Zereshk polo ba morgh

Before you start

• soak the rice 1h ahead
• barberries from a Middle Eastern grocer — nothing else has that sourness
• a wide non-stick pan with a tight lid, for the tahdig

Ingredients

Serves 4 · dimmer marks are storecupboard

• 600gchicken thighs
• 320gbasmati rice
• 40gdried barberries
• 30gbutter
• 2onions
• 1 pinchsaffron
• 1 tbspsugar
• 15gslivered pistachio nuts and almonds
• 1 tspturmeric

Method

8 steps

1. soak · 1 hour walk away

   Rice rinsed until the water runs clear, then left in well-salted cold water for an hour. Soaked, the grains cook long and separate; unsoaked, they break in the pan.

2. fold · 4m

   Saffron ground with a pinch of sugar and steeped in a little hot water to bloom.

3. fry · 14m

   Onions softened in half the butter with the turmeric, then the chicken browned in among them.

4. simmer · 35m walk away

   A splash of water, lid on, lowest heat, until the meat is falling off the bone and completely cooked through — no pink at the joint and the juices running clear.

5. boil · 10m

   Rice into a big pan of boiling salted water for six or seven minutes only, until it bends but still has a chalky core, then drained.

6. steam · 45m walk away

   Back over a layer of butter and a spoon of saffron water, holes poked down through it, a cloth under the lid, lowest heat. The crust on the bottom — tahdig — is what everyone is really waiting for.

7. fry · 3m

   Barberries rinsed and turned in a little butter with the sugar for barely a minute. They scorch in seconds and burnt barberries are unbearable.

8. finish · 5m

   Rice out, saffron rice spooned over the white, chicken alongside, barberries and nuts scattered, and the tahdig broken up and laid on top where it can be seen.