Recipe for Delicious and Tasty Adas Polo (Lentil Rice) with Ground Meat

Ingredients for Adas Polo with Ground Meat

• 1 cup lentils

• 2 cups rice

• 450 grams ground meat

• 2 onions

• Salt, pepper, and Adas Polo spices (as needed)

• Saffron (as needed)

• Raisins, dates, and barberries (as needed)

  

Instructions for Adas Polo with Ground Meat and Raisins

1. Prepare the ingredients for Adas Polo
   The first step in making Adas Polo with ground meat is similar to preparing Adasi (lentil stew). Start by washing the lentils well, then pour some warm water over them and let them soak for at least 1-4 hours to remove any bitterness.
   At the same time, wash the rice thoroughly and soak it with some salt. Also, wash the raisins and dates needed for garnish and let them dry. It is recommended to prepare the saffron at this stage.

2. Cook the lentils and prepare boiling water for draining
   The second step is to cook the soaked lentils in some water. While the lentils are cooking, fill a suitable pot for steaming the rice with water and bring it to a boil.

   

   Prepare the filling for the Adas Polo
   In this stage, just like when making Loobia Polo (Bean Rice) with ground meat, chop the onions and sauté them in oil until golden. Then add the ground meat and cook until browned.
   Simultaneously, add some turmeric, cinnamon, salt, and pepper to the mixture, and let the ingredients blend well. The filling for your Adas Polo is now ready. Set aside the cooked lentils, and your Adas Polo can now be steamed.

4. Steaming Adas Polo
   In this step of preparing Adas Polo with ground meat, it is time to add the rice to the boiling water in the pot. Once the rice softens slightly, drain it.

Pour some oil into the bottom of your pot and arrange slices of bread or potato rings to create a crispy bottom (tahdig). Then, layer the drained rice, followed by a layer of the filling (meat mixture) along with the cooked lentils. Continue layering until all ingredients are used. Your Adas Polo will be ready in about 45 minutes to an hour.

5. Preparing Raisins, Dates, and Garnishes
   Before steaming the Adas Polo, prepare the raisins for garnish. For this, sauté the washed and dried raisins in some butter on low heat until they soften. At the same time, sauté the dates until they become soft.

If you want a more colorful Adas Polo, you can also sauté some barberries separately, adding a bit of sugar and saffron to them for extra flavor.

Now, serve the steamed Adas Polo on a dish or appropriate serving plate, and garnish with raisins, barberries, saffron, and slivers of pistachio, as desired.

Spices for Adas Polo
For making Adas Polo, be sure to use brewed saffron. In addition to saffron, don’t forget to add some cinnamon to the lentil mixture. These two spices together will create a heavenly flavor for this dish. Moreover, if you want to neutralize the taste of the lentils, it's good to add a little cumin to the rice during the steaming stage. Adding dried rose petal powder to the filling is also common in this dish.