Lentil and Date Rice | Adas Polo

Adas Polo (Lentil and Date Rice) is a delicious and highly nutritious dish.  Some families cook this rice dish with ground beef layered in, however growing up my family enjoyed it without meat.  I am happy to share our family’s vegetarian Adas Polo recipe – a delicious, nourishing comfort food.  Polo is the term used when parboiled rice is layered with other ingredients, in this case, lentils,  raisins, dates, and sauteed onions.

There are so many reasons I love Adas Polo.  As I mentioned I grew up with the aromatic smells of my Maman or my Maman ‘Do’ (what we called my grandma’s nickname literally translated as 2nd mom) frying onions laced with saffron and turmeric and lentils cooking on the stovetop with cinnamon as a kid.  The combination of the onions, the spices, mixed with the sweetness of the raisins and dates plus the earthy, savory flavors of the lentils puts this mixed rice at the top.  Can you smell how good it is?

Adas polo is not only comfort food for me but also one with much nostalgia.  Persian Mixed Rice with Lentils and Dates is one of the first dishes I cooked for my Bob early in our marriage.  As with all Persian dishes, each family has their own nuances with ingredients and especially with spices.  I chuckle to myself when I remember Bob sharing that he never knew he liked lentils until he tried my rice.  Now I’m going to share my secret ingredient with you.  I add chopped pistachio nuts to the lentil mix in my Adas Polo.  Add pistachios in and a comfort food becomes an exotic temptation not many can refuse!

Why I still make Adas Polo today.

LENTILS ARE BRAIN FOOD!

I increase the ratio of lentils to rice to boost the nutritional value of this dish.  My grandmother, Maman Do, used to tell me to eat lentils whenever I could because ‘lentils are brain food’.  My grandmother was a gym teacher – an evolved career for women in Iran in her day.  My Maman Do did not have a strong science background but she understood the power of lentils.  I ate lentils through both of my pregnancies and I’m convinced it helped us grow smart kids!

Lentils are a powerhouse of nutrition.

Why are lentils good for you?

• healthy natural fiber which helps with digestion and keeps us full longer
• a great plant-based source of protein
• loads of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants!

If you want to eat healthier, eat more lentils.  Who knows, it might boost your IQ to boot.

Other recipes with lentils: Easy Crockpot Lentil Soup with Butternut Squash

More reasons to love lentils!

• they are economical
• the mild, earthy, delicious and savory flavor
• great shelf life – store in an airtight container in a cool place for up to a year

There are 3 types of lentils you may use for this recipe, all with a similar taste – brown lentils (most often used with this recipe), small brown lentils (Trader Joe’s carries them), or green lentils (take longer to cook).  I prefer using standard brown lentils.  The tiny brown lentils hold their shape longer than the traditional brown lentils.  Green lentils take up to twice as long to cook.  If you prefer a firmer lentil (versus slightly mushy), use green lentils.

Every family and Persian home chef cooks with their own special nuance of spices.  I don’t if I am out of any of the 3 spices I typically use.  Cinnamon is the key spice in Adas Polo.  It will be just as delicious if you only add cinnamon.

SPICES USED IN OUR RECIPE:

• cinnamon
• saffron
• turmeric

Many traditional Iranian dishes can be time-consuming to prepare to say the least.  There are a few things you can prepare in advance to cut down on the process and be able to enjoy Persian lentil rice with raisins and dates any day of the week.

Time-saving tips:

• parboil the rice the day before
• half cook lentils in advance
• sauté onions ahead 
• pre-chop dates and pistachio nuts

For a fun How To video demonstrating the cooking steps, watch this video:

How to make Adas Polo:

• Start with a bowl of parboiled rice and a bowl of half-cooked green or brown lentils
• Gather the spices including saffron dissolved in boiling water
• Sauté sliced onions with spices for 2 or 3 minutes until they start to look translucent
• Add the spices to the onions, and cook for about another minute
• Stir in the raisins, the dates, and the nuts – stir until the spices spread around all the ingredients and sauté for another minute or so
• Oil and coat the bottom of a pot.  Begin the layering step – layer in about 1/3 of the partially/parboiled rice.  Next layer in the lentil mixture – give it a gentle stirring.  Continue layering the parboiled rice and the lentil mixture until the final rice layer, gently mixing after each layer.  Sprinkle a little extra cinnamon (about 3 shakes) on the very top of the mixed rice in the pot
• Use the back of a wooden spoon to open 3 or 4 deep holes in the mixed rice to allow the steam to evenly spread and rise up while cooking
• Cover the pot with a dishtowel, put a lid over the towel, secure it down tightly, and wrap the towel up wrapping the lid of the pot like a present – this holds in the steam for the final cooking step of the pot of layered rice
• To go for some ‘tadigh‘ (the crispy, golden, slightly burned bottom of the rice pot), cook on medium-high for about 5 to 8 minutes. Test by licking your finger and quickly tapping near the base of the pot. If you hear a sizzle the rice has developed steam. Then reduce heat and finish cooking the pot of rice for 45 minutes to an hour.
• Remove the lid, allow the steam to release (about 5 minutes), fluff up the top layer with a fork, and serve.

To lighten up this hearty, filling rice dish, serve it with some light and refreshing Salad Shirazi | Persian Cucumber and Tomato Salad.

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