Name: Shole/Shola And Kecheri Quroot
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 1 h
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Persian
Ingredients: 2 cups basmati or short-grain rice, rinsed; 1 cup maash (mung beans), soaked for a few hours; 2 medium onions, finely chopped (divided: 1 for shola, 1 for meat); 1 lb ground beef or lamb; 1.5 teaspoons minced garlic; 4 tablespoons tomato paste (divided: 2 tbsp for shola, 2 tbsp for meat sauce); 1/2 cup chicken stock or 1 bouillon cube; 1 teaspoon ground cumin (zireh); 1 teaspoon turmeric; 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne); 3/4 cup Kashk (liquid whey / Ghoroot) or plain Greek yogurt; 1 tablespoon dried mint; Cooking oil, salt, and black pepper to taste

Step-by-Step Instructions

طرز تهیه

Pre-cook mung beans: Wash the mung beans and soak for a few hours. To make sure they become soft faster, I usually boil them in water for a bit first, then drain in a colander and rinse.

Sauté base & simmer beans: In a large pot (the same pot you will make the Shola in), heat oil and fry one finely chopped onion until golden. Add minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Stir in 2 tablespoons tomato paste, cumin, chicken stock, salt, and pepper. Pour in about 3 cups water and add the mung beans. Cover with a lid and cook on medium for 10 minutes.

Add rice & simmer shola: Wash the rice and add it to the pot with the mung beans. Pour in enough water so it stands at least 2 to 3 cm above the rice. Let it simmer until most water evaporates (the more water you use, the softer and stickier it becomes). Place a clean kitchen towel over the lid, cover tightly, and steam on low for 30 minutes.

Make ground meat sauce: In a separate pot, sauté the second chopped onion in oil until golden. Add the ground meat, breaking it up with a spoon. Season with turmeric, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Once browned, stir in 2 tablespoons tomato paste and 1.5 to 2 cups water. Cover and simmer on medium heat for at least 30 minutes until the sauce has thickened and water has mostly reduced.

Warm kashk: Warm the Kashk (Ghoroot) in a small saucepan. If it's very thick, loosen with 2 tablespoons of warm water. (If you don't have Kashk, plain thick yogurt works great too!).

Assemble & serve: Spoon a generous mound of sticky warm Shola onto a wide platter. For Kecheri Quroot, pour the warm Kashk right into the center crater, and spoon the savory meat sauce all around the rim. Sprinkle dried mint on top for added flavor! 🙂

Shole/Shola And Kecheri Quroot

Ingredients

Step-by-Step Instructions

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