Loobia Polo Recipe

Loobia Polo is one of the Persian rice dishes cooked with long-grain basmati rice, green beans, and ground beef. It’s fluffy, delicious,  flavor-packed, and tastes as if it came straight from a Persian restaurant! Paired with a bowl of Shirazi salad, or yogurt on the side, this rice dish is a great meal for a family dinner.

About This Recipe

Rice (Berenj in Persian) is a staple ingredient in Iranian cuisine and is used in numerous recipes.  Fluffy Persian rice is either served with stew or cooked in the form of mixed rice (Loobiya Polo, Baghali Polo, Sabzi Polo, or Albaloo Polo). Lubia Polo is a flavor-packed rice dish made with basmati rice, green beans, beef (ground or chopped into small cubes), and tomato paste or tomato puree.

Why You Will Love This Recipe

• Loaded with flavors: A traditional Loobia Polo has layers of meat sauce, green beans, and fluffy rice cooked with spices. Lubia Polo spices usually include cinnamon, cumin, cardamom, black pepper, and turmeric.
• Uses pantry ingredients: This recipe is incredibly easy to make and you can find all the ingredients already in your kitchen.
• Easy to make: You don’t need to have a lot of experience in Persian cuisine to cook a delicious Loobia Polo. By following the recipe step by step, you will definitely get amazing results and surprise everyone at the table.

What You Need to Make Loobia Polo

• White basmati rice: Basmati rice is the best choice for this recipe. The word “basmati” actually means fragrant, this rice has been cultivated for thousands of years. This type of rice has the longest grains of any rice and has the ability to stretch throughout the cooking process. It has a fluffy texture, a mild taste, and a pleasant aroma, which is suitable for Iranian recipes.
• Green beans: Trim off the ends and chop green beans into 1cm sections.
• Ground beef: Beef (ground or chopped into small cubes) is used to make the meat sauce for Lubia Polo.
• Tomato paste: Tomato paste is used to make a thick and flavorful meat sauce.
• Tomato puree: Tomato Puree adds bright red color and rich tomato flavor to the Loobia Polo.
• Onion: Use yellow onion.
• Spices: I usually use a combination of ground cinnamon, turmeric, black pepper, and saffron to flavor the Loobia Polo. Of course, cardamom powder, cumin, and ginger are also used to make this dish more delicious.

Instructions

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Chop onion, and saute in oil until soft.
• Then add the ground beef and cook until browned. Add chopped green beans and stir fry for a few minutes.
• Stir in tomato paste, salt, pepper, and turmeric and cook, stirring continuously for about 3 minutes.
• Add tomato puree, ground cinnamon, and 2 cups of water. Bring the sauce to a simmer on medium-high heat. Lower the heat, cover, and cook until the sauce is thickened. As it cooks, stir and taste the sauce a few times and adjust the seasoning.
• Rinse rice until the water went clear. Place rice in a large pan filled with water. Add some salt and let it cook. The rice is done after 6 to 8 minutes when it begins to rise to the top and the water comes back to a boil. Check the rice is cooked at the end by trying a grain. Break one grain in half. Rice should be soft on the outside but hard in the middle. Pour rice into the colander to drain; then set aside.
• In a large pot heat 3 tablespoons of oil or butter. Arrange potato slices or Lavash naan.  Spread a layer of rice, then place a layer of Lubia polo sauce.
• Make several alternating thin layers of rice and Loobia polo sauce. Pour 2 tablespoons of bloomed saffron over the rice.
• Place the pot on medium-high heat directly on the stovetop. Cover the pot and cook until the rice begins to steam. Then lower the heat and cook for one hour until the crust forms.

Cook Loobia Polo With Rice Cooker

Cooking rice with a rice cooker is both quick and very easy. Rinse rice until the water went clear. Place rice in a large pan filled with water. Add some salt and let it cook. The rice is done after 6 to 8 minutes when it begins to rise to the top and the water comes back to a boil. Check the rice is cooked at the end by trying a grain. Break one grain in half. Rice should be soft on the outside but hard in the middle.

Pour rice into the colander to drain; then set aside. Heat 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil in the rice cooker on “cook” settings. Arrange potato slices or Lavash naan.

Spread a layer of rice, then place a layer of Lubia polo sauce. Make several alternating thin layers of rice and Loobia polo sauce. Pour 2 tablespoons of bloomed saffron over the rice. Close the lid, set the program, and let it cook according to the instructions.

Did you like the Loobia Polo recipe? 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
• Mirza Ghasemi Recipe
• Tahchin Recipe 
• Zereshk Polo Morgh Recipe
• Baghali Polo Recipe
• Sabzi Polo Recipe

Loobia Polo Recipe

Serves: 3 Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cooking Time: 60 Minutes 60 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 17 voted )

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Ingredients

• 3 cups rice
• 3 cups green beans (chopped into 1cm sections)
• 300gr ground beef
• 1 large onion
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 cup tomato puree
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons bloomed saffron
• Salt, pepper, and turmeric

Instructions

Step 1

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Chop onion, and saute in oil until soft.

Step 2

Then add the ground beef and cook until browned. Add chopped green beans and stir fry for a few minutes.

Step 3

Stir in tomato paste, salt, pepper, and turmeric and cook, stirring continuously for about 3 minutes.

Step 4

Add tomato puree, ground cinnamon, and 2 cups of water, and bring the sauce to a simmer on medium-high heat. Lower the heat, cover, and cook until the sauce is thickened. As it cooks, stir and taste the sauce a few times and adjust the seasoning.

Step 5

Rinse rice until the water went clear. Place rice in a large pan filled with water. Add some salt and let it cook. The rice is done after 6 to 8 minutes when it begins to rise to the top and the water comes back to a boil. Check the rice is cooked at the end by trying a grain. Break one grain in half. Rice should be soft on the outside but hard in the middle. Pour rice into the colander to drain; then set aside.

Step 6

In a large pot heat 3 tablespoons of oil or butter. Arrange potato slices or Lavash naan.  Spread a layer of rice, then place a layer of Lubia polo sauce.

Step 7

Make several alternating thin layers of rice and Loobia polo sauce. Pour 2 tablespoons of bloomed saffron over the rice.

Step 8

Place the pot on medium-high heat directly on the stovetop. Cover the pot and cook until the rice begins to steam. Then lower the heat and cook for one hour until the crust forms.