Aabgusht va shebet baqla polo

Aabgusht va shebet baqla polo, Bean and lamb stew with dill and broad bean rice آبگوشت لوبیا وشبت باقلا پلو
This dish is composed of two distinct elements which can be served on their own. The rice can be accompanied by lamb shanks or chicken. This combination is a Kashan speciality and can be adapted to suit a wide range of budgets.

500g Rice
2 bunches Dill weed to yield 50 g of chopped dill weed
200g Broad beans, shelled and peeled
½ tsp Turmeric
1 medium size Onion
50 ml Sunflower Oil
100g Butter
1 tbsp Salt

Shebet baqla polo, Dill and broad bean rice شبت باقلا پلو 

A traditional and wide-spread rice dish made delicious because of the inclusion of fresh dill weed and broad beans.

1. Clean the dill, cut off the stems to leave the thin young stems and the leaves. Wash thoroughly and dry on kitchen towel then chop finely.
2. If you are using fresh broad bean, shell them out of the pods and then skin the beans to reveal the bright shiny green flesh inside. Cut in half lengthwise. Wash thoroughly and put through a colander to remove the excess water.
3. Wash the rice in plenty of cold water at least three times or until the water remains reasonably clear. Drain and set aside.
4. Peel and chop the onion.

1. Choose a sauce pan which can comfortably accommodate all ingredients allowing for the rice increasing in volume and fluffing up.
2. Half-fill with water and add the salt. Bring to boil. Add the rice and gently stir a couple of times.
3. Add the salt and broad beans and bring back to boil. Allow the bubbles to turn into waves of rice and broad beans coming up to the surface.
4. Count about 10 waves and drain the mixture in a sieve. Add the chopped dill and very gently mix with rice to avoid breaking the grains.
5. Rinse and dry the pan and return to the stove. Add the oil and chopped onions and spread in a layer at the bottom of the pan. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the rice mixture over the onions. Cut the butter into small pieces and dot over the rice.
6. Wrap the lid in a damp tea towel and fit tightly on the pan. Reduce the heat to minimum and let the rice steam in the residual moisture for about 45 minutes.


500g Lamb (from the fatty part of the loin or shoulder)
250g Haricot beans
2 large Onions
½ tsp Turmeric
1 litre Water/stock
Salt and pepper to taste

Aabgusht, Bean and lamb stew آبگوشت لوبیا

This dish or variations of it date back many centuries. Different cuts of lamb can be added depending on the budget. Contrary to the contemporary practice of almost always frying the onions and sealing the meat before cooking it, this recipe requires all the ingredients to be put in a pot to cook on a gentle heat. You can serve the stew on its own with fresh bread. The way it is done in Kashan is that you adjust the stock so as when it is all cooked and ready there would be enough to serve as a soup with pieces of bread floating on top. The rest of the mixture, i.e. the meat, beans and onions are mashed together to a paste and served separately but at the same time. Kashan has many kinds of aubergine pickles which accompany every meal and this is by no means an exception.

1. Wash the meat, dry it and cut it into 5 cm/2 inch cubes.
2. Peel the onions and roughly chop them.
3. Wash the beans.

1. Put all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to boil. Lower the heat to a minimum and let the pan simmer gently for at least two hours or until the meat and the beans have cooked thoroughly. Add more water as and when needed.
2. Serve with the dill and bean rice.

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