Meygoo Polo – Rice with Herbs and Prawns (Edit recipe)

Meygoo Polo originated in Iran’s southern provinces of Khuzestan and Bushehr. It’s not surprising that this seafood dish comes from provinces that are located on the shores of the Persian Gulf. Meygoo is the Farsi word for prawns, which are a staple for the residents of the Persian Gulf region. This dish brings together warming spices and blends them with cups of fresh herbs, all layered in a pot full of light and fluffy rice. As with most traditional dishes, local and regional touches influence the specific ingredients.

15 minutes

1 hour

Difficulty:

Intermediate

Show nutritional information

This is our estimate based on online research.
Calories:	562
Fat:	33 g
Carbohydrates:	34 g
Protein:	40 g
Cholesterol:	242 g
Sodium:	2176 mg
Fiber:	0 g
Sugars:	0 g
Calculated per serving.

by The Caspian Chef

View original recipe

Serves: 4

Ingredients

Herbs

4 Tbsp Ghee, (or butter or oil)
1 Onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves Garlic, minced
1 Tbsp Whole Cumin Seed
1 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 cup Cilantro, fresh, finely chopped
1 cup fresh Dill, finely chopped
1 Tbsp Dried Fenugreek Leaves

Rice

2 cups Basmati Rice, soaked for 1 hour and rinsed
8 cups Water
1 Tbsp Salt, (for boiling the rice and will be rinsed out)
2 Tbsp Ghee, (or butter or oil)
1 pinch Saffron, ground, dissolved in 2 Tbsp hot water

Prawns

1 lb Raw Prawns
1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
1/4 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Ground Cumin, ground
1/4 tsp ground Ginger
1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1/4 tsp ground (Persian Hogweed) Golpar
1/2 tsp Salt
2 Tbsp Ghee, (or olive oil)
1 Lime, juiced (fresh)

Garnish

1 Green Onion (Scallion), sliced thinly
2 Tbsp Cilantro, fresh, roughly chopped

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Process

Note, these instructions are written assuming the standard serving size, since you have modified the number of servings, these steps may need to be modified for best results

Herbs

In a medium sized frying pan, saute the onion with ghee for 15 minutes over medium heat until golden in color.
Add garlic, cumin and turmeric and saute for an additional 2 minutes.
Add the remaining fresh and dried herbs to the pan and saute for an additional 2 minutes to blend all the herbs and spices with the onion. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Rice

In a large covered pot, bring 8 cups water and salt to a boil.
Add the rinsed rice and boil on high heat uncovered for about 5-8 minutes, or until the rice has slightly softened. Drain the rice in a colander, rinse and set aside.
Melt 2 tablespoons ghee in a non-stick pot over low heat.
In a small bowl, mix 1 cup of the lightly cooked rice with 2 tablespoons of saffron-water mixture, gently mix and spread evenly in the bottom of the pot. This will be the crispy rice referred to as Tahdig.
Begin by layering a 1/3 of the partially cooked rice and a 1/3 of the herb mixture into the pot and repeat until all of the rice and herbs have been layered in the pot. Gently mix the rice and herbs to create a uniform mixture.
Wrap the lid with a clean towel and place on top of the pot. Allow the rice to steam over a medium-low to medium heat for about 45 minutes.
10 minutes before the rice finishes cooking begin preparing the prawns.

Prawns

In a medium sized bowl combine the prawns with all of the spices and salt and toss to fully coat the prawns.
In a large sized frying pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat and place the prawns in the pan and saute for about 1-2 minute on each side.
Prawns should turn a bright red color when cooked.
Splash the prawns with the fresh lime juice and remove from the pan.

Assembly

Once the rice is cooked, cautiously and swiftly invert the rice out of the pot onto a large serving platter.
Arrange the prawns decoratively on or around the rice platter and garnish with green onions and cilantro.

Notes

I like experimenting and changing some of the spices in this dish to include cinnamon, cardamom, coriander, etc. Alternatively, you can reduce the amount of herbs and instead incorporate tamarind or tomato paste as part of the rice preparation.