🍚 Baghali polo with lamb shank

Name: Baghali polo with lamb shank
Total time: 180 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Iran
Ingredients: 4 lamb shanks; 1 onion, quartered, 1 tsp turmeric, 2 bay leaves, salt and pepper; 400 g basmati rice; 400 g shelled broad beans (fresh or frozen), skins removed; 1 large bunch dill, chopped (or 4 tbsp dried dill); A pinch of saffron dissolved in 3 tbsp hot water; 50 g butter, 2 tbsp vegetable oil

Origin: Iran

740kcal

per serving · 400 g

185kcal

per 100 g

38 gProtein9.5 g / 100 g

28 gFat7 g / 100 g

88 gCarbs22 g / 100 g

Baghali polo is a Persian layered rice of long-grain basmati steamed with broad (fava) beans and plenty of fresh or dried dill, finished with saffron and butter and a golden crust called tahdig at the bottom of the pot. It is served with a lamb shank braised slowly with onion, turmeric and spices until it falls off the bone. Fragrant, herby and tender, it is a festive main course.

Diets

✓

No porkfor halal, the meat must be halal-slaughtered

✓

Gluten-freeno wheat, barley or rye in a typical recipe

Not vegetarianbecause of: lamb shank

Not veganbecause of: lamb shank, butter

Contains dairybecause of: butter

Not keto22 g carbs per 100 g

Allergens

Contains (in a typical recipe):

⚠ Milk

What it is made of

basmati ricefava beansdilllamb shanksaffronbutter

Recipe

4 servings180 min

Ingredients

4 lamb shanks
1 onion, quartered, 1 tsp turmeric, 2 bay leaves, salt and pepper
400 g basmati rice
400 g shelled broad beans (fresh or frozen), skins removed
1 large bunch dill, chopped (or 4 tbsp dried dill)
A pinch of saffron dissolved in 3 tbsp hot water
50 g butter, 2 tbsp vegetable oil

Method

Brown the lamb shanks in the oil, add the onion, turmeric, bay leaves, salt, pepper and water to cover, and simmer covered for 2–2½ hours until very tender. Reduce the liquid to a little sauce.
Soak the rice in salted water for 1 hour, then boil it in plenty of salted water for 6–7 minutes until just soft outside and firm inside. Add the broad beans for the last minute and drain.
Fold the dill through the rice and beans. Melt half the butter with a splash of water in the pot, then pile the rice in a mound and poke a few holes with a spoon handle.
Cover the lid with a cloth and steam on low heat for 45 minutes, until a crust forms at the bottom.
Mix a few spoonfuls of rice with the saffron water, dot the rest of the butter on top and serve with the lamb shanks and their sauce, with the tahdig broken on the side.

How to make it lighter

Trim visible fat from the shanks and skim the fat off the braising liquid once it cools.
Use half the butter — the dill and saffron carry most of the flavour.
Take a smaller mound of rice and add a fresh herb salad or a cucumber and tomato salad on the side.

History

Baghali polo belongs to the Persian tradition of polo, rice steamed in layers with other ingredients, which developed at Iranian courts and in family kitchens over centuries. It is especially popular in spring, when fresh broad beans and dill are in season, and is often cooked for celebrations and family gatherings in Iran today.

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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →