Polo & Chelo🍚Crispy Saffron & Golden Crust

Maash Polo

Name: Maash Polo
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 50 min
Yield: 4-6 servings
Cuisine: Persian
Ingredients: 1 cup maash (mung beans), rinsed and soaked for at least 30 minutes; 3 cups basmati rice, rinsed and soaked in salted water for 1 hour; 1/3 cup cooking oil or melted butter; 2 tablespoons sugar (or sugar food coloring) to caramelize with water and oil; 1.5 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; Fried eggs, roast chicken, or meat (for serving, optional)

ماش پلو اصیل سنتی با پیازداغ و زعفران

Maash Polo (Mung Bean Rice) is a wonderfully wholesome and rustic Persian rice dish. The mung beans give it an earthy, rich taste and you can serve it with chicken, meat, or just sunny fried eggs and yogurt 🙂.

Prep Time

30 mins

Cook Time

50 mins

Total Time

1 hr 20 min

Servings

4-6 servings

Difficulty

Easy

The Authentic Sofreh Pairing

In Persian tradition, dining is a harmony of hot and cold temperaments (Garm o Sard). Serve this dish alongside:

Fried Eggs in ButterMast (Plain Yogurt)TorshiSalad Shirazi

🍚The Tahdig Golden Guarantee

Master Crust Secret: Slick the pot bottom with 3–4 tbsp oil or melted butter and 2 tbsp bloomed saffron water. Sear on medium-high heat for 2–3 minutes until sizzling, then wrap the lid in a clean towel (damkoni) and steam on low for 40–45 minutes.

Ingredients

مواد لازم

Servings Stepper

4 servings

Unit System

Prep ready: 0 of 6

1 cup maash (mung beans), rinsed and soaked for at least 30 minutes

3 cups basmati rice, rinsed and soaked in salted water for 1 hour

⅓ cup cooking oil or melted butter

2 tablespoons sugar (or sugar food coloring) to caramelize with water and oil

1 ½ teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper

Fried eggs, roast chicken, or meat (for serving, optional)

Step-by-Step Instructions

طرز تهیه

Parboil mung beans: In a large pot, bring water to a boil and add the soaked maash. Allow the mung beans to boil for 10 to 15 minutes until tender but still holding their shape.

Add rice & drain: Add the drained soaked rice into the boiling pot with the mung beans. Let it come to a rolling boil until rice grains are tender on the outside with a firm core (about 5-7 minutes). Empty into a colander to drain.

Prepare oil & sugar glaze: In the bottom of the pot, add some water and oil and heat it up for tahdig. In a separate small saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil, 2 tablespoons of water, and 1 to 2 tablespoons of sugar; let it cook/fry for a minute until it turns golden-brown (caramelized sugar coloring).

Layer & steam: Add the drained rice and mung bean mixture to the pot over the heated oil. Pour the caramelized sugar-oil mixture evenly over the top of the rice. Use a spatula to gently fluff and mound into a gentle pyramid. Wrap the lid in a clean towel, cover tightly, and place over high heat until steam escapes from the sides, then immediately turn to low heat and steam for 20-30 minutes (or longer for extra crispy tahdig!).

Serve: Gently spoon onto a platter. You can serve this with chicken or stew meat, or simply fry some eggs in butter to serve alongside. Many times I even sprinkle a little extra sugar on the rice, or serve it with cool yogurt. It's all up to you! 🙂

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