Estamboli Polo is a flavourful rice dish with tomato paste and spices in it, topped with crispy potato fries.
It’s similar to Loobia Polo with the only difference being that Estamboli Polo doesn’t have green beans in it and it involves a few more spices and herbs, plus it is topped with fries.
Every family has their own way of preparing Estamboli Polow. Some prepare it with tomatoes in it. The dish with tomatoes however doesn’t have meat in it and is called Dami Goje. That being said, you should prepare your Estamboli Polo any way you like, so if you like both meat and tomatoes, by all means, go ahead. You should love what you cook and eat after all.
For this dish you first prepare the sauce for the rice, then parboil the rice and finally combine the two and let the rice absorb the tasty sauce while they’re steaming together over low heat. It takes a bit of time but not much effort at all. The preparation is simple and straightforward. All the magic happens while the food is cooking and you relax and wait, or spend time with your loved ones.
Cook the most popular Persian dishes at home with the help of my e-book.
Time
Prep: 30 min
Cook: 2 h 45 min
Total: 3 h 15 min
Ingredients (for 4 portions of Estamboli Polo)
500g / 1.1 lbs lamb leg or shoulder
1/2 piece beef bone with marrow (optional)
500g / 2.5 cups basmati rice
2 medium-sized potatoes (about 300g/11oz)
1 medium onion
7 cloves garlic
1 cup + 9 tbsp vegetable oil (1 cup/240ml are for the fries)
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground saffron
2 tbsp salt + more to taste
2 ice cubes to bloom the saffron (alternatively you can use a few tbsp hot water)
Method for cooking Estamboli Polo
Prep the ingredients
Transfer the ice cubes into a glass. Sprinkle the ground saffron over them and set it aside for later.
Finely chop the onions and garlic, keeping them separate.
Cut the lamb leg or shoulder into approx. 1 inch / 2.5cm large cubes.
Cook the sauce
Sear the lamb pieces in about 4 tbsp hot vegetable oil until they are golden brown on each side.
Bring 2.5 cups/700ml water to boil in a kettle.
Remove the meat from the pan, leaving the oil in. Add 2 more tbsp vegetable oil, if necessary.
Gently caramelise the finely chopped onions in the same oil over low to medium temperature for about 3 minutes. Then add the chopped garlic and sauté them together for another minute.
Now add the tomato paste, coriander powder, cumin powder, dried oregano and black pepper to the meat, onions and garlic. Let everything sauté together for about 30 seconds while stirring, then add 2.5 cups/700ml of freshly boiled water to the pan and combine everything well.
I also added a beef bone with marrow for extra flavour, but this is optional.
But on the lid and let the sauce simmer for 2.5h over low heat. Check on it regularly and give it an occasional stir, making sure it has enough water. If not, add a little freshly boiled water to it. Once the sauce is ready, add the saffron water to it and stir it in.
Parboil the rice
Once the sauce has been simmering for 1.5h it’s time to parboil the rice.
Wash the rice by moving it around in a bowl of water, draining it, adding fresh water, and repeating this process 4 to 5 times.
Bring a pot full of water to a boil. Add 2 tbsp of salt.
Once the water is boiling add the rice to it and briefly stir to make sure it does not stick together. Increase the temperature to get the water to bubble again as soon as possible.
After 2 to 5 minutes (depending on the rice you use) fish out a rice corn and either bite or cut through it. The rice corn should only be cooked by about a third. The very outer layer of the rice corn should be soft and look translucent and 2/3 in the centre should still be firm and appear opaque white.
Usually, we let the rice cook half, but for dishes like Estamboli Polo and Loobia Polo, the rice should be more than al dente, because it will soften further in the pot because of the moisture of the sauce.
Drain the rice in a colander and rinse it thoroughly with cold water. This will interrupt the cooking process as well as wash off any excess salt.
Layer the rice and sauce
Add 3 tbsp of vegetable oil to a non-stick pot with a lid over medium heat. Allow the oil to heat up a bit, then add the first layer of rice.
Add some sauce, including a few chunks of meat. Continue with a thin layer of rice and so on, until all the ingredients are used up, finishing with a layer of sauce.
Poke a few holes halfway through the rice with the back of a wooden spoon. Line the lid with a clean kitchen towel. Put on the lid, reduce the temperature to low and let the Estamboli Polo steam for 45 min.
Fry the chips/fries (optional)
If you want to serve skinny fries with your Estamboli Polo, you can start preparing them now. Peel and wash the potatoes.
Cut them into skinny fries shape (0.5cm/0.2″ thin). (First, cut them in slices, then into sticks.)
Heat 1 cup of vegetable oil in a frying pan. The temperature should be hot but not too hot, so the fries are cooked through without burning on the surface.
Make sure any excess moisture is removed from the fries before you transfer them into the hot oil, otherwise, the hot oil will splatter! Let them fry gently for at least 10 minutes until golden and crispy.
Remove them from the oil and lay them on a plate with a paper towel to allow the excess oil to get absorbed. Serve them quickly while they are hot and crispy.
Time to serve
Your delicious Estamboli Polo is now ready to serve! Serve it with refreshing, Salad Shirazi, Torshi (pickles) and/or creamy yogurt. Be good and don’t fight over the tahdig! Enjoy!
I’d love to see your Estamboli Polo! Feel free to tag me with @igotitfrommymaman on Facebook or Insta so I can take a look and give you a thumbs up!
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