Shirazi Polo

Wash rice, and soak in water. Add salt to the water as well. In a frying pan or pot (has to have lid) place some oil and add the onions. Once the onions are tender add the chicken pieces and stir. Add salt, pepper, and turmeric. Add half a cup or a little more water to the chicken and cover. Allow to cook on med-low to med heat for approximately 30-40 minutes. Set the chicken pieces aside, and keep the chicken stock (strain the broth to remove onions). Cut up the eggplant into circles and fry in oil. Keep on a high heat when sauteing since eggplants do soak up oil on lower temperatures. Place a paper towel on a dish and place the eggplant pieces on it when done. Wash the zereshk after cleaning them (make sure you clean because stones may be mixed in the packaging). Place them in a small pot and add a spoon or two of oil. Add a bit of saffron and if you desire some sugar to the zereshk. Allow it to cook on a low or med-low temperature for a few minutes. Make sure you do not over cook the barberries, and turn the heat off once they are prepared. Place water in a pot to cook rice. When the water boils add the rice after pouring out the water it was soaking in. Once the pot begins boiling again, pour the rice into a strainer. In a large bowl mix together the yogurt, some oil, a little bit of the chicken stock, egg yolks, liquid saffron, and some salt. Using a large cooking spoon (kafgir), spoon rice into this bowl (fill the cooking spoon with rice two times). Mix the rice in with everything else in the bowl. Grease your round oven safe dish/Pyrex with oil and then take two tables spoons of the mixture and spread it around the dish to cover the bottom and sides. Then pour the rest of the mixture into the bottom of the dish. Pour some more rice into the Pyrex, add the eggplant pieces, then add the chicken pieces over that, and finally pour some of the zereshk (barberries) on the chicken. Keep the rest of the zereshk for later. Spoon the remaining rice into the dish to cover everything. Gently press down once everything is in the dish. Add a spoon of oil to the chicken stock saved earlier and pour this all over the contents in the Pyrex. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350° or 375° (degrees Fahrenheit) for 1 1/2 – 2 hours (one and a half to two hours). This way the crust will be crispy and golden brown in color. When you take it out of the oven to serve, you may need to wait a few minutes before placing a platter on top of the Pyrex and then inverting the contents. Sometimes if enough oil was not used to grease the pan it will be stuck. Once that is done pour the remaining zereshk (barberries) over the upside down rice and serve. Edit