Persian wedding rice · Saffron and barberry
Zereshk Polo Recipe (Persian Barberry Rice with Chicken)
Soak the rice. Bloom the saffron. Barberries for seconds.
Recipe by Farwa ZeeshanTested in the NineFoods home kitchenZereshk polo is saffron rice scattered with ruby barberries, served with soft braised chicken at every Persian wedding. Barberries burn in seconds and turn bitter, and the rice goes sticky when it is not rinsed. The fix is soaking basmati, parboiling then steaming, blooming saffron in hot water, and frying barberries for just under a minute with a little sugar.
The 3 laws of zereshk polo
Why this recipe works
Unwashed rice
Washing removes starch for separate grains.
Dry threads
Ground saffron in hot water gives full colour.
Long frying
They burn and go bitter fast.
Shopping and prep list
Ingredients
Chicken
Rice and barberries
The NineFoods rice gauge
Is the rice ready to drain?
Bite a grain after boiling.
Method · 4 stages
Step by step
Braise chicken
- Fry onion, add turmeric and chicken and brown.
- Add tomato paste, water, salt, pepper and saffron; simmer covered.
Parboil rice
- Boil drained rice in salted water. Use the gauge above.
- Drain and rinse with cool water.
Steam
- Melt butter in the pot, mound rice, poke holes and cover with a towel-wrapped lid.
Barberries
- Warm butter, add barberries and sugar, stir 40 seconds and stop.
Chef's troubleshooter
What went wrong? Pick the symptom
Why
Over-fried.
Fix next time
Cook under 1 minute on low heat.
Why
Not soaked or overboiled.
Fix next time
Soak, rinse and drain when the core is firm.
Why
Saffron not bloomed.
Fix next time
Grind saffron with sugar and steep in hot water.
Why
High heat.
Fix next time
Braise gently, covered.
Swap smart
Ingredient roles and substitutes
| Ingredient | Job in the dish | Swap with |
|---|---|---|
| Barberries | Sour jewels | Dried cranberries, chopped, less sugar |
| Chicken legs | Protein | Lamb shank |
| Butter | Richness | Ghee or oil |
| Basmati | Grain | Any long-grain aged rice |
After the meal
Serve, store, reheat
Serve with
Salad shirazi, mast-o-khiar and tahdig.
Store
Fridge 3 days, rice and chicken separately.
Reheat
Sprinkle rice with water, cover and steam 5 minutes.
How we tested this recipe
Tested in a home kitchen, not a studio
Recipe developed and tested by Farwa Zeeshan, who cooks and tests every NineFoods recipe on a regular home stove.
- Cooked from start to finish with the exact quantities above for 4 servings, using both the metric and US cup measures.
- Every one of the 4 stages was timed at the stove; heat levels and the 'look for' cues are what we saw in the pan.
- The doneness check (is the rice ready to drain) and the troubleshooter come from batches that went wrong, and how we fixed them.
- Reheating and storage advice was checked on leftovers, not guessed.
Keep cooking
Related recipes and guides
Quick answers
Zereshk Polo FAQ
What are barberries?
Small dried red berries with a sharp sour taste, called zereshk.
Where can I buy barberries?
Persian or Middle Eastern shops and online.
Why are my barberries bitter?
They were fried too long or too hot.
What is zereshk polo served with?
Saffron braised chicken, called morgh.