Kalam Barg Polo - Persian White Cabbage Rice
Kalam Polo is one of the most underrated Persian rice dishes. It combines basmati rice with white cabbage, onions, garlic, minced meat and warm spices, all steamed together so the rice absorbs every bit of flavour. It is difficult to believe that humble cabbage can become something this delicious—but once you taste it, you will understand exactly what I mean.
This should not be confused with the famous Kalam Polo Shirazi, which is a different dish made with kohlrabi. You can find my recipe for Kalam Polo Shirazi here.
I use beef in this recipe, but lamb, a combination of beef and lamb, or a vegan mince alternative will also work beautifully. You can even leave out the meat completely, and it will still taste phenomenal.
This was one of my late uncle’s dishes, which is why I recently made it to commemorate him. Man, did he have great taste!
Cook the most popular Persian dishes at home with the help of my e-book.
Time
Prep: 15 min
Cook: 2 h
Total: 2 h 15 min
Ingredients (serving 4)
400g basmati rice (about 2 cups)
800g white cabbage — about half a medium head (was 350g)
300g minced beef, lamb, or a mix of both
2 large onions
4 garlic cloves
3 tbsp vegetable oil, plus a little extra if your mince is very lean
1 tsp ground cinnamon, plus extra for layering
1½ tsp ground turmeric
1½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
100ml water, for steaming the cabbage
2 tbsp salt, for parboiling the rice, plus extra for seasoning
½ tsp saffron, crushed to a fine powder (optional but worth it)
2 ice cubes to bloom saffron
Method for cooking Kalam Polo
Prep the ingredients
Saffron is not an essential ingredient in this dish. I used it to give some extra colour and add another dimension of flavour to it, but that’s completely optional. If you’re using saffron, grind the saffron threads using a pestle and mortar. Transfer the ice cubes to a glass. Sprinkle the ground saffron over them and set it aside for later.
Peel the onion and garlic. Slice the onion and finely chop the garlic. Finely slice the white cabbage, as if you were making coleslaw. You can see how long the slices are in this video.
Sauté and combine the ingredients
Add the cabbage and 2–3 tbsp water to a large pan. Cover and steam over medium heat for 5 minutes. Remove the lid and continue cooking for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the water has evaporated and the cabbage has softened. Do not brown it. Remove and set aside.
Add the onions to the same pan without any oil. Cook gently over medium heat for about 7–10 minutes, stirring regularly, until softened but not caramelised. Return the cabbage to the pan, mix together, then remove and set aside.
Add the minced beef to the pan without oil and brown it for about 5 minutes. Its natural fat should be enough, but if you are using very lean beef, add a little vegetable oil as needed. Allow the liquid to evaporate so the meat browns properly without becoming dry.
Once the beef is browned, add the garlic and cook for another 1–2 minutes.
Return the cabbage and onion mixture to the pan. Add the cinnamon, turmeric, black pepper and saffron water, if using. Season with salt and combine everything thoroughly. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook gently for 5–10 minutes, allowing all the flavours to come together.
Parboil the rice
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and dissolve 2 tbsp salt in it. Add the rice and parboil until the grains are soft on the outside but still firm in the centre. This usually takes between 3 and 7 minutes. I use Tilda Basmati Rice, which takes approximately 5 minutes.
Drain the rice in a colander and rinse it with cool water to stop the cooking process and remove any excess salt. Set aside and allow all the water to drain away.
Layer and steam the Kalam Polo
Add 3 tbsp vegetable oil to a non-stick pot with a lid and place it over medium heat.
For an especially delicious tahdig, combine a small amount of the parboiled rice with some of the cabbage and meat mixture. Spread this evenly across the bottom of the pot.
Continue building the Kalam Polo layer by layer: first rice, then the cabbage and meat mixture, followed by a light sprinkling of cinnamon. Repeat until everything has been used, forming the rice into a slight heap. You can reserve some of the mixture to use as a garnish when serving.
Once steam begins to rise from the rice, wrap the lid in a clean kitchen towel and close it firmly. Reduce the heat to low and let the Kalam Polo steam for 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on how crispy you prefer your tahdig.
Serve your delicious Kalam Polo
Once the Kalam Polo is cooked, you can flip the pot, replace the lid with a plate and protect your hands with oven gloves. Remove the tahdig and fluff up the rice to serve. Serve it with Salad Shirazi, pickles or plain yoghurt. Enjoy your delicious Kalam Polo!
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