Recipes · Iranian · Main Courses

Zereshk Polo (Persian Barberry Rice)

One serving has 723 kcal and 36 g protein, and at least a fifth of a woman's daily need of selenium (88%), niacin (88%), manganese (72%), pyridoxine (67%), thiamin (61%) and phosphorus (56%). Ready in 65 minutes.

Zereshk Polo (Persian Barberry Rice)
Photo: خودم, Public domain · source
  • Preparation: 25 min
  • Cooking: 40 min
  • Makes: 1 serving (372 g)
  • Difficulty: Medium
  • Diets: Gluten-free, High protein
  • Contains: dairy, poultry

Ingredients

  • 90 g Rice, white, long-grain
  • 150 g Chicken thighs, boneless, skinless, raw
  • 20 g Cranberries, dried
  • 8 g Sugar
  • 0.1 g Saffron
  • 12 g Ghee
  • 30 g Onions, raw
  • 1 g Turmeric
  • 1.2 g Salt
  • 60 g Water

Method

  1. Rinse the rice, soak in salted water 30 minutes, then drain.
  2. Cook the chicken with the onion and turmeric in half the ghee until the onion is soft and the chicken is browned and cooked through to 74 °C (165 °F).
  3. Parboil the rice in plenty of water 6-7 minutes until still firm in the center, then drain.
  4. Rinse the dried cranberries (a stand-in for barberries) briefly, then warm them gently with the remaining ghee and the sugar for 2-3 minutes, being careful not to burn them.
  5. Layer the rice over the chicken in the pot, drizzle with the water, cover with a cloth-wrapped lid and steam over low heat 30-35 minutes until tender.
  6. Fold most of the barberries through the rice, mound onto a platter, and scatter the rest on top to serve.

Nutrition per serving

NutrientPer servingShare of a day's need
Energy723 kcal34%
Carbohydrates100 g
Water215 mL
Fiber3 g10%
Protein36.4 g76%
Tryptophan0.41 g
Threonine1.6 g
Isoleucine1.7 g
Leucine3.1 g
Lysine3 g
Methionine1 g
Cystine0.48 g
Phenylalanine1.5 g
Tyrosine1.3 g
Valine1.8 g
Histidine1 g
Fat19 g
Monounsaturated5.9 g
Polyunsaturated2.1 g
Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA)0.01 g
Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA)0 g
Omega-61.6 g
Saturated9.3 g
Trans-Fats0.03 g
Cholesterol172 mg
Calcium48.8 mg5%
Copper0.34 mg38%
Iron5.8 mg32%
Magnesium63.8 mg21%
Manganese1.3 mg72%
Phosphorus395 mg56%
Potassium543 mg12%
Selenium48.3 µg88%
Sodium617 mg
Zinc3.5 mg44%
Thiamin (vitamin B1)0.67 mg61%
Riboflavin (vitamin B2)0.36 mg33%
Niacin (vitamin B3)12.3 mg88%
Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5)0.95 mg19%
Pyridoxine (vitamin B6)0.87 mg67%
Folate (vitamin B9)220 µg55%
Cobalamin (vitamin B12)0.92 µg38%
Choline92.3 mg22%
Vitamin A112 µg16%
Vitamin C2.4 mg3%
Vitamin D (D2 + D3)1.5 IU0%
Vitamin E1.2 mg8%
Vitamin K7.3 µg8%

Shares of a day's need are for a woman of 30, 165 cm, 60 kg, lightly active, by the US and Canadian Dietary Reference Intakes. SustainBite works out each person's own needs, by the standard where they live: the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations in Norway, the UK's, EFSA's in the EU.

Climate footprint

1.2 kg CO2e a serving: about average for main dishes on SustainBite. Source: ADEME, Agribalyse 3.2.

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