Zereshk Polo Ba Murg is a delicious and classic Persian style chicken. The whole dish is a combination of Zereshk, Murg, and Polo. In other words, it is a combination of barberries, rice, and chicken along with saffron flavor.
Saffron Chicken with Barberry Rice is like a celebration on a plate. I am always intrigued by the combination of color and flavor every Persian dish has. Persians cook their food with so much love that it is hard to resist it.
Zereshk Polo Ba Murg is one of those beautiful creations among Persian Cuisine. What fascinates me more about this cuisine is that Persians always use fresh ingredients in their cooking. They extensively use saffron for coloring as well as for flavors.
Ingredients Used In Saffron Rice with Barberry Rice
- Iranian spice mix – This spice mix is the essence of the entire dish. You can either grind the ingredients or assemble the powders you already have in your kitchen pantry. The spice mix is a combination of turmeric, red chili, cumin, cardamom, black pepper, and cinnamon powder. As we all know that Persian food is prepared with subtle flavors. Therefore, we need to take extra care while adding spices.
- Rice – You need to use excellent quality rice for the best results. Basmati rice soaked for at least 1-hour works best.
- Chicken – The best pieces to be used are thigh and leg pieces. Big cuts are always better.
- Saffron – This is an integral part of the recipe. Therefore, you need to use good quality saffron namely, Mazaeus Saffron which gives the best color and flavor to any dish.
- Barberries – These are tiny berries from the barberry bush used in dry form. There is no perfect substitute for these berries but you can use raisins which are almost close. Dried Barberries are sour in taste and not at all sweet as compared to raisins.
- Onion & Garlic – These two ingredients form a base for the chicken gravy. Onions are fried just till they are soft and pink followed by chopped garlic.
- Tomato – You need to add tomatoes in two forms. Fresh tomato is grated or pureed as well the tomato puree which is a packaged one. This gives the gravy a sour taste as well as a rich color.
How to prepare Zereshk Polo Ba Murg ~ Saffron Chicken with Barberry Rice
Saffron Chicken with Barberry Rice can be prepared in the following steps:
- Rice preparation – It is very important to soak the rice well. The minimum time for soaking rice is 1 hour, but soaking for 2 to 3 hours is even better. As a result, the rice grains fluff up well. It is always better to use Basmati Rice or Sela Basmati Rice. While steaming the cooked rice, try to make a heap of rice and shape it into a cone. This step makes the size of rice grains double in size and super soft in texture.
- Preparation of Chicken and Spices – We need to prepare a spice mix that will be used as a dry rub for the chicken as well as the spice for the gravy.
- Barberries – The barberries are in dry form. Therefore, it needs to be fried with butter and sugar to enhance its flavor.
More Persian Recipes
Persian Meat Balls with Saffron Rice
Joojeh Kabab with Saffron Rice
Kabab Koobeideh
Javaher Polow with Tehdig
Bagali Polo Ba Mahicha
Zereshk Polo Ba Murg Video
SAFFRON CHICKEN WITH BARBERRY RICE
Persian style chicken cooked in flavorful gravy with saffron and mild spices served with barberry and saffron rice. Zereshk Polo Ba Murg is a delicious and classic Persian-style chicken. This platter is a combination of Zereshk, Murg, and Polo. In other words, it is a combination of barberries, rice, and chicken along with saffron flavor.
Ingredients
- 2 cups basmati rice
- 500 grams of chicken thighs
- 1 large onion sliced
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
- 1 large ripe tomato grated
- 2 tablespoon tomato puree
- ¾ cup dried barberries
- 3 tablespoon butter
Spice Mix
- 1 ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ¼ teaspoon red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder
- 1 teaspoon saffron
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper powder
Other Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon salt for chicken
- 3 tablespoon salt for cooking rice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil for marinating chicken
- 4 tablespoons cooking oil
Instructions
- Wash and soak basmati rice for 1 hour.
- Crush the saffron strands using a mortar and pestle into a fine powder. Add 4 tablespoons of chilled water and let it soak for 15 minutes.
- Prepare the Irani spice mix by adding turmeric powder, red chili powder, cumin powder, cardamom powder, and black pepper powder in a bowl. Mix well and set aside.
- Marinate chicken pieces with 2 teaspoon Irani spice mix, salt, and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Mix everything well and marinate for 15 minutes.
- Heat 4 tablespoons of cooking oil in a shallow saucepan. Fry chicken pieces on both sides for 5 minutes on medium-high heat. Remove the chicken pieces to a plate.
- Heat the same saucepan and fry the chopped onion and chopped garlic until soft and translucent. Then add remaining Irani spice mix and grated fresh tomato puree. Keep stirring and cook the mixture for 5 minutes.
- Return the fried chicken pieces to the onion-tomato mixture. Pour 2 tablespoons of saffron water along with 1 cup of water or chicken stock. Stir well, cover, and cook the chicken until it is fully done.
- Once the chicken is done, add 2 tablespoons of tomato puree and cook for a couple of minutes. Turn off the heat and keep the chicken warm until served.
For Fried Barberries
- Heat a small saucepan with 1 tablespoon butter, ¾ cup dried barberries, 2 teaspoon saffron water, and 1 teaspoon sugar. Fry for 3 to 4 minutes and set aside.
For the rice
- Heat a large saucepan add 3 liters of water or more and 2 tablespoons of salt. Once it starts to boil, add soaked basmati rice. Cook for around 7 to 8 minutes or until the rice is almost cooked (90%).
- Strain the rice and place it back into a non-stick saucepan for dum cooking. Once you add all the cooked rice in the saucepan, instead of making it flat, you need to heap the rice and give it a cone shape. Add butter pieces if you wish. Make three to four dents for the steam to circulate. Cover the saucepan and keep on dum cooking for 10 minutes on low flame.
- Open the lid and remove 3 to 4 tablespoons of rice in a small bowl and add the remaining saffron water (1 tablespoon) to it. Mix well and set aside.
Plating
- Take a large serving dish and spread the cooked rice. Then add a layer of saffron rice followed by fried barberries. Finally, add the chicken pieces on top and serve the gravy on the side.
- Serve the dish hot with salad and butter.
