Lubia Polo or Persian green bean rice is an easy-to-make dish featuring fluffy rice layered with a savory sauce made with stewing beef or lamb, tomato paste, green beans, and a unique blend of spices. If you are looking for a super flavorful rice dish, you’ve landed on the right recipe.
INGREDIENTS
· 3 cups rice
· 300 grams green beans cut into 1-inch pieces
· 2 onions
· 300 grams stewing beef or lamb cut into 1/2-inch cubes
· 2 tbsp tomato paste
· 1/4 tsp saffron threads
· salt and black pepper as needed
· 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
· Vegetable oil
· 1 medium potato sliced
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Wash and trim green beans by cutting off the ends. Then chop them into 1-inch pieces.
2. Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add in the green beans and saute until softened and slightly browned. Set them aside.
3. In the same pan, sauté onions until almost soft then add pepper, turmeric, and beef and cook until browned. Add tomato paste. Cook, stirring, until tomato paste darkens slightly.
4. Add green beans, cinnamon, and salt and mix through.Add boiling water to just cover everything. Adjust the heat so it is gently simmering, cover, and cook for about 1–1.5 hours or until the meat is tender and cooked through. Just remember to add bloomed saffron in the last half hour of cooking.
5. Rinse rice with cold water until water runs clear. Soak rice in lightly salted (about 1 tablespoon salt) water for about 1–2 hours.
6. In a large pot, bring about 6–7 cups of water to a boil. Drain the soaked rice and add it to the boiling water. Cook for about 6–8 minutes until the rice is parboiled or al dente. The rice grain should be soft on the outside but slightly hard in the middle.
7. Drain the rice in a fine-mesh strainer. In a non-stick pot add a little oil (about 2–3 tablespoons). Layer potato slices on the bottom of the pot. Add a few spoonfuls of the rice on top and then add a layer of meat and green bean sauce.
8. Go for another layer of parboiled rice, then sauce, forming a pyramid-like shape. Keep going until you’ve used up all the meat sauce and rice. Cover the pot with a lid wrapped in a clean kitchen towel.
9. Cook on low heat for about 45 minutes to 1 hour until the rice is fluffy with a perfectly golden crust.
Reference: cookingwithsamira
