Lubia Polo

Ingredients

• 12⅓ ozricerinsed and soaked, par-boiled in salted water
• 10½ ozgreen beanstrimmed, cut into 1–2 cm pieces
• 8¾ ozground meatbrowned and broken up
• 1onionlarge, finely chopped, fried golden
• 3 clovesgarlicfinely chopped or grated (optional)
• 2 tbsptomato pastebriefly fried until darkened
• 3tomatoesripe, grated or puréed
• 1 tspturmeric
• 1 tspcinnamonground
• ½ tspcuminground
• 1 tspAdviehfor the filling and between rice layers (optional)
• 1 pinchsaffronground, bloomed in 2–3 tbsp hot water
• black pepperfreshly ground
• saltfor filling, soaking and cooking water
• 5 tbspoilfor frying and for the pot base
• ⅔ ozbutterdotted over the rice before steaming (optional)
• 2potatothinly sliced, for the tahdig
• 1lavash breadinstead of potatoes for the tahdig (optional)
• ½ cupwaterfor braising the bean mixture; plus plenty of water for par-boiling the rice

Method

1. Soak the rice, prep the beansWash the basmati rice in several changes of water until the water runs clear, then leave it to soak in salted water for 30 to 60 minutes. Meanwhile, trim the green beans and cut them into pieces 1 to 2 cm long.
2. Fry the onion and spicesHeat a little vegetable oil in a wide pan and fry the finely chopped onion slowly until golden. Add the garlic, if using, and cook it briefly, then stir in the turmeric and toast it for a few seconds, until fragrant.
3. Brown the meat with the beansTurn up the heat, add the ground meat (lamb or beef) and brown it, breaking it into small crumbs. Season with cinnamon, cumin, freshly ground black pepper, salt and, if you like, a little advieh. Add the beans and fry them with the meat for a few minutes.
4. Braise with tomatoesAdd the tomato paste and let it fry briefly until it darkens, then stir in the grated tomatoes. Pour in the water, cover, and braise for 15 to 30 minutes, until the beans are tender and the mixture is almost dry.
5. Parboil the riceBring a large pot of generously salted water to the boil, add the drained rice and cook for 6 to 10 minutes, until just tender with a little bite. Tip into a sieve and rinse briefly.
6. Line with potatoes and layerBrush the base of a heavy pot with the remaining oil and cover it closely with the potato slices. Layer the rice and the bean mixture on top in turns, scattering each layer of rice with a little advieh if you like, and heap everything into a cone. Drizzle the saffron water over the top.
7. Vent the pot and wrap the lidUsing the handle of a wooden spoon, poke a few holes down to the bottom of the pot so the steam can escape, and dot the rice with butter or drizzle over a little oil. Wrap the lid in a clean tea towel and set it on firmly.
8. Form the crust and steamLeave the pot over medium heat for 5 to 15 minutes, until the crust begins to form on the bottom, then lower the heat and let the rice steam gently for 30 to 60 minutes.
9. Plate up and serveLet it rest for a moment, then fluff the rice gently and spoon it onto a platter. Lay the tahdig alongside in pieces, or turn the whole pot out onto a platter. Serve with salad Shirazi and yogurt.

Tips and variations

Instead of ground meat, you can use lamb or beef cut into cubes; a more economical version gets by with around 150 g of ground meat. For the festive majlesi version, add rose petal powder and a little nutmeg to the seasoning, while dried thyme or savory with dried lime powder or lemon juice gives a fresher note. If you want the beans to stay especially green, blanch them briefly first and refresh them in cold water. The tahdig also works with lavash, lettuce leaves, pumpkin or plain rice; for a simpler dish, mix the rice and bean mixture together and steam them in the same pot without a crust. Set cool yogurt and salad Shirazi alongside.