Sabzi Polo Ba Mahi

Chop up the herbs, which includes: parsley, cilantro, green onions (only the ends where it is green) or chives (tareh), dill (if using fresh), and a small amount of spinach. I use a food processor to slightly chop up the herbs. Wash and soak your rice prior to cooking. Once herbs are chopped and rice has soaked for 30 minutes to 2 hours bring a pot of water to a boil. Once the water is boiling add in the herbs and let it cook for 5 minutes before adding in the rice. Once the rice comes to a boil (about 5 minutes) you want to use a strainer to empty every and drain out the water. Add a half cup water and some oil to the pot and return it to the stove top on a medium-high temperature. At this point you can also add some butter to the oil and water mixture. Add the Sabzi Polo (Herbs and Rice) back to the pot and cover the lid with a towel and place it over it. You want to allow it to steam and then turn the heat down to a low temperature. You should see steam escape from the sides of the lid and that's when you know to reduce the temperature. You can allow it to stay on the stove top over 30 minutes (no more than 45 minutes). The longer it stays the crispier your tahdigh (crispy rice bottom crust) will get.

For the fish that is served with the Sabzi Polo, first heat some oil in a frying pan. Pour some flour in a bowl or plate and add salt, pepper, and garlic to it then mix together. If you like you can put an egg or two in a different bowl and mix it as well, then you would dip your fish into the eggs then into the flour. Using an egg is optional. I dipped the fish into the flour and coated it on both sides then placed it in the frying pan. Place the lid on the frying pan if you like to allow it to thoroughly cook. Flip it over after a couple a minutes for the other side to fry a bit too. After the fish is done frying you can add some lemon juice to it.