzi Polo is also considered as a mixed rice and it is made with rice and a combination of chopped herbs including chives, parsley, dill, coriander, and fresh garlic.
Did you like the Baghali Polo Ba Mahiche recipe? Try my Dolmeh Kalam recipe and Mirza Ghasemi recipe as well! Leave your comment below and If you make this recipe, be sure to tag your photos #yummynotes 
Looking for More Persian Recipes?
- Kookoo Sabzi Recipe
- Khoresht Karafs Recipe
- Albaloo Polo Recipe
- Tahchin Recipe
- Adas Polo Recipe
- Mirza Ghasemi Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups rice
- 300gr of lamb shanks
- 3 tablespoons Dried dill
- 1½ cups green fava Beans
- 1 large onion
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons bloomed saffron
- Salt, pepper and turmeric
- Vegetable oil
Instructions
Step 1
Wash lamb shanks well. Chop onions and sauté with some oil to soften. Add minced garlic cloves and stir frequently for about one minute. Then add the lamb shanks. Lower the heat, put the lid on, and brown the lamb shanks on all sides.
Step 2
Sprinkle the shanks generously with salt, pepper, and turmeric. Add 1 cinnamon stick and then add a few cups of boiling water (water should cover the lamb shanks), allow to cook, and soften for about 3 hours on low heat. After 3 hours the lamb should be fully cooked and starting to fall off the bone.
Step 3
Fresh, frozen, and dried beans can be used in the preparation of Baghali Polo. I used fresh fava beans in the Baghali Polo recipe but if you used dried fava beans, first soak them for half an hour in water and then rinse to prepare them for consumption.
Step 4
Pour a few cups of water into the pot and bring it to a boil. Pour fava beans into boiling water to soften slightly. Skim off any foam on the surface. Cook fava bean for about 5-10 minutes. Fresh fava beans become soft very rapidly and you need to be careful but dry and frozen beans take longer to soften. Drain the beans and set aside.
Step 5
Rinse rice until the water is clear. Soak rice in a large bowl of water. Add 1 tablespoon salt and stir to dissolve. Let it sit for 2 hours. Drain the soaked rice. Add fresh water into a pot. For every cup of rice add two cups of water. Place the pot on the stove over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.
Step 6
Add 1 tablespoon of salt to the boiling water. Add drained rice to the pot of boiling water and give a quick stir. The rice is done after 8-10 minutes when it begins to rise to the top and the water comes back to a boil. Check the rice is cooked by trying a grain. Break one grain in half. Rice should be soft on the outside but slightly hard in the middle. Pour rice into the colander to drain; then set aside.
Step 7
In a large pot heat 2 tablespoons of oil or butter. Arrange potato slices or Lavash naan. Spread a layer of rice, then place a thin layer of dill and cooked fava beans. Make several alternating thin layers of rice, dill, and fava beans. Pour 2 tablespoons of bloomed saffron over the rice. Cover the pot with a kitchen towel and a lid. Cook rice over low heat until tender and a crust forms.
1 comment
I have good memory from nayeb in Tehran. Baghli polo if this restaurants is great, .,,